And you are welcome to believe as you choose. I'll never insult your faith and never have.
I don't have a problem with a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn, either. In Jefferson's great phrase, "It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg".
But when anyone says I can't be a conservative because I am not a Christian, that ticks me off big time and I will respond, sometimes (despite my best efforts) in anger.
Same here.
It is shocking to the majority here but, yes, you can be a liberty loving atheist. Far too many atheists are statist turds, but far too many Christians are too.
I wasn’t saying that. The Tea Party is working this out right now, trying to determine whether social conservatism should be part of their platform. That doesn’t mean everyone in the Tea Party has to be a social conservative or not, depending on what the Tea Party decides.
The Republican platform is pro-life yet we have many members of the party who are not.
And you are welcome to believe as you choose. I'll never insult your faith and never have.
I don't have a problem with a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn, either. In Jefferson's great phrase, "It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg".
I love that Jefferson quote as it sums up what we should all hold dear when it comes to religion, our religion, the religion of others and the rights of non-believers.
While I am for all intense purposes an atheist as I do not believe in a supernatural supreme being or in supernatural beings or in the supernatural world period, I usually refrain from calling myself an Atheist, preferring something like “non-believer” or “non-religious” or simply a “rationalist” because of the few Atheists who make complete asses of themselves, especially at this time of year, those who have no idea of what religious freedom really means.
Like you, I'm pro-America, pro-life, and pro-liberty and I've been an atheist nearly all my days and I have absolutely no problem with public Nativity scenes or calling the big brightly lit pine tree in the town square exactly what it should be called – a Christmas Tree and not a “Holiday” or “Seasonal” or “Winter” or “Festive” tree. Unless I know for sure that someone is Jewish or of some other non-Christian faith, I wish people a Merry Christmas (I have no problem BTW wishing my Jewish friends a blessed Hanukkah, my Hindu friends a joyous Deepavali (Festival of Lights), etc.) but I have no problem with my Christian friends and family or complete strangers wishing me a Merry Christmas. My Jewish and Hindu friends wish me a Merry Christmas BTW and I appreciate that.
While I may not believe in a personal supernatural supreme being and savior, I consider myself a “Cultural Christian” as it is the culture of my forbearers and a big part of the predominate culture of the country that I love.
And I love Christmas. I love the story of the Nativity, I love the music (including traditional and ancient religious carols along with the more secular Christmas songs), the lights, the decorations, the food and most of all the spirit of giving and of charity. I love sharing with my niece and nephew and now their little children our family traditions and recipes; some of the PA German/Dutch and Welsh traditions originating from my mother’s side of the family and some of the traditions from my Norwegian born father’s side of the family along with the American traditions from my childhood. For instance, it’s been a long standing tradition that “Christmas” doesn’t officially start in our family until the “real” Santa makes his appearance at the end of the Macy’s parade on Thanksgiving. I always watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and get choked up at the end when Linus explains the real meaning of Christmas every single time just as I do when the Grinch’s heart grows and I watch the 1951 movie version of A Christmas Carol every Christmas Eve. I love baking Christmas cookies and giving them out, I put a Christmas wreath on my front door and put up a Christmas Tree decorated with family heirloom hand blown glass Christmas ornaments, a few of which came over to America with my mother’s great-grandparents from Germany in the mid-1800’s.
The only other holiday that gets me as teary eyed and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside is The 4th of July.
I tend to think that there are a good number of us “non-believers”, a good many of us conservatives like you and me and others here. The militant Athiests are more akin to Communists IMO. Unfortunately they are loud and militant and angry, were as most of the rest of us are a silent majority among non-believers who are simply content to live and let live. So the “believers” don’t hear from us as we don’t find it necessary to say otherwise, to question or insult their faith or stand in their way in practicing it or among those of us who have not abandoned the traditions of Christmas.
I have one question -How does one truly defend and uphold inalienable rights endowed us by the Creator when one does not consider the Creator to exist?
In my opinion -this belief and acknowledgment of the Creator in context with the people and the role of government is truly what separates America and our form of government from all the others.
what faith were you born to or of your ancestors?
i have found in my life that most atheists are Jewish born ..in fact most Jews I know do not really believe in their creed much but they cling to the identity/history/sense of belonging by blood and most agnostics were Catholic born and christened
lapsed Southern baptists and Pentecostals while do occur are less common...rare is one who will profess atheism....usually they will parse it like...I'm a believer but I don;t go to church or I believe how I want to believe ...or I hate organized religion, or church is full of hypocrites...it is...we all are to some degree but that is our fault not God's
however...few die atheists...not from what my oncologist friend says...wonderers maybe but deniers are quite rare
however...you can be conservative...even socially and not be Christian or serious Jewish
not many but some
I'm a Christian...southern..old school...I've never forgotten it even when i was bad...and I mean...like really bad...worse than 99.9% here ever dreamed of
but I never forgot God or my culture
wish the best...I hope you find a route to live outside yourself...kids maybe?
I do think you ought to ponder where this goodness you sense in your intellect that drives your thoughtfulness gegarding behavior comes from? parents maybe?...but where did they ge it?
some is innate...like toddlers know stomping puppies is bad
questions men pondered from the first fireside where one could repose...without immediate fear of death