What with the decision not to appeal, and now some articles reporting on the scholarship Jessica will be getting (the brainchild of The Friendly Atheist, and proudly supported by Freethought Blogs), a whole new crop of people are hearing about the Cranston Banner for, apparently, the first time. Or if they have known about it, they haven’t learned much, because they are using the same ignorant arguments they have from the beginning.
And they are continuing to threaten. I read a fresh comment today specifying that someone should knock some of Jessica’s teeth out. So, yeah, this has been a fixture of Cranston commentary since at least October. But in the minds of some, who are more concerned with her soul than her safety, there are sadder things about the Banner case… like Jessica’s atheism.
Why couldn’t she just look the other way? After all, only six words out of the whole banner are objectionable! Besides, since atheists don’t believe in God, they shouldn’t be offended by any mention of Him! And it’s not fair to shove atheism down our throats! Hey, when she wins, all that money will say “In God We Trust” on it!
Though some Cranston Christians supported her, for the most part it was “Praise the Lord and start the persecution“. Christians were, it seems, a highly oppressed majority. It was clearly Jessica’s fault that the school had been violating the constitution, and with God on their side, they would surely win the appeal!
Her own representative called Jessica an “evil little thing”. Local businesses refused to deliver her flowers.
The Christian mob wanted their own religion to have a special, favored status, and to be able to punish Jessica for her atheism. On the other side of the world, we saw what that looks like. And we saw that it can happen to Christians when they are in the minority. The only way to be certain that you will not be mistreated when you are in the minority, is to keep those laws safe when you are in the majority. It’s a matter of mutual respect, and of maintaining that wall.
It’s a lesson Cranston is learning the hard way. And one which, as evidenced by their comments, some people are not learning at all.
(and I have learned that I had no idea how much I had written on this one thing!)
I really wish the Christians would take one position and stick with it. Either the US is a Christian country and all us non-Christians should recognize the fact or else Christians are a persecuted group, unable to worship openly. I’m getting tired of Christians whip-sawing back and forth between these two attitudes.
“More persecuted!”
“Christian nation!”
“More persecuted!”
“Christian nation!”
“More persecuted!”
“Christian nation!”
Remember, folks: the only way to ensure liberty for yourself is to be sure it also applies to undeserving scum (ie. those with whom you disagree).
Hey, you’ve got your persecution in my Christian Nation.
And you’ve got your Christian Nation in my persecution.
And I’m really dating myself.
hard to tell the christians from the lions without a program….
I’d hoped they’d appeal. The “good citizens” of Cranston deserve to have their pockets further picked by lawyers appealing their nonsense.
I used to date myself, but I found myself too boring.
hard to tell the christians from the lions without a program….
You misspelled “pogrom.”
“More persecuted!”
“Christian nation!”
It’s both.
It’s both a floor wax and a dessert topping.
Anybody remember those proselytizing christians who were jailed in Afghanistan before the war? The was some hue and cry about it, even though the proselytizers certainly were asking for it.
Does that happen here in the States? No. Are christians refused any jobs or services or anything because they are christian? No. Do they get to insinuate christianity into every little thing unless someone calls them on it and the law is properly enforced? Yes.
So, bite me, christians. Just go ahead and try openly identifying yourselves as atheists or muslims or as a follower of some other religion for a week. See how that goes for you. And then wonder why it is that religion should not be the basis for government and law, and why the majority rules but minorities still have inalienable rights.
You get your way ninety percent of the time. Quit crying over the ten percent when the law is actually enforced. The basis of which those founders you refer to so often had laid out.
@randomfactor: “You misspelled “pogrom.””
LOL to tears; damn that line got me good.
Cuttlefish:
-I’m glad you and other bloggers have written on the subject. I learned of it through posts by various bloggers here at FtB. Jessica is an incredibly brave young woman, and I’m proud of her.
Cuttlefish–I am not sure that you can write too much on this topic. It is so sad to see the way the “persecuted” Christians are treating her. It is such BS. The more Christian they are, the more vile in their statements about Jessica. I do hope that those cafeteria Catholics and people on the fence about Christianity take note of that fact.
The good news is that they deconverted at least one Christian who saw how vile Christians can be.