• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

High school student successfully sues her school to remove a religious prayer banner

Status
Not open for further replies.
On the surface I must admit this appears like using a double-barreled shotgun to shoot a cockroach, but nonetheless it doesn't change this one simple fact:

The sign is against the law.

It would be more like a roach using a shotgun on itself, considering all the girl originally asked was the unconstitutional sign be taken off of a publicly funded wall. They felt the need to fight against their glaringly apparent violation of the establishment clause, and waste thousands of tax dollars in the process.
 
What a stupid thing. Some people take everything way too seriously. I'm a Christian but I'm not devout or anything. Haven't been to church in years. If there are posters you don't believe in, just move on. If I saw another religions poster I wouldn't care one bit. If I saw a poster from atheists I would still move on.
 

Yeah pretty poor showing for gaf.

Claiming that her whining was pointless only makes their own whining look worse.
 
What a stupid thing. Some people take everything way too seriously. I'm a Christian but I'm not devout or anything. Haven't been to church in years. If there are posters you don't believe in, just move on. If I saw another religions poster I wouldn't care one bit. If I saw a poster from atheists I would still move on.

Public school + Constitution = No posters advocating/establishing any religion.

And really an atheist poster? A blank poster doesn't take much tolerance to walk past.
 
What a stupid thing. Some people take everything way too seriously. I'm a Christian but I'm not devout or anything. Haven't been to church in years. If there are posters you don't believe in, just move on. If I saw another religions poster I wouldn't care one bit. If I saw a poster from atheists I would still move on.

you just completely do not get it. if you insert this into an elementary school, the message you're conveying is that the school, a fundamental part of the child's experience, is connected to the concepts of christianity. there is no split between these things. it's not just a sign.

KRql2.png


if a school hung this on the wall, it's not enough to say, "oh, girls who disagree with this should just move on." by hanging it on the wall period, the school is promoting the ideas contained on the poster, by virtue of the fact that it was deemed worthy of hanging on the wall, because there are a number of posters that they chose NOT to hang on the wall (rosie the riveter, madeleine albright, or whomever). kids, or people in general, are not able to separate themselves from the effects of these tacit endorsements.

it is a big deal. it's right that the sign was removed.
 
What a stupid thing. Some people take everything way too seriously. I'm a Christian but I'm not devout or anything. Haven't been to church in years. If there are posters you don't believe in, just move on. If I saw another religions poster I wouldn't care one bit. If I saw a poster from atheists I would still move on.

This might just be the 50th time someone has made this exact comment in this thread. As Opiate mentioned ad nauseum, if it isn't a big deal to keep up, surely it cannot be a big deal to remove it.
 
What a stupid thing. Some people take everything way too seriously. I'm a Christian but I'm not devout or anything. Haven't been to church in years. If there are posters you don't believe in, just move on. If I saw another religions poster I wouldn't care one bit. If I saw a poster from atheists I would still move on.
It was against the law and we often tell kids to stand up for what they believe in. I guess that privilege only belongs to believers.
 
I stand by my comment but I'm also a cynical bastard who thinks most people are full of shit. That being said, I never said she was wrong, nor do I endorse her being harassed or threatened. I think people should let it go (the removal of the mural) and go on about their business.
 
You don't.

I truly, sincerely doubt that. Particularly in light of the Gallup poll that shows atheists as less trustworthy than everyone except for baby-eaters. I will concede, however, as I have no first-hand experience of being an atheist in the US.
 

Bravo for putting the work into this. Great post.
 
If i doesn't pertain to your train of thought of course it is irrelevant.

person angry at another turns that person in for murder. defendant contends, "he just turned me in because he was bitter about me not mowing my lawn!"

court dismisses case, as the reasons defendant was turned in are petty.
 
I don't consider myself religious and I dont see anything wrong with that. You dont like it then don't read it.

Almost as bad as people trying to get TV shows cancelled because they don't agree with them. Religion causes so much bullshit in society.
 


Every link you provided is true but wtf is the quoted? wait a bit for me. I will like to see the response in here for the post that is coming.
 
I don't consider myself religious and I dont see anything wrong with that. You dont like it then don't read it.

Almost as bad as people trying to get TV shows cancelled because they don't agree with them. Religion causes so much bullshit in society.

You're not getting it.

"Don't like it, don't look at it" is a logical fallacy called a false dilemma. It is as ignorant as saying, "America: Love it or leave it."
 
Every link you provided is true but wtf is the quoted? wait a bit for me. I will like to see the response in here for the post that is coming.

Um, try reading that sentence again.

He is saying that GAF is tolerant to atheists in comparison to other places.


In other words, your efforts to compile some list of some of us slagging theists will be a complete waste. Regarding that I will note, yet again, a thread about an atheist being bothered, harassed, harmed, etc has become a haven for the religious majority to cry persecution.
 
Um, try reading that sentence again.

He is saying that GAF is tolerant to atheists in comparison to other places.


In other words, your efforts to compile some list of some of us slagging theists will be a complete waste. Regarding that I will note, yet again, a thread about an atheist being bothered, harassed, harmed, etc has become a haven for the religious majority to cry persecution.

Ah, i get it now.

EDIT: You know am getting sick and tired of hearing people say "Crying persecution", if saying the truth about how atheist gaf is very intolerable is crying persecution then....... why bother though, you being an atheist of-course you will overlook the outright harassment of some of the atheists towards theists on gaf. If i comprised a list similar to his what would your reaction be, you more than likely will be in that list.
 
Ah, i get it now.

EDIT: You know am getting sick and tired of hearing people say "Crying persecution", if saying the truth about how atheist gaf is very intolerable is crying persecution then....... why bother though, you being an atheist of-course you will overlook the outright harassment of some of the atheists towards theists on gaf.

Examples of being intolerant? I mean, not actual posts, don't bother, but what kind of posts or statements you'd judge as intolerant to christians?
 
That sign will no longer harm our childrens.

Or violate the Constitution, thank god.

Ah, i get it now.

EDIT: You know am getting sick and tired of hearing people say "Crying persecution", if saying the truth about how atheist gaf is very intolerable is crying persecution then....... why bother though, you being an atheist of-course you will overlook the outright harassment of some of the atheists towards theists on gaf.

You could say thank you.

Anyway we're getting sick of having to explain things like the law or what a theory is and things like that.

Shit happens.
 
I truly, sincerely doubt that. Particularly in light of the Gallup poll that shows atheists as less trustworthy than everyone except for baby-eaters. I will concede, however, as I have no first-hand experience of being an atheist in the US.


Atheists are, thanks to years of social conditioning and political propaganda, seen very negatively in the public spotlight, i.e. politics.

To say otherwise is delusional or a flat out lie.

While there are a lot of obnoxious atheists on the internet, that's really a relatively new phenomenon and, quite frankly, they have zero impact at all on the real world.

I use politics as the best example. An outspoken Christian will get votes. An outspoken atheist will likely be assassinated, both politically and literally. Note that this par for the course for any non-Christian. If we reel back the clock a bit, there were people who didn't like the idea of a CATHOLIC president. An openly Muslim politician would be...dividing. An openly Buddhist politician would be ignored. An openly non-religious politician wouldn't make it past the primaries as someone will inevitably play the "Well clearly he has no morals" card.

Frankly, there will likely be a religious gay president before an (openly) atheist president.

Note that I say outspoken/openly when referring to atheists. I have no doubt that several of our politicians don't believe at all that God guides them, but aren't stupid enough to SAY that out loud.
 
Ah, i get it now.

EDIT: You know am getting sick and tired of hearing people say "Crying persecution", if saying the truth about how atheist gaf is very intolerable is crying persecution then....... why bother though, you being an atheist of-course you will overlook the outright harassment of some of the atheists towards theists on gaf. If i comprised a list similar to his what would your reaction be, you more than likely will be in that list.

GAF isn't as bad as some places but yes, there is a fair bit of "lol space-wizard" thrown around every so often. I think that's an effect of anonymity plus the inability to voice those beliefs outside the internet.

I've been in situations (back when I was living in Alabama) where I would have been socially ostracized if I had let it be known that I was an atheist. And I don't mean circles of friends or something, I mean at work. I was legitimately worried that I would be put in a situation where I would have to resign from my company because other people would refuse to work with me.

There were some ladies in that office who would send out office-wide chain emails explicitly mocking non-Christians. I had to request several times to be taken off the contact list for those emails and only stopped receiving them when I threatened to take the issue to HR.

So you should try to excuse atheists for being all mean and nasty on the internet; for some it's the only safe place to express themselves.
 
Atheists are, thanks to years of social conditioning and political propaganda, seen very negatively in the public spotlight.

To say otherwise is delusional or a flat out lie.

Politics is the best example. An outspoken Christian will get votes. An outspoken atheist will likely be assassinated, both politically and literally.

There will likely be a gay president before an (openly) atheist president.

Note that I say outspoken/openly when referring to atheists. I have no doubt that several of our politicians don't believe at all that God guides them, but aren't stupid enough to SAY that out loud.

Exactly. And this is exactly why atheists must fight and stand up to religion, even in minor situations like this. There's no time and room in America for atheists to idly stand by and be shunned like we have been. It's time for change.
 
That's what's so disappointing about it. I've always respected GAF for being a place that has an overall level of maturity that is much higher than the rest of the internet. These threads seem like the exception to that.

Seriously? You must have some real blinders on.

Read any thread about: Sex, penis size, circumcision, whether an actress is hot, whether an actress is fat, actresses in general, ah hell, WOMEN in general, and you'll see the floodgates open to a sea of insecure, bitter, undersexed anger and immaturity.

I mean heck, here's a great example of embarrassing immature behavior:

I couldn't give a shit what any of you think of me, but thanks for the tip.

Can't you just HEAR the 15 year old puberty-rage FUCK YOU DAD voice?
 
I couldn't give a shit what any of you think of me, but thanks for the tip.

Then why bother joining a forum and present your viewpoints for other people to observe and judge? What an asinine and frankly stupid thing to say, kind of like your previous post in this thread.
 
Seriously? You must have some real blinders on.

Read any thread about: Sex, penis size, circumcision, whether an actress is hot, whether an actress is fat, actresses in general, ah hell, WOMEN in general, and you'll see the floodgates open to a sea of insecure, bitter, undersexed anger and immaturity.
I don't spend a lot of time in OT but there hasn't been a lot of good gaming news lately. I guess I'm just not used to it. That and I avoid threads with any of the topics you mentioned or anything similar.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom