This entry would of course be more accurately labeled “The Past Two Weeks in Fundamentalism”, but the standard title is clunky enough as it is.
A California Ford dealership became embroiled in controversy this month over a radio ad it ran:
“Did you know that there are people in this country who want prayer out of schools, “Under God” out of the Pledge, and “In God We Trust” to be taken off our money?
“But did you know that 86 percent of Americans say they believe in God? Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe and Sons Ford wonder why we don’t just tell the other 14 percent to sit down and shut up.
“I guess maybe I just offended 14 percent of the people who are listening to this message. Well, if that is the case, then I say that’s tough; this is America, folks — it’s called free speech. And none of us at Kieffe and Sons Ford are afraid to speak up. Kieffe and Sons Ford on Sierra Highway in Mojave and Rosamond: if we don’t see you today, by the grace of God, we’ll be here tomorrow.”
The dealership has since issued an apology for the ad, the owner claiming he didn’t remember approving it. Does he normally just pay a fee to an advertising agency and tell them “do whatever you want”? He goes on to say that “We’re obviously sorry that it offends a given segment who identifies themselves as atheist.”
I’m guessing it also offends a number of given segments who identify themselves as members of non-Christian religions, as well as Christians who are sensible enough to see that it’s against their best interest to have this sort of nonsense representing them in the media.
I’d like to see Ford issue some statement at the corporate level about this ad, but so far nothing has been forthcoming.
Marriage has been a big topic of late, with the discussion primarily revolving around the court decision upholding same-sex partnerships in California. The zealots are in an uproar about this, of course, and rightly so – because if Janet Folger of WingNutDaily is correct, gay marriage will lead us to nothing less than… THE END OF THE WORLD (DUM! DUM! DUUUUUM!).
Texas authorities are trying to keep their state from vying with Utah for the title of Polygamy Capitol of the United States; another cult down there is under investigation for the usual allegations of abuse sexual and otherwise, injury to children, etc. The cult’s 73 year old leader is pretty spry for his age:
Although members deny that they practice polygamy, former members say Yisrayl Hawkins has at least two dozen wives — and state records show that he fathered two babies last year with women ages 19 and 22.
The holidays must be hell with all those mothers-in-law around.
Many of the stories posted here about Islam paint a picture of a culture where women are treated as property, bereft of rights and privileges, but this is of course not universally the case. No, in fact, in some Muslim cultures, women are accorded special rights that even the men don’t have. A recent example is the Saudi woman who is divorcing her husband because he dared to look under her veil. It’s heartening to see Saudi women escaping the influence of religious fanaticism.
As always, the poor, persecuted Christians of the world are lovingly and peacefully fighting back against their oppressors. Whether it’s a slashed tire on the car of an educator who assailed them by gluing a Darwin fish to his bumper or the burning to death of witches in Kenya, the battle for a return to Godly morality goes on. Still, the fight ahead will be a long and difficult one; even here in the US, many believers are still unfairly persecuted. Why, just last week, a Baptist megachurch minister was arrested apparently for the crime of being Christian while soliciting sex from a minor on the internet.
That’s all for this round. I’ll sign off with a call to arms directed at my fellow atheists: we’re not working hard enough! A recent survey by Coral Ridge Ministries lists us as tied for 8th place with “Cults and false religions” on their ranking of the greatest dangers to America’s spiritual health.
Eighth? Come on, people – we lost to “Pro-homosexual indoctrination”, fernobodyssakes! And why did the ACLU come in first – haven’t they been known to defend religious people? And aren’t they just a bunch of lawyers, anyway?
We have to do better next year!