Protests Over Prayer for Rain »
Posted by: tanglang 10 months ago145 Comments Report this Story
Local atheist groups have announced that they are planning to protest Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as he meets with local religious leaders to pray for rain.
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stephen-johnson10 months ago
This is nuts.
A group of politicians praying for rain publicly doesn't force an atheist to do any action against his will.
The atheists don't want separation of church and state, they want separation of church FROM state.
Hopefully, there will be a cloudburst that will rain on the atheists parade.
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kobzikov9 months, 4 weeks ago
You are right. This IS nuts!
If not to pray for rain why were those politicians elected?
"Hopefully, there will be a cloudburst that will rain on the atheists parade."
Then you better hope the protest doesn't get canceled or rescheduled. Maybe you should pray for it.
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stephen-johnson9 months, 4 weeks ago
" If not to pray for rain why were those politicians elected?"
Politicians are elected to perform a variety of duties, Mr. One Note Pony. If all they did was pray for rain, you would have an issue.
"Then you better hope the protest doesn't get canceled or rescheduled"
Frankly, my friend, I don't give a tinker's damn.
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hyperbola9 months, 4 weeks ago
Perhaps the politicians could enlist the aid of more experienced rain prayers.
A novel prayer to appease rain gods
Since Tirunelveli is yet to receive good rainfall during the current monsoon, while almost all northern districts are struggling to come out of floods, farmers here have started their prayers to appease the Rain Gods.
In a bid to attract the attention of the Almighty, a group of youths of Muthukrishpaneri near Alangulam staged `Mulaipaari kummi' in their village recently after offering special prayers to Mariamman, Kaliyamman, Sri Ramar, Sita and Sri Anjaneya.
Though this famous rural art is generally practised by women, the youths' dance might have placated the gods and goddesses as the areas around Muthukrishnaperi received some rains....
http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/09/stories/2005110...
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Natureboy9 months, 4 weeks ago
No, but to pray for rain, publicly and as part of one's office as Governor, is an endorsement of religion and a breach of the separation between church and state.
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Endoscopy9 months, 4 weeks ago
Ammendment 1
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Why do you want to stop the constitutional right of free exercise thereof? It is his right to privately or publicly exercise his right to practice his religion.
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Candida9 months, 4 weeks ago
Stephen Johnson: "The atheists don't want separation of church and state, they want separation of church FROM state."
What's the difference? Whether the state is separated from the church, or the church from the state, or the two from each other, the end result is the same: the separation of church and state.
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Goppy9 months, 4 weeks ago
Im shure glad you ken laugh along with Davey.
For a while - I thouoght you were a Christian.
Now I realize you are simply a member of a evil, right wing hate group - called the Neo-Cons!
And hey! Im right there with ya!!
WE gotta keep thinkin of ways to sow hatred in our country.
And there aint NEVER been an ideeologie that was more adept at pullin the most hateful things out of the dark, fearful recesses of Right Wing Craaaazy.
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not2needy9 months, 4 weeks ago
Dave, Maybe you meant it "tongue in cheek", but you say similar things from thread to thread.
You wish death on liberals and others from one thread to another.
Be careful what you wish for, it could turn around on you in a very painful way!
God works in mysterious ways my friend.
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Goppy9 months, 4 weeks ago
Youll have to excuse Davey!
Hes just beginin to realize that the nation now understands that just because you SAY you is a Christian - it dont mean you ARE a Christian.
Think about what Neo-Cons believe in. Cuttin back spendin on military hospitals, cuttin back fundin on childrens medical inshurance, supportin legislation that cuts whole segments of society off from civil rights, - startin pre-emptive wars based on outright lies, supportin a deconstruction of the Constitution - etc. etc. etc.
Unfortunately, our Born Again Presdient is no Christian. Hes the OPPOSITE of Christian.
In fact - he has done more harm to Christianity throughout the world than that Hitchens fella.
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Natureboy9 months, 4 weeks ago
"Liquify those protesting and throw their water into the reservoir."
The voice of the true follower of the prince of peace,
crying out for the liquidation of those who don't agree with him.
Good thing he's not a muslim, I hear they are intolerant.
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Dicax_Maximus9 months, 4 weeks ago
It's their faith, and as such, they are freely allowed to practise it, as long as it harms no one......
Likewise, the atheists have their own right of free speach to oppose it...
For the former, good luck, as I haven't noticed their deity doing much about anything recently.....
For the latter, I hope it rains cats & dogs !!!!
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stephen-johnson9 months, 4 weeks ago
"will cats and dogs help the water supply?"
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/object/...
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Dicax_Maximus9 months, 4 weeks ago
d-nwpa - Simple really... The injuries inflicted by "cats & dogs" descending from a great height, will remove a large number of "water users" from the equation......
Of course, it all depends on the Govt.....
They may decide to criminalise the "water users" as being a threat of either Assisting Global Warming or Biological Hazzards (what goes in, gotta come out.....).....
Sorry, couldn't help it... Humour (however feeble) had to be expressed.....
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kobzikov9 months, 4 weeks ago
Interesting. So what is the rational solution to a political stunt by a bunch of sleazy politicians who want to take advantage of their office to publicly pander to certain religious groups so that they can later exploit their support?
After all, you don't really think it's some kind of coincidence that meteorologists predict scattered showers on Wednesday and the prayer is scheduled for Tuesday?
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brothers9 months, 4 weeks ago
Maybe the ones who want to pray for rain should protect the atheist for not praying.
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david_nwpa9 months, 4 weeks ago
I take a different view of this story. Why not have a Catholic priest, a Rabbi, and a Buddhist monk perform a ceremony? I realize that sounds considerably like the start of a joke, but my point is that it seems as if the Governor is a bit one-sided toward evangelical Christianity at the expense of other faiths. The rain ceremony is tantamount to an endorsement of religion by the government. Of course, if it does rain, then my theory is all wet.
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ML2007Comment removed: User banned.
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ranchhandComment removed: User banned.
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icelander9 months, 4 weeks ago
Agreed. The idea that nobody is allowed to be religious is contrary to the fundamental principle of liberty that gives atheists like myself the ability to speak our minds about the nature of reality. If I lived nearby, I would refer these atheists to Michael Shermer's editorial in the September 2007 edition of Scientific American which explains this position. (For those who want to read it, it's available at http://tinyurl.com/2pdg3j )
A more rational response would be to raise money to buy low-income residents low-flow showerheads and faucets and to encourage people to reduce their water consumption. All these atheists are doing is presenting a bad example to others of what atheists truly are.
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Dicax_Maximus9 months, 4 weeks ago
Ice & SJ - This comment represents intelligence......
Something that appears to diminish, as a function of the number of people in one place......
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Natureboy9 months, 4 weeks ago
"The idea that nobody is allowed to be religious is contrary to the fundamental principle of liberty that gives atheists like myself the ability to speak our minds about the nature of reality."
A straw man argument. The bone of contention is not that "nobody is allowed to be religious" but that a government official should not, in his official capacity, take actions which appear to endorse any religion or no religion.
If we are to debate, then let us debate that which we are debating and not some other topic of choice.
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tryingtofindmyway9 months, 4 weeks ago
Oh what utter nonsense nature boy. The only thing politicians are allowed to endorse by modern interpretation of seperation of church and state is "no religion," or in other words, atheism! Atheism should be categorized as a religious affiliation, because religion can be simply defined a person's particular beliefs about the nature of the supernatural. Atheists simply want "no religion" to be the only valid form of politicized religious expression, and any who say otherwise have their head in the sand or are touting a lie.
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getreal19 months, 4 weeks ago
Sonny Prude is not favored by me but if he wants to call a prayer meeting then I have no objection. It just so happens that Freedom allows anyone to worship or not worship.
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AtheismIsRealityComment removed: User banned.4 Replies
