The Duplex by Glenn McCoy for May 14, 2010

Good god!

OMG, too?

Then who will they thank?

Nab, we atheists don’t believe in, nor care about, your god, and we do laugh at all the “idiots” out there that do (just using your words; no offense.) And the ACLU (and us atheists) couldn’t care less what you want to personally believe, or how much of your time you want to waste in prayer. Have at it; it’s no skin off of our noses.

We only object when those religious people decide it’s not enough for them to live their own lives by their beliefs, they want to force everyone else to live by those beliefs as well. It’s particularly galling when someone tells us how godly he is, and his god doesn’t like (oh, for instance) homosexuality, and fights against gay rights, and then turns out to be hiring gay men to give him “massages.” But that’s just an example off the top of my head.

You can believe in, and pray to, anything you want, and most atheists won’t give it a second thought. Just don’t try to force us, through laws or government coercion, to believe in or follow that same myth. Especially when it turns out that you don’t follow your own beliefs.

Lord how the unbelievers love to condemn the fallen believer. “Rev soandso slept with a man” six states away.. Therefor, lets make the high school graduation be in the rain rather than use the empty church next door. After all, 2% of the class are non-believers and it might offend them.This case is clogging Ct. courts now, costing the education department big bucks they sorely need.

OM-, lighten up!

Thank Grendel it’s Friday!

Wantobe: As another atheist, I agree with what you say, but I have one caveat: Someone’s hypocrisy does not disprove their belief. Reality does that. (This does not mean, however, that the hypocrite doesn’t deserve ridicule.)

Nabu: You are demonstrably wrong about atheists only hating Christianity and Judaism. What makes you think we don’t equally disdain Islam, Hinduism, and any other religion you can name? If it seems that only two get the most attention, surely it’s because they are the two most dominant in the U.S. I assure you, all religions deserve scorn.

Lew: What a strange false alternative: Use the church next door (as if that’s the only place for miles around that could serve) or sit miserably in the rain (as if that’s how they planned it). Knowing nothing more about the case than what you’ve said, I don’t think this says anything about non-believers but rather about poor thinking on the part of some school’s administration.

Nab, if you think atheists are only attacking Christianity and Judaism then you really haven’t been keeping up. Atheists are also speaking out against Islam, particularly the fundamentalists who threaten (and kill) cartoonists for drawing Mohammed. Thus they are sponsoring a “draw Mohammed day” on May 20. Check it out. Whenever ANY religion tries to impose itself on society, atheists speak out, and in fact many atheists are also front-line in defending the religious when their rights to their beliefs are actually being attacked.

Lew, if the only available building was an Islamic mosque or Hindu temple, would that be acceptable? If so, then no problems, I’m with you, a building is a building.

I can’t speak for all atheists, but I do mostly agree with wantobe that I really don’t care what you or anyone else believes in as a religion, just as long as you don’t try to force your beliefs on everyone else.

(sarcasm on) Nab is right. For example, as an atheist, I don’t care at all about the 9/11 attack, because I don’t believe in Islam. (sarcasm off)

Sigh.

Meanwhile, McCoy, like many right-wingers, demonstrates his complete lack of understanding of both the ACLU and the Constitution.

Glenn, for the umpteenth time, pay attention: The First Amendment limitations on religion refers to the government. Care to explain how the phrase T.G.I.F. pertains to the government?

The first public building that was erected in a new settlement in the good ole daze was a church. HMMMMMMMMMM IF YOU TAKE OUT THE G, ALL THAT’S LEFT IS A TIF. What got you all in a tiff????????.

George ?

We must stand up and let our voices be heard, be it Mormon, Catholic, or what ever your belief in GOD is.There will be a time come that we my stand before him, then well see what the atheist have to say. I know you atheist will say can you prove this. I ask you atheist can you prove that it won’t happen. GOD bless America

The point is not whether or not the ACLU wants to take the G out of TGIF. That is ludicrous. The comic is taking a jab at how out of control and ridiculous the whole political correctness movement has become. McCoy is not implying any connection between the term TGIF and “the government”. Regardless of whether you are a believer an atheist or anything in between, the humour of his point should be apparent.

As a non-American, I am amused at how many Americans refer to their constitution and other American institutions and laws as if they applied to everyone in the world. The internet is read worldwide, so references to “the constitution” and “the government” are ambiguous at best. The U.S. constitution does limit government interference in the practice of one’s beliefs, as Anthony 2816 says, but his question to McCoy is like asking him if he still beats his wife. He makes no connection between TGIF and “the government” in this comic.

I always get a kick out of atheists who invoke Gods name to bleeep the guy who just cut them off on the freeway. And on their death beds they cry out “Oh my God is that all there is?” Or when they a finally achieve an bleeep its OMG.

Its not about athiests, its about the concept of a being that is impossible. With a definiton that is contradictory why bother with considering it? To be all powerful you or anything else cannot be all knowing. If you know what is going to happen you or anything else cannot change it. If you can change it, you didn’t know what was going ot happen. Simple.

Thank Goober It’s Friday!

Thank “insert supreme being of choice” its Friday !!

I always thought that Ralph would be a good one to thank.

T.R.I.F. (ic)

Antony, pschearer, nobrandname and wantobe

Aren’t we a mix?

Two lefty atheists and one righty. and unsure about wantobe and nobrandname.

We agree in our non-belief.

My two word reason for not believing is “Whence God?”

My more complicated reason is that believing in a God that has purpose and plans requires me to discover those plans and in one way or another force them on others.

Consciousness, creativeness, plans, hopes, morals, loves, preferences, courage, intelligence, joy and all the opposites of these can only be had by living flesh and blood. To claim that these originate and are arbitrated by God is to abdicate our human responsibility to ourselves and the earth.

My lament at leaving Church is that we have yet to invent an institution that gives us the community that many churches provide. Imperfect as Church (or Mosque or Synagogue, etc.) is, real community is nurtured in these places. I think many remain in Church because they don’t know where else to have community. I miss singing in Choir and I miss Church suppers and Camp. I had great times doing all of those things.

There is a great book called “Good Without God.” Google it, buy it, read it.

pbuckland says, “He makes no connection between TGIF and “the government” in this comic.”

That’s the point. With no connection, the ACLU wouldn’t touch it…there’d be no reason.

worldisacomic, you’re repeating the no-atheists-in-foxholes myth.

You’re correct that some do it merely because the phrases are so familiar, but you attribute a feeling behind it that isn’t there. It’s just something the religious tell themselves as part of trying to keep their own faith.

poohbear8192, ever tried Unitarian?

Anthony: Yes, thirty miles away and no car.

Imagine how spirited this debate would be if you were all arguing about the acronym for “Sure Happy It’s Tuesday”.

The anti God paranoiacs are waxing hysterically today.

I don’t care what anyone else believes in or doesn’t believe in, just don’t come around and try to tell me your ideas are better than everyone else, and atheists are just as bad about that as anyone else. This comic is poking fun at the joke that the ACLU is becoming, sure they may or have done some good, but they seem to me to going after “cash cows” a lot more often now where they can collect more money. Just my opinion.

This doesn’t mean Glenn will become a target by the christians does it? This is one wacky world we live in!

Oh for God’s sake, don’t any of you athiests and christians have a sense of humor??

I like what Ghandi sort of said: ”I like this Jesus. It’s his followers that piss me off.”

I remember hearing - it’s not christianity that’s the problem it’s the christians.

Interesting that the atheists say that they hate anyone who believes in God, regardless of which religion is involved.

So, atheists are all about hate?

I guess that explains why, while I have known some agnostics who possessed more Christ-like virtues than some who call themselves Christians, I am unable to say the same of any of the atheists I have encountered.

I keep hoping that this is just because I have not met enough atheists, but the more I meet, the less likely it seems.

How can anyone, God-fearing or God-hating, not care about 9/11?

Maizing

AN atheist said!

Keep hoping keep looking. We are out there!

Maizing, you really need to talk to more atheists so that you can abandon your silly strawman about atheists hating “anyone who believes in God”.

By sheer coincidence, today is the 27th anniversary of my marriage to my Catholic wife. How does that fit into your distorted world view?

govrobin, don’t you hate it when a pair of atheists knocks on your door, and try to get you to read their literature? Oh, wait…that never happens.

golfcoastgrl:

Take a second and more careful look at the “I don’t care” comment.

I may be going out on a limb here, but when I took a second look at it, I came away with the impression that Anthony was using sarcasm to refute Nabs claim that atheists don’t have the right to care, or perhaps can’t because of their un-belief.

Anthony?

I think some people need their “State of the Union” fix.

TGIF hmmmmm Thank the government it’s Friday.

It’s those who want less government who want the G out.

Just thought I’d join today’s silliness. Wheeeee

The ACLU would do that… Those Hippies.

Quite right, Poohbear. I went back and added sarcasm tags for people like Golfcoastgrl.

Oh, and Golfcoastgrl., I hope you don’t think your two categories of “God-fearing or God-hating” include everyone.

I don’t fear or hate any god, because there’s nothing to fear or hate.

People tend to forget that the beliefs of the religious and the atheists are almost identical.

Mankind has described thousands of gods, and we all don’t believe in thousands of them. The atheists simply don’t believe in one more than the religious, but percentage-wise, that’s nothing.

So we’re all atheists.

No more Thank Goodness It’s Friday?

WOW! What a debate!

Thank God it’s Saturday now.