Los Angeles Brights

• [groups|Los Angeles Brights]

Hi everyone. I hope this study will be of interest. Sorry for taking up so much room on the bulletin board!
Thanks,
Ben

• [groups|Los Angeles Brights]

Hello, all.

My name is Peter. I have been an Atheist for a few years.

It was hard to open up about it to others.
Surprisingly, most who ARE devout, I have found to be
very scared people. When discussing alternatives, they seem to be afraid of the alternatives themselves. (!)

"No! God's way is the only way!!!" And they always add a dozen exclamation
points. (That have to do with the number of Apostles? Kidding.)

I was born an Atheist, like everyone else, raised Catholic
and actually considered seminary in teen years.
I was educated in private catholic schools, and was fortunate enough
to study religion before debunking it. I consider myself and "Educated Atheist", but that's redundant if you've met most of us. :)

I was always in trouble with religion.
In grade school, I demanded my teacher (nun) to decide which gospel
is erroneous: Luke or Matthew. I told her that Luke names 28 indiciduals
or houses in the lineage of Jesus, Matthew names 41 names,
AND NONE ARE ALIKE! (Dawkins mentioned this same argument in God Delusion.)

I was sent out of class, our nun in tears, and told to see
the principal (priest) who explained calmly, dodging my question,
that times of the past can't be expected to be as accurate as today.
Instead, all that's really required is to believe in your savior.

Huh??? I explained that his words mean nothing until I get an answer.
Matthew or Luke. Which? Erroneous?
I was told to say a rosary and shut up.

These type of educational connundrums continued,
always studying the bible, always finding contradictions.

What really made me come out of the "Atheist closet"
was the audacity of Intelligent Design. (shudders)

Even back in Catholic school, we were taught that
"Evolution trumps Intelligent Design." This was a practice of
people who thought the earth was flat and witches were truly magic.

What REALLY irks me about this is that people who defend this archaic idea
are not poor and uneducated, they are moms and dads with children
and careers. Hopefully, none of them are my doctor. :)

Another recent event that pushed me out of the non-believers funk
was looking at a picture on CNN.com after a huge Earthquake hit
India. We see a picture of a brilliant mosque with a huge tree
through its roof and walls. Inside, we see over 40 men, who all
walk and lift things, praying for guidance. (!)

I only wish they had prayed to me. I would have said
in a booming voice, "Get off your praying asses and lift
the damn tree out of there! Oh, and it's okay to bring women
to worship me too. Lots of them!"

Now here's the BIG connundrum: how are we lowly and anti-god sinners,
aka Brights, going to convince anyone to use their own strengths,
knowledge, and understanding to consider (just at least consider)
a naturalistic view of life and society?

I'd love to hear any ideas.
Please let me know if there's a meeting happening soon
where such strategies are discussed, not just dreamed about.

Best to all ---- Peter :)

• [groups|Los Angeles Brights]

Dear LAB Rights...This is a test this is only a test.

I do hope that those of you who have already sigend up as LA Brights see this and get back to me, either here with a comment, or via email to
Frishberg@gmail.com.

Being Fearless Leader may require me to do things...I'll step up to the plate!

• [groups|Los Angeles Brights]

Minister: Death To My Tax Status Critics

Calif. Clergyman Condemns Those Who Complained To IRS Criticizing His Political Endorsement Of Huckabee

LITTLE ROCK , Ark., Aug. 17, 2007
Former Arkansas Mike Huckabee laughs during an interview in Little Rock, Ark., after appearing on "Face the Nation" on CBS Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007. Rev. Wiley S. Drake, a California minister has endorsed Huckabee for president and is asking his followers to pray for the deaths of those who filed a complaint against him with the IRS. (AP)

Quote
"A prayer for death seems to be a little harsh just for trying to get the tax laws enforced equally and fairly."
Barry W. Lynn,
Americans United for Separation of Church and State

(AP) A California minister who used church stationery and an Internet radio program to endorse former Gov. Mike Huckabee for president is asking his followers to pray for the deaths of those who filed a complaint against him with the IRS.

The Rev. Wiley S. Drake of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., called for "imprecatory prayer" targeting Barry W. Lynn, Joe Conn and Jeremy Leaming of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

"The prayer does call for serious, serious punishment on people. But I didn't call for that, God did," said Drake, a native of Magnolia who completed a term in June as second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Huckabee is a Southern Baptist minister.

The Americans United for Separation of Church and State asked the IRS to investigate whether it was proper for Drake to endorse Huckabee. Churches that endorse candidates are subject to losing their tax-exempt status.

Drake said in a telephone interview Thursday that neither he nor the church violated the law and insisted he could use church stationery and the Internet program to "personally" endorse a political candidate. He said the Bible calls for imprecatory prayer when someone "attacks the church."

On his Internet show, in a news release on ChristianNewsWire, and in an e-mail to Americans United, Drake called on others to pray that the Americans United officials be punished.

He gave as examples of imprecatory prayer:

"Persecute them. ... Let them be put to shame and perish."

"Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

"Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg."

Americans United, a nonpartisan group based in Washington, D.C., asked the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday to investigate whether Drake violated federal law by endorsing the Republican candidate on church stationery Aug. 11 and on his Internet program Aug. 13.

In a letter to the IRS, the liberal group said the California church seemed to have "run afoul" of the tax law that bans political campaign involvement by nonprofit groups.

Nancy Mathis, a spokeswoman for the IRS, said Thursday the agency could not comment on matters regarding specific taxpayers. She also would not confirm whether the agency received the request.

Huckabee was campaigning out of state Thursday. Alice Stewart, a campaign spokeswoman, said the campaign did not coordinate with Drake on any of the material he's distributed regarding the Americans United complaint.

"We certainly don't condone the evil comments he's made," she said.

Lynn, executive director of Americans United and an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, said in a telephone interview that the group had filed about 60 complaints with the IRS in the last 10 years. About half involved Republicans and the other half Democrats, he said.

"Many times, the candidates don't even know what's going on and repudiate it if it happens," Lynn said, adding that he had not spoken to Huckabee and didn't know if he was aware of the group's complaint.

Lynn said Americans United wasn't taking issue with Huckabee or his Iowa campaign manager, Eric Woolson, who appeared on Drake's radio show and promised to arrange an appearance by Huckabee at a later date.

Lynn said, "A prayer for death seems to be a little harsh just for trying to get the tax laws enforced equally and fairly."

Sing Oldham, a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, said the group "exercises no ecclesiastical authority over any individual Baptist or any local church.

"Thus, any Baptist, as an individual, may make pronouncements which reflect his or her own thoughts," he said.

Oldham said the convention also has no record of having discussed or adopted any guidelines on imprecatory prayer. He said imprecatory prayer is mentioned in the Psalms when people called upon God to carry out punishment that they believed was God's to inflict.

• [groups|Los Angeles Brights]

http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=730&NewsID=829112&CategoryID=16717&on=1
Atheists in foxholes

08/11/07

Dear editor:

Mary Sauceman said (in her article “America’s relationship with alcohol, drugs” on Aug. 1): “You might say that these were not men of faith, yet it has been said there has never been a declared atheist in a foxhole during the heat of battle. I do not believe there have been any aboard a spaceship as it speeds into the unknown, behind a flame of fire that could engulf them in an instant, that would not want the help of God.”

There have been plenty of declared atheists in foxholes during the heat of battle, including one in the recent news, Pat Tillman. Others can be found in the membership of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. A 2004 report reveals that one out of 5 U.S. military members are atheists. Why are you calling them all liars?

If you were in a foxhole, would you consider calling out to characters you consider fictional? Would you ask for Harry Potter’s help? I doubt it.

Your last sentence, about wanting the help of God, also makes no sense. What does it mean to want Harry Potter’s help? If I have trouble, am I going to all of a sudden think Harry Potter might be real? Why would it be any different for an atheist, who thinks God is a fictional character? It isn’t any different.

To say there are no atheists in foxholes is to call military atheists either cowards or liars, an underserved and unacceptable slur.

Ben Dreidel, Member, Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers, Clifton Park, N.Y.

• [groups|Los Angeles Brights]

Meeting suggestions are now being taken right here on this site.

I'm available just about anytime, anyplace, any weekend...

The format for the first meeting was excellent, a price performing ethnic restaurant with good authenticity and fresh food, "centrally" located, for a noon meal on a Sunday.

1. Here are some Sundays:
Currently, Frish Is Available, and Eager!!
AUGUST 12
19
26
SEPTEMBER 01
08
15
22
29

I mean if we can't get together on one Sunday of a five weekend month like September, well, what kind of group are we?

The next order of play is to determine who will be there...then we can figure out what "central" means!

I'm in West Hollywood (and near NOTHING) come visit me!