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From: brunson@usfbobo.UUCP (David Brunson)
Newsgroups: net.motss,net.religion
Subject: Atheism and Tolerance
Message-ID: <191@usfbobo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 2-Oct-84 14:42:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: usfbobo.191
Posted: Tue Oct  2 14:42:54 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Oct-84 04:43:36 EDT
Organization: Univ. of South Florida, Tampa
Lines: 48

[]

The following is some mail I recently received which might be of
interest in clearing up some misconceptions:

>> Your characterization of homosexuals (remember! "homosexuals"
>> is shorthand for "persons who practice homosexuality") as an
>> oppressed group is laughable.  What about other "oppressed groups":
>> murderers, thieves, drug addicts, atheists.  In some cases the
>> oppression is entirely self-imposed; in others the oppression is
>> directly inflicted by other people as a reaction to *objectionable
>> behavior*.
>
>When I first read this paragraph I intended publishing an angry flame. After
>thinking about it for a day, I am sending you this private appeal instead.
>Please think carefully before you commit to your reaction.
>
>I am an atheist. I believe that any religious opinion based on the Bible is
>totally, tragically, mistaken. Yet I freely recognise that you have an
>absolute right to maintain your sincerely held religious views. I would
>never dream of comparing you to a murderer because of those views. I agree
>with the official religious position of the Soviet government, but I
>consider any discrimination they practise against Christians in education,
>housing, or employment to be utterly wrong. I appeal to you to as my
>neighbor in a highly interconnected world to show the same respect for my
>beliefs as I owe to yours.

The author misunderstood my statement.  Atheism is an example of an
oppression which is more or less self-imposed.  I am comparing atheists
with murderers only to show that there are different kinds of oppression 
for different kinds of aberrations.  Atheists certainly should not be
elected to public office or appointed to judgeships as they have no
basis for making good judgements but then, neither do many "Christians".
In fact, many atheists, because of proper religious instruction at an
early age, make better judgement than many religious fanatics.  For the
present distress I am satisfied with the election process.

Guess what?  My own father is an atheist!  We get along fine!  I just
point out that abortion as a means of controlling population is an
abomination, he disagrees and goes on to say that legislation against
pornography is an abomination.  Then he buys me dinner and we talk about
the dog, my brothers, an upcoming fishing trip and have a swell time!

--
David Brunson

"... to relieve the pain and itch of swollen atheism"