Fox News
Religious freedom group sues Rick Perry over prayer event in Texas
The Freedom From Religious Foundation, which claims more than 16,000 members, including 700 in Texas, filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday in Houston, contending that Perry’s actions violate the Constitution’s Establishment Clause by “giving the appearance that the government prefers evangelical Christian religious beliefs over other religious beliefs and non-beliefs.”
“We always say, beware prayer by pious politicians,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, who co-directs the group with her husband, Dan Barker, a former evangelical Christian minister who is now an atheist.
“Nothing fails like prayer,” she said. “It’s the ultimate political cop-out.”
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And yet, in that very same book, just a few chapters previously, God killed untold numbers of Egyptian children just for being the first born. Even more were killed when they tried to follow the Jews through a newly dried body of a water. And many more were killed in later books through other acts of war.
And of course others have said the actual word should be “murder” not kill, which is a completely different connotation, as we don’t consider soldiers murderers.
You could also argue that To Kill a Mockingbird condones racism based on a few paragraphs, but that wouldn’t make you educated.
Esthier on July 14, 2011 at 1:44 PM
When one starts with false hypotheses (trinity, virgin birth etc.) the most brilliant mind can deduce false conclusions as though they were true. Islam has some brilliant thinkers too (Averroes, Avicenna, Al Kindi etc.) who provided the intellectual backup for their superstition. None of this argues to the truth of the respective cult.
Annar on July 14, 2011 at 1:44 PM
Yes, and so did he. That’s my only point. You seem to believe that he argued the opposite.
Esthier on July 14, 2011 at 1:46 PM
Do you know what empathy is?
Pablo Honey on July 14, 2011 at 1:46 PM
And now you sound like a Creationist.
Esthier on July 14, 2011 at 1:47 PM
Akzed wasn’t asking you if they drew accurate conclusions. He’s asking if they were void of critical thinking. It’s fun to watch you continue to move the goal posts. Maybe you should select your words more carefully.
blink on July 14, 2011 at 1:49 PM
Oh yeah, thanks. I think I have to lay off MC now. I’ve been unfair to him twice in this thread!
blink on July 14, 2011 at 1:51 PM
Eh, he can take it.
Esthier on July 14, 2011 at 1:52 PM
Of course? Do you? You’re the one that claimed that empathy is the basis of your morals. I merely asked about a logical implication of this.
blink on July 14, 2011 at 1:52 PM
Empathy is the basis of the Golden Rule..have you heard of it…it’s in your holy book.
Still trying to figure out how it makes one a mass murderer by proxy.
Pablo Honey on July 14, 2011 at 1:59 PM
I answered the question. I might add though that the reasoning of these great men was not always impeccable. For example, Aquinas’ ‘proofs’ for the existence of god are nonsensical but the passed muster in their time — and still get play in some Christian circles — because the truth of the conclusion was a foregone conclusion for the faithful.
Annar on July 14, 2011 at 2:06 PM
So, how does this fact impact anything I’ve said/asked?
I know that it’s difficult for you to figure things out.
I never said that it made you a mass murderer by proxy. I’m claiming that an empathetic basis for morals is arbitrary and subject to change based on societal whims. You should admit this.
blink on July 14, 2011 at 2:19 PM
No, you didn’t mention critical thinking at all.
Do you agree that it would lack critical thinking to definitively claim that you could never win a 10 million dollar lottery?
Do you agree that the absence of proof doesn’t logically permit anyone to definitively say that such claim is wrong?
blink on July 14, 2011 at 2:21 PM
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