Town prayer sessions upheld. SCOTUS 5-4

[Geilinor]

Religion doesn't lead to bright futures.

It leads to religious wars, jihads, slavery, and general suppression of civil rights.

If we're judging purely on the past, atheism leads to mass murder, genocide, forced famine, and silencing of the opposition. The Soviet Union must have been such a bright future for all those lovely people in eastern Europe and Russia. Oh, wait, state atheism wasn't a bright future? Hmm, big fucking surprise.

The world is inherently bad, and there will always be tyranny whether people kill in the name of God or just for their own self interests. Blaming religion for the world's problems is utterly ridiculous, especially when the only state-atheist countries in history have been genocidal hell holes.

Secularism is not state atheism. Are you going to try again?

[Elemental North]

I myself was disgusted with this decision. The Robert's court is literally filled with idiots.

Scalia
Thomas
Roberts himself
Alito
Breyer

ALL HOKEY

[MERIZoC]

Religion doesn't lead to bright futures.

It leads to religious wars, jihads, slavery, and general suppression of civil rights.

If we're judging purely on the past, atheism leads to mass murder, genocide, forced famine, and silencing of the opposition. The Soviet Union must have been such a bright future for all those lovely people in eastern Europe and Russia. Oh, wait, state atheism wasn't a bright future? Hmm, big fucking surprise.

The world is inherently bad, and there will always be tyranny whether people kill in the name of God or just for their own self interests. Blaming religion for the world's problems is utterly ridiculous, especially when the only state-atheist countries in history have been genocidal hell holes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crusades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Burma
And much, much more.

[Bezombia]

If we're judging purely on the past, atheism leads to mass murder, genocide, forced famine, and silencing of the opposition. The Soviet Union must have been such a bright future for all those lovely people in eastern Europe and Russia. Oh, wait, state atheism wasn't a bright future? Hmm, big fucking surprise.

The world is inherently bad, and there will always be tyranny whether people kill in the name of God or just for their own self interests. Blaming religion for the world's problems is utterly ridiculous, especially when the only state-atheist countries in history have been genocidal hell holes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crusades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Burma
And much, much more.

Really you don't even need specific links, just look at this:

https://i.imgur.com/6iu7kgL.jpg

[Fascist Russian Empire]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crusades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Burma
And much, much more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Civil_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot

Yeah, I think it's safe to say that atheists have killed just as many people as theists. Either way, this isn't a thread about what group of people have committed more genocides, so why don't we get back on topic?

[Bezombia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crusades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Burma
And much, much more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Civil_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot

Yeah, I think it's safe to say that atheists have killed just as many people as theists. Either way, this isn't a thread about what group of people have committed more genocides, so why don't we get back on topic?

So when any atheist does something, even if not in the name of atheism, it's atheism's fault, but when people do things specifically in the name of a religion then it's just "the world's" fault? Yeah that's not deluded at all.

[Fascist Russian Empire]

So when any atheist does something, even if not in the name of atheism, it's atheisms fault, but when people do thinks specifically in the name of a religion then it's just "the world's" fault? Yeah that's not deluded at all.

I never said that. I was mocking his point; he blamed religion for war and slavery, which is obviously fucking ridiculous, so I made a counter point saying atheists could do the exact same thing. I never said that religious people didn't do things in the name of religion.

[Viritica]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crusades
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Muslims_in_Burma
And much, much more.

Really you don't even need specific links, just look at this:

https://i.imgur.com/6iu7kgL.jpg

Such love... Such compassion...

[MERIZoC]

So when any atheist does something, even if not in the name of atheism, it's atheisms fault, but when people do thinks specifically in the name of a religion then it's just "the world's" fault? Yeah that's not deluded at all.

I never said that. I was mocking his point; he blamed religion for war and slavery, which is obviously fucking ridiculous, so I made a counter point saying atheists could do the exact same thing. I never said that religious people didn't do things in the name of religion.

But the atheists in the links you gave weren't killing people in the name of atheism. The people in my links were.

[Bezombia]

So when any atheist does something, even if not in the name of atheism, it's atheisms fault, but when people do thinks specifically in the name of a religion then it's just "the world's" fault? Yeah that's not deluded at all.

I never said that. I was mocking his point; he blamed religion for war and slavery, which is obviously fucking ridiculous, so I made a counter point saying atheists could do the exact same thing. I never said that religious people didn't do things in the name of religion.

His point was that things such as the Crusades, Jihad, or the Inquisition would not have happened if religion did not exist. The Holodomor wasn't even related to religion in any logical manner.

[Othelos]

People do have a right to stop government sponsored prayer. The precedent was established with Engel vs. Vitale, which barred administrative-sponsored prayer in schools.

Engle vs. Vitale bans prayer in school, and has nothing to do with people praying in government buildings.

A school IS a government building. Not much difference here.

[The North Polish Union]

People volunteered. If a Hindu or Muslim wanted to, they would let them.

No, people were invited: "the body may invite anyone in the community to give a prayer, (if it has the money) could have a paid chaplain", I want to know when they invited Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or an Atheist...

They invited a Jew, and the chairman of the local Baha'i temple. And a Wiccan priestess who volunteered was allowed to pray.

Its right there on page 3-4 of the ruling. Read it.

[Fascist Russian Empire]

His point was that things such as the Crusades, Jihad, or the Inquisition would not have happened if religion did not exist. The Holodomor wasn't even related to religion in any logical manner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism_in_the_Soviet_Union#Policy_towards_Orthodoxy

Maybe not, but people were killed in the Soviet Union in the name of atheism.

"During the first five years of Soviet power, the Bolsheviks executed 28 Russian Orthodox bishops and over 1,200 Russian Orthodox priests. Many others were imprisoned or exiled."

Never would've happened if atheism didn't exist. Now, back on topic, please.

A school IS a government building. Not much difference here.

Kids are impressionable, and prayer in school might actually impact kids. Optional prayer in a town council meeting doesn't impact anyone.

[Ostroeuropa]

His point was that things such as the Crusades, Jihad, or the Inquisition would not have happened if religion did not exist. The Holodomor wasn't even related to religion in any logical manner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism_in_the_Soviet_Union#Policy_towards_Orthodoxy

Maybe not, but people were killed in the Soviet Union in the name of atheism.

"During the first five years of Soviet power, the Bolsheviks executed 28 Russian Orthodox bishops and over 1,200 Russian Orthodox priests. Many others were imprisoned or exiled."

Never would've happened if atheism didn't exist. Now, back on topic, please.

A school IS a government building. Not much difference here.

Kids are impressionable, and prayer in school might actually impact kids. Optional prayer in a town council meeting doesn't impact anyone.

Complete nonsense.
Those priests were killed for refusing to say communism was a very orthodox chistian thing to do.
Hence why not ALL priests were killed.
The ones willing to say that their religion supported communism were kept around.

That isn't state atheism.
It's state communism.


Are you arguing that because catholic theocracies literally run by bishops executed some catholics that they were anti-catholic?

[Bezombia]

Never would've happened if atheism didn't exist. Now, back on topic, please.

Atheism can't not exist. If no religion existed then everyone would be atheist.

[Great Nepal]

No, people were invited: "the body may invite anyone in the community to give a prayer, (if it has the money) could have a paid chaplain", I want to know when they invited Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or an Atheist...

They invited a Jew, and the chairman of the local Baha'i temple. And a Wiccan priestess who volunteered was allowed to pray.
Its right there on page 3-4 of the ruling. Read it.

And that relates to Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Atheist how?

[Othelos]

A school IS a government building. Not much difference here.

Kids are impressionable, and prayer in school might actually impact kids. Optional prayer in a town council meeting doesn't impact anyone.

Except for the people who don't want to participate, which is the issue.

[MERIZoC]

His point was that things such as the Crusades, Jihad, or the Inquisition would not have happened if religion did not exist. The Holodomor wasn't even related to religion in any logical manner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism_in_the_Soviet_Union#Policy_towards_Orthodoxy

Maybe not, but people were killed in the Soviet Union in the name of atheism.

"During the first five years of Soviet power, the Bolsheviks executed 28 Russian Orthodox bishops and over 1,200 Russian Orthodox priests. Many others were imprisoned or exiled."

Never would've happened if atheism didn't exist. Now, back on topic, please.

That bolded statement makes absolutely no logical sense.

[Czechanada]

We need a French Revolution to occur in the United States to shake up the religious establishments that are entwined within the American political system to prevent debacles such as these.

[Bezombia]

We need a French Revolution to occur in the United States to shake up the religious establishments that are entwined within the American political system to prevent debacles such as these.

I agree. Also it's high time we instated the Metric Calendar, and I would love a New York Commune.

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Except for the people who don't want to participate, which is the issue.

They don't have to participate if they don't want to. Nobody's going to care if they don't pray along with the chaplain.

[Ostroeuropa]

Except for the people who don't want to participate, which is the issue.

They don't have to participate if they don't want to. Nobody's going to care if they don't pray along with the chaplain.

Basic group psychology disagrees. That's the point of group rituals.

[MERIZoC]

Except for the people who don't want to participate, which is the issue.

They don't have to participate if they don't want to. Nobody's going to care if they don't pray along with the chaplain.

It's still an endorsement of religion by the government.

[Geilinor]

Except for the people who don't want to participate, which is the issue.

They don't have to participate if they don't want to. Nobody's going to care if they don't pray along with the chaplain.

Then they should be allowed to step out of the room during the prayer.

[The North Polish Union]

They invited a Jew, and the chairman of the local Baha'i temple. And a Wiccan priestess who volunteered was allowed to pray.
Its right there on page 3-4 of the ruling. Read it.

And that relates to Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Atheist how?

It shows that the town council has allowed members of minority religions to say the prayers. No doubt if a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Atheist offered to pray, they would be allowed to.