(If not, that’s ok!) Today I started a subreddit dedicated to upholding the establishment clause and reporting 501(c)3 orgs that violate the Johnson Amendment, most of which in the US are churches. If being a part of this interests you, consider joining r/JohnsonAmendment to help our cause and to learn some important information about US tax code!
According to a new Pew poll . [edited to add link to OP]
86% - Hispanic Catholic 79% - White Catholic 70% - Black Protestant 57% - White evangelical Protestant
I think I have the passion for it, but every time I look this up, it says I have to be Jewish or an Israeli citizen. I also don't speak Hebrew, so that'd probably be a bit of a problem, but I am willing to learn. However I'd still want to go to college because I just got accepted. I was going to join the US Army, but I don't feel drawn to any current issues regarding my own country, I do feel passion for the protection of Israel and I wouldn't even say I know a lot of about Israel itself because quite frankly in history class we don't learn much about Israel.
I have checked the, "Who can server in the IDF" form, I just didn't find an answer to my current question in the title. Any response would be cool, I just always remember my 3rd grade teacher talking about Israel and how it's a beautiful place and I'd like to preserve that. I have no hatred towards Israel or my own country (USA), but only really at the moment feel drawn to Israel. I don't see an issue in me being in the IDF, since America and Israel are basically BFFs.
American Atheists New Report Forecasts Christian Nationalist Movement's Strategic Actions in 2022
https://www.atheists.org/2022/01/christian-nationalist-movement-in-2022/
Full report can be read here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d30e25ed90f2f0001d94628/t/61d37df35e2cf21ab00b1e51/1641250292461/2021+State+of+the+Secular+States.pdf
Religions should not receive tax exemptions or special considerations. They are just an organization claiming unverified knowledge and essentially no different from any other for-profit private club/organization that is required to pay their share of taxes. Religious organizations receive special status and treatments such as special limitations in tax examinations. At the very least they should be treated as all non-profit organizations and subject to civil tax inquires and examinations of church income and expenditures.
According to a 2017 study by the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and National Study of Congregations’ Economic Practices, most of the funds go toward personnel and building expenses and not providing direct social services: “The average U.S. church spends the largest portion of its finances on personnel. Wages accounted for around 49% of the collective U.S. church’s spending in 2018. The second greatest expense was building and maintaining buildings — 23% of the budget.
With around three quarters of the church’s finances dedicated to wages and buildings, the remaining funds are distributed between missions (spreading the message of the church), programs (doing the work of ministry) and dues with 11%, 10% and 6% respectively.”
The U.S. federal government granting special tax exemptions to religious organizations is an endorsement of religions as a legitimate organization which they are not. They should just be designated a non-profit organizations.
The Westboro church is a great example of how religion can be legally recognized by govt and claim religious tax exemption. The Westboro church has been involved in actions against gay people since 1989, later seeking a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park near its headquarters. In addition to conducting anti-gay protests at military funerals, the organization pickets celebrity funerals and public events. Protests have also been held against Jews, Mormons, and Catholics. Many protests have included WBC members defacing the American flag, flying the flag upside down on a flagpole, and holding protest signs with inflammatory statements; the most notable of which being "God hates [fags](
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Not to make this racist or anything(I'm a black man) but are there any other African Americans who have became atheists? I know Tyler Okonma is one but I don't really know any others. Can you guys help me out?
The post can be found here .
Washington, D.C. — After concluding an hour-long meeting between leaders of national atheist, humanist, and secular groups and the leadership of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships — including Executive Director Melissa Rogers and Deputy Director Josh Dickson — American Atheists president Nick Fish released the following statement: We’re pleased that the Biden-Harris Administration takes seriously its obligation to meet the needs of atheists, humanists, and other nonreligious Americans.
It is reassuring to know that the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships shares our commitment to government neutrality, church-state separation, and religious pluralism — and that means including atheists. While we continue to have deep concerns about the reliance on faith-based service providers in our nation’s social safety net, it is encouraging that this administration is committed to meaningfully engaging with our community and being responsive to the policy concerns of our constituents. American
Atheists will continue to advocate for more robust protections for Americans seeking services from religious providers to ensure that no one is turned away from a shelter, an adoption or foster agency, or denied access to any other basic service due to religiously motivated discrimination. And if this administration fails to live up to its obligations under the Constitution or its commitments to religious equality and representation for nonreligious Americans, we will hold them accountable.
We look forward to continued collaboration between our organization and all departments of this administration, as we ensure that all Americans — including the tens of millions of nonreligious Americans we represent — have a seat at the table and a voice in our government. I hope this is just the first of many more productive discussions with members of the Biden-Harris Administration. 5-14-21
"Today, the Biden Administration announced the nomination of Rashad Hussain, Deborah Lipstadt, Khzir Khan, and Sharon Kleinbaum to serve in key religious affairs roles within the U.S. State Department and at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). In response, Nick Fish, president of American Atheists, released the following statement: We welcome President Biden’s selection of these nominees to such important roles advancing religious freedom and equality. Our organization looks forward to learning more about their records as they move through the confirmation process in the Senate. While I am hopeful these nominees share our commitment to religious pluralism and equality, the Biden Administration has once again missed an opportunity to appoint the first nonreligious person to serve on USCIRF. At a time when atheists, humanists, apostates, and nonreligious people around the world face discrimination, threats of violence, imprisonment, and even death, appointing the first atheist to USCIRF is long overdue. We urge congressional leadership to take this important next step and finally nominate a secular humanist as a USCIRF Commissioner at the earliest opportunity."
What's your opinion on atheists, mostly from USA saying that Christians are just as worse as Muslims? I think its dumb comparing Christians to Muslims. I think the not too religious Muslim is still much more extreme than a religious devout modern Christian
https://preview.redd.it/ckq8t7dtsf361.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=4043fa648474656c589d54d062ffbc55ffc503e8
American Evangelicals Don’t Want You To Know That The Nazis Were Evangelical Christians Too
American Christians like to deny that the Nazis were Christians, because they don't want to admit that the Holocaust was a Christian atrocity, just like the crusades, the inquisition, witch burnings, the 30 year war, the 100 year war, slavery, World War 1, World War 2, colonialism, massacres in India and Australia, the extermination of Native Americans, the extermination of Australian Aborigines, etc. etc.
The Nazis were just as Christian as any other Christians. And the Nazis weren't even the first Christians to persecute and murder Jews. It happened many times throughout Christian history.
Christian Persecution of Jews over the Centuries
The population of Germany in 1933 was around 60 million. Almost all Germans were Christian, belonging either to the Roman Catholic (ca. 20 million members) or the Protestant (ca. 40 million members) churches. The Jewish community in Germany in 1933 was less than 1% of the total population of the country.
How did Christians and their churches in Germany respond to the Nazi regime and its laws, particularly to the persecution of the Jews? The racialized anti-Jewish Nazi ideology converged with antisemitism that was historically widespread throughout Europe at the time and had deep roots in Christian history. For all too many Christians, traditional interpretations of religious scriptures seemed to support these prejudices.
https://preview.redd.it/ul0v5qajtf361.png?width=861&format=png&auto=webp&s=f163152bf7191dc9eb7bea
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Pretty much the title. I don't know much about Islam but after researching about it a bit I am considering doing more research and becoming Muslim. What made you guys disbelieve in Islam? Thanks
I envy those that have the freedom to enjoy their (dis)belief in peace. In my home country, Nigeria, I am not afforded that freedom. I have to live a lie because my business would collapse if I ever become honest with my clients about my beliefs. My parents would be heartbroken if they ever found out that I am an atheist. They never relent to check if I go to church on Sundays- this is despite being a grown man myself. Religion in Nigeria is so powerful and deeply entrenched in the culture.
Living a lie is depressing. And for a long time, I have been depressed and even suicidal. What keeps me going is that I do travel to the UK a lot because some of my family members are British. It pleases me to see people living their lives to the fullest without religious people frustrating their freedom.
Now, what exactly is depressing about my life and working in Nigeria? Well, imagine at your job, there is a prayer before and after every meeting, despite your job being management in a supposedly secular environment. There was a fellow atheist colleague I had at work who is now ostracised and ignored by other workers. I avoided the same fate by keeping quiet about my atheism. Also imagine fellow workers inviting you to their various church programmes and never considering it rude since they dont even know if you are a christian first.
Let's also talk about marriage and family. In Nigeria, when it comes to dating, there are very few atheist men and fewer atheist women. There are also very few progressive christians that would date an atheist- most Nigerian christians are conservative/fundamentalist. I have dated christian girls in the past and it always end the same- it starts all nice and lovely until it becomes clear that I dont pray or go to church; we have the discussion and a few weeks/months later, we break up. "I can't marry someone who doesn't believe in God, I want to have righteous children!".
The one that hit me the hardest was when my father fainted when I told him that I was losing my faith. He told me to stop joking and got very angry when he saw that I was serious. He started shaking and fainted. I "repented" because I didnt want to hurt him. Till today, I can't even revisit that topic and tell him that I am an atheist.
The happy ending to all this is that, it was a British atheist who inspired me to fight on. I listened to him advice a 16 year old who was having troubles with his parents for being irreligious. I have also read stories on reddit
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