Atheist Tornado Survivor Sparks Religious Debate

Glen Beck isn't looking at the politics of Atheism either, but the Biblical perspective:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I see more atheists demonizing people of faith than the other way around. Nevertheless, demons are the forces of spiritual darkness, and without the armour of God, humans can be susceptible to the advances of the evil.

That an atheist survived, and someone else that prayed didn't, can also be found in the Bible. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

Must we pretend that this isn't a bashing thread when you start it with a Beck bashing post?
Stomping on Jesus is acceptable, but try wearing a cross to class. Atheists aren't the ones in the closet.
The lady wasn't demonizing anybody. She said, "I'm actually an atheist." The mother took the bizarre questions in stride: "We are here, and I don't blame anyone for thanking the Lord."

Christians always seem so shocked that people with other religious convictions would object to having the Christian's God pushed down their throat in schools, media and government.
 
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Atheist Tornado Survivor Sparks Religious Debate

Atheist Tornado Survivor Sparks Religious Debate

Four days after a more than 1-mile wide tornado ravaged Oklahoma, the media is awash with victims-standing-in-front-of-their-ruined-houses interviews. CNN's Wolf Blitzer was in the midst of conducting such an interview with Rebecca Vitsmun, who escaped her collapsing home with her 19-month-old son. After proclaiming that Vitsmun and her family was blessed, Father Blitzer said, "I guess you've got to thank the Lord, right? Do you thank the Lord for that split second decision?"

Clearly a little uncomfortable (who wouldn't be? What the hell kind of question is that to ask in an interview, Blitzer?), Vitsmun pauses and says, "I'm actually an atheist." "You are, alright. But you made the right call," responded Blitzer. The mother took the bizarre questions in stride: "We are here, and I don't blame anyone for thanking the Lord."

The awkward moment passed, but for atheists groups, Vitsmun became suddenly became a face for their beliefs. Atheists Unite, an Indiegogo community, reacted almost immediately to Vitsmun's casual assertion that she was atheist. By Friday, more than $7,000 have been raised for her to reconstruct her home, thanks to the campaign's fundraising efforts:
"It's important that our community shows that we have you back when it come out publicly as an atheist. Let us show the world that you don't need to believe in a god to have human compassion nor does all charity all under the banner of religion."
This whole thing is kind of a bucket of weird. First off, Blitzer asking Vitsmun whether she thanked the Lord or not was rather forceful than conversational. His nervous laughter after realizing his faux pas (assuming everybody is praising Jesus, Amen) could have been handled a little more graciously, too. But let's take Blitzer's gaffe to the next level, shall we?

Enter Glenn Beck:
"I think [Wolf Blitzer] was fed some information about the guest he had on before-hand, you know, that's what producers do, given some questions that he should ask, etc. etc. Some producer who is sympathetic to the atheist plight or just doesn't like Christians or whatever it is, thought it was important to point out that in the middle of the heartland, in America, where most people are God-fearing, there are atheists there too. It doesn't have to be nefarious."​

Okay, Beck. You're sipping on the crazy juice, but it's Crazy Juice Light. I can maybe, maybe say that you have a vaguely valid argument. It was kind of a weird question. But you had to go and chug the strong stuff, huh:
"We are not fighting against flesh and bone. We are fighting the forces of spiritual darkness."
Aaaaand scene.

Rebecca Vitsmun probably didn't state that she was an atheist as a political statement or as a way to become the face of the atheism community, whatever that is. Now she's another object, human meme, being used as fodder for atheists and believers to pontificate. At least she's getting money to rebuild her home from it?


Why does Glen Beck equate Atheism with "the forces of spiritual darkness"? Why should it matter if someone is an Atheist? Don't they have that freedom as a Constitutional Right? Why must perfectly normal people constantly be demonized? At what point do Atheists get to come out of the closet and have their rights recognized?

Disclaimer: Please note that this is NOT intended to be a flame thread. If you want to flame Atheists please start your own thread. The OP will not respond to any flame posts and requests that all of the Atheists posting in this thread do likewise. This is a serious question that needs to be addressed. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.​


This is not demonization unless you have a problem with thinking abstractly.

Why does a believer equate non belief with spiritual darkness? Why do sighted people consider blind people to be living in the dark?​
 
I see more atheists demonizing people of faith than the other way around.
The numbers are by far the opposite, in my humble opinion, and the atheist has every right to say what s/he does as does the believer. And having lived in the South for a very long time, believe me have I heard the believers stomp other believers as well as the non-believer.

Let this alone, OK. Rebecca has a right to her belief, so does Glenn, so let's move on.
 
Why didn't God just steer the tornado someplace that wasn't so populated in the first place mitigating all the death and suffering? Was he on his coffee break?

Are you holding an entity you don't believe in responsible for random events? Isn't that a little absurd?
 
I lived in Tulsa for a year or two. They are, indeed, the "buckle" of the Bible Belt. An athiest in Oklahoma feels about as welcome as a John Birch Society member in Berkley. If you profess to be a solid born again Christain, Okies are about the friendliest people in the country. If you are a athiest, Okies have absolutely no use for you, whatever.The society there is as black and white as it can get over religious issues.

Strange.

When I lived in Tulsa there were plenty of atheists who felt quite comfortable with their Christian neighbors, and vice versa. The only major sin that anyone could commit there was being a Cornhusker fan. Maybe the problem isn't that you are an atheist, maybe it is just that you are an asshole.
 
No, no coffee break. He has been kicked out of this country that He blessed and the Holy Spirit that restrained, went with him.
We can expect the worst now.

(My bold)

Yes, He's sulking somewhere in the back of beyond. Either God is God, or He isn't. If He's all-seeing, all-being, the font of wisdom, all-knowing - if our definition is right, in other words - Why would He take amiss the merely human quibbles about His existence?

If the common West Civ. definition is right, He knows everything there is to know about us, collectively & individually. Where does all this Scheiss about God's disappointment in us come from, then? Does He hang on our every word? When He calls us up on the telephone, does He play the You hang up first game?

The argument is silly. Just from examining the assumptions of the logic, there's nothing to argue about.

True.

How can an omnipotent deity be ‘disappointed’?

That’s a human attribute.

Clearly an omnipotent deity can’t be ‘human,’ it wouldn’t be omnipotent and therefore unworthy of worship.

And wouldn’t an omnipotent deity be prescient?

Is not America as it exist today in accordance with the plan of the omnipotent deity (not that an omnipotent entity would need a ‘plan,’ of course…); does not America exist today exactly as the omnipotent deity foresaw?

There are only two conclusions, then: either there is no ‘god’ or if there is a ‘god’ then America exists now precisely as it wished it to be.

What evidence do you have that God is omnipotent? How does being all powerful prevent one from being disappointed in any universe that exists outside the minds of idiots that confuse their lack of education with wisdom?

By the way, your post would have made more sense if you used the proper term for the argument you were attempting to make, which is omniscient.
 
Nobody gives a crap about atheists and what they do or don't believe - it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings and has no bearing whatsoever on the way others live their lives and what they believe.

The animosity comes from the actions of those who what to obliterate all mention and memory of God, the Bible, or anything else of the equal right to practice Christianity ... and don't bet that these same people won't be going after Jews, too, once they get the "Christian plague" taken care of.

You can't gripe about the people hating you for what you believe when you spew out your hatred of them for what they believe.

As an atheist I'm going to have to agree with you. It's getting to the point where I'm embarrassed to label myself as an atheist because of all the devout atheistic zealots who want to push their values on other people. Atheists who want to destroy every cross in a town square or remove the ten commandments from a courthouse seem a bit demented to me.

Thank you.
 
Glen Beck isn't looking at the politics of Atheism either, but the Biblical perspective:

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
I see more atheists demonizing people of faith than the other way around. Nevertheless, demons are the forces of spiritual darkness, and without the armour of God, humans can be susceptible to the advances of the evil.

That an atheist survived, and someone else that prayed didn't, can also be found in the Bible. The rain falls on the just and the unjust.

Must we pretend that this isn't a bashing thread when you start it with a Beck bashing post?
Stomping on Jesus is acceptable, but try wearing a cross to class. Atheists aren't the ones in the closet.
The lady wasn't demonizing anybody. She said, "I'm actually an atheist." The mother took the bizarre questions in stride: "We are here, and I don't blame anyone for thanking the Lord."

Christians always seem so shocked that people with other religious convictions would object to having the Christian's God pushed down their throat in schools, media and government.

Did you read the OP?
 
I just think Wolf Bllitzer was trying to kill a few minutes till commercial time. No big deal.

When was the last time Blitzer asked anyone about their beliefs? My experience with him is limited, but he claims to be Jewish, and I see no reason for a Jewish reporter to ask questions about thanking the Lord.
 
I just think Wolf Bllitzer was trying to kill a few minutes till commercial time. No big deal.

When was the last time Blitzer asked anyone about their beliefs? My experience with him is limited, but he claims to be Jewish, and I see no reason for a Jewish reporter to ask questions about thanking the Lord.

God put you in charge of questions? :lol:
 
I see more atheists demonizing people of faith than the other way around.
The numbers are by far the opposite, in my humble opinion, and the atheist has every right to say what s/he does as does the believer. And having lived in the South for a very long time, believe me have I heard the believers stomp other believers as well as the non-believer.

Let this alone, OK. Rebecca has a right to her belief, so does Glenn, so let's move on.
When I lived in the South, atheist usually preceded communist, ****** loving, pervert. I hope it's changed.
 
Actually there was no "spark" until the bigots on the left decided that religion was an issue. "Never let a crisis go to waste"...democrat Rahm Emanuel.
 
I see more atheists demonizing people of faith than the other way around.
The numbers are by far the opposite, in my humble opinion, and the atheist has every right to say what s/he does as does the believer. And having lived in the South for a very long time, believe me have I heard the believers stomp other believers as well as the non-believer.

Let this alone, OK. Rebecca has a right to her belief, so does Glenn, so let's move on.
When I lived in the South, atheist usually preceded communist, ****** loving, pervert. I hope it's changed.

What are you, a hundred?
 
I just think Wolf Bllitzer was trying to kill a few minutes till commercial time. No big deal.

When was the last time Blitzer asked anyone about their beliefs? My experience with him is limited, but he claims to be Jewish, and I see no reason for a Jewish reporter to ask questions about thanking the Lord.

God put you in charge of questions? :lol:

No I did.

Who put you in charge of defending a guy that ended up with -$4,600 on Jeopardy? Do you have a thing of idiots because no one with a brain wants to be in the same room with you?
 
I don't see the issue here. Blitzer asked a question. She answered. Blitzer accepted her and her answer. She expressed understanding and that she was fine with it. Beck makes it out as some media conspiracy to drum up his business. Typical Beck.
 
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Nobody gives a crap about atheists and what they do or don't believe - it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings and has no bearing whatsoever on the way others live their lives and what they believe.

The animosity comes from the actions of those who what to obliterate all mention and memory of God, the Bible, or anything else of the equal right to practice Christianity ... and don't bet that these same people won't be going after Jews, too, once they get the "Christian plague" taken care of.

You can't gripe about the people hating you for what you believe when you spew out your hatred of them for what they believe.

As an atheist I'm going to have to agree with you. It's getting to the point where I'm embarrassed to label myself as an atheist because of all the devout atheistic zealots who want to push their values on other people. Atheists who want to destroy every cross in a town square or remove the ten commandments from a courthouse seem a bit demented to me.

I'd have to make it three. Technically, I'm a Taoist, but my school teaches that personified deities are human inventions created for social control. So if a deity exists, it can't love, hate, play favorites, be cajoled or bribed, etc. That pretty well leaves out the Christian God.

Basically I'm not comfortable with zealots of any stripe. The damnest lie in religion is that at their core all religions share a common core which is good. It's not true. Almost all ethical systems (we have to exclude Ayn Rand's "Objectivism" here, another reason to dislike militant atheists) including ethical systems based on religious teachings have such a common core. But when religions attach to this core a smoking cauldron of theology used to promote various agendas, they lose that commonality.
 
The numbers are by far the opposite, in my humble opinion, and the atheist has every right to say what s/he does as does the believer. And having lived in the South for a very long time, believe me have I heard the believers stomp other believers as well as the non-believer.

Let this alone, OK. Rebecca has a right to her belief, so does Glenn, so let's move on.
When I lived in the South, atheist usually preceded communist, ****** loving, pervert. I hope it's changed.

What are you, a hundred?

I heard it in San Augustine County, Texas, in the last five years.
 

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