Scathing Letter To The Editor

[minorwork]

The Freethinker Meetup group in Springfield, Illinois meets Saturday 15 of September. The leader's letter was published in The State Journal Register 9-11-07. I might have to carry a cross if a mob turns up and survival becomes the order of the day. Martyrdom separates the living from the dead. The very next day 6 letters published defending various versions of the bible. I don't think any of the 6 had read our Freethinker's letter. She has come here from New York.

While at work one of our members turned dumb ass and let it be known he was an atheist when asked about his bumper sticker. He got canned. Not right, but, gee whiz, people are gonna ask about a Darwin fish decal. I'm thinkin' 'bout puttin' a "COPS SUCK" sticker on the ex's car. It looks a little drab.

This is a great letter.



Let me see if I have this straight. In his letter Bob Ruble claims that the Christian version of the human condition goes like this:

From before birth we are contaminated with evil. Though God created us, he bears no responsibility for this, and rejects us from the moment we are born because of it.

Being perfect himself, he demands that we be perfect or be punished. We are by nature incapable of achieving this standard. Therefore God withdraws his love from us.

There is no help in this world. Other humans are as vile as ourselves. In fact, we are so vile that even when we constantly consult our conscience and obey its guide, we still fail, offending God even when we are trying our best not to do so.

Therefore, we must constantly confess our unworthiness and beg for God’s forgiveness, which can only be obtained through the intervention of Jesus, his first born, who is perfect. If we willingly abase ourselves in this manner, we can hope that after death releases us from suffering we will finally be granted the love of God that we have so desperately sought after our entire lives.

Have I got that right?

This is not an adult philosophy of life. It is a perfect portrait of the psychology of a chronically abused child.
That’s no way to get to heaven; it’s a way to live in hell.

[phrog]

Excellent letter. It doesn't take much imagination to visualize Bob Ruble's original letter. Pass along my kudos Saturday. She should join us here.

[minorwork]

The meeting went 2 hours. Fearless Leader showed a written personal letter from another obviously theist letter to the editor writer. In the letter he said that Fearless Leader was sounding for help. We figured he must be Jehovah Witness as they seem to feel obligated to answer any perceived calls for aid. Fearless Leader was debating the course of action. The writer asked for a dialogue. Fearless Leader had some material already at hand she was thinking about sending. He claimed to be 70, and had some time to spare. He mentioned the 5 Ws. No one new what he was referring to. Maybe that's the hook for us.

Discussed a visit to the Darwin Exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Discussed how to grow. Well if the group cannot get the State Journal Register paper to give the correct place I don't think we have a, uh, prayer. Fearless Leader says she has repeatedly made attempts to have the new location listed. The paper posts the freethinkers meetup once a month. They have the location wrong. 'Nuff to make a guy think there is an active campaign against the atheists here.
Imagine that.

[lorryfach]

While at work one of our members turned dumb ass and let it be known he was an atheist when asked about his bumper sticker. He got canned. Not right, but, gee whiz, people are gonna ask about a Darwin fish decal.
I'm not sure how this relates to the rest of your post, but ok.
So a person is a dumbass for believing he should not hide who is in order to be employed? I would ask where you work, but is that even relevant? I have an atheist friend who works at a church in the US, and they know she's an atheist and are fine with it. In fact, they told her in her interview that might be a plus because she won't want to meddle with the church politics.

Anyway, that is a nice letter. Glad to see it got published.

[David]

So a person is a dumbass for believing he should not hide who is in order to be employed?
I'm with you on this one; I don't think you should have to hide who you are in order to keep your job.

I mean, could you imagine if we were sitting around telling the same story with the word atheist replaced with "black person" or "woman" or "gay" or "handicapped" or "Democrat"? What you believe and/or are has really no bearing on your employment. It's discrimination.

Personally, I'd actually *prefer* to hire Atheists and Agnostics. That way I know that they are at least open to changing their mind about something--and, probably a bit more logical too.

It's just too bad that religious people are so insecure with their belief in mysticism and magic that they need to purge everything and anything in their life that doesn't agree with their core beliefs. On the other hand, I and most Atheists I know, own more than one Bible, and have actually *read* the damn thing--unlike most fundies. Odd..

[minorwork]

If you want my resume, see my bio on Introductions topic.
Relevancy? I have a tuff time with thread definitions.

Rights on the job are dictated by the employer. The employee serves at the pleasure of his employer.

When a captain was in his bunk asleep, the first mate ordered a turn. The helmsman did not respond in order to avoid putting the Valdez on the rocks. And so, Joe Hazelwood was, as captains, face bosses, mine managers, etc. blamed for the screw up. That's why they make the big bucks.

I worked for the Double XX and after the Valdez piled up, political correctness ran rampant. Some would say these actions on the company's part made life on the job better. I have mixed feelings about that. Things really got sneakier and more underhanded. More blatant lies were told. Dog searches, pockets emptied, cars searched. A fish fillet knife in a car was a firable offense, also a gun being on the property though legally stored in the trunk, a forgotten beer, a car your teenagers had driven with their friends that the dope dog pointed, etc. With the wrong attitude these could be seen as an effort to remind employees that they are a bug squirming under a pressing thumb. A lot thought that way. I felt the most for an old guy who told the security team that he fought in WWII so workers here would not have to see this kind of thing. I took it as a game. Work the system. Cover your ass. Get your time for the pension. Keep the emotions under control at all costs.

But that is part of the job. The Bill of Rights stops at the guard shack. So, once again, be free in your soul. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Protect yourself. Don't be naive. Pick your fights carefully. Don't lose.

[lorryfach]

Rights on the job are dictated by the employer. The employee serves at the pleasure of his employer.
If you live in an at-will state, then you are right. The employer can do whatever s/he wants in response to seeing a Darwin fish. That doesn't make someone a dumbass for placing their right to have a Darwin fish over their desire to keep the job.

I worked for a political party I didn't belong to, and I didn't hide the fact I was a member of another party. I knew it might get me fired, but I'm not going to lie about it. I don't think that makes me a dumbass. That just makes me someone who makes decisions based on different priorities than another person. I wouldn't want to work for someone who'd fire me over being an atheist anyway.

So, once again, be free in your soul. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Protect yourself. Don't be naive. Pick your fights carefully. Don't lose.
From my way of thinking, "losing" would be lying about who I am. If that's how your former co-worker feels too, then he didn't lose. We all have our own definitions of what's "losing."

I'd rather fail at what I love than succeed at what I hate.

[minorwork]

Hey, I'm not immune from the "dumb ass" syndrome. I call it screwing up. My mistake. If I catch myself whining that it wasn't my fault, I have learned little. What I do learn from working is that every man has his price.

I remember one of my philosophy profs, Charlie, first day of Intro to Logic. Must have been required for business degrees as there was a ton of them guys trying to show Charlie his errors. But, I digress. Charlie explained the class requirements, weekly tests, mid-terms, finals as percentage of final grade. You know the drill. At the end, he looked up, grinned, and said, "Of course everyman has his price. The price for an "A" in this class is a trip for two to Europe." After the laughter died, he added, "Of course the price for the girls tends to be slightly different than the price for the boys."

We all have our priorities. We set our conditions. Employment no different. I still maintain that having to support a family on a steady income that barely covers living expenses is no backdrop to be attracting attention when knowing head hunters are at large. Shall I proclaim "Cops Suck" on a bumper sticker, then complain about sticker profiling?


from lorryfach
From my way of thinking, "losing" would be lying about who I am.


Ah, the lie. A complex topic indeed. I try, like it seems do you, to be as open about myself to any. I am uncomfortable when feeling I have to hide in order to continue in a job. But the ideal job of me being pope or winning the lotto necessitates a blending in, so to speak. Yes, I have limits to what I will do to make a living. I cannot know my limits until I exceed them.