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Goodbye Jesus

Christian America


Castiel233

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When I was on holiday in the USA I wanted an atheist book from the store and did not dare ask the clerk if they stocked it because I was nervous about the reaction and this was only New York  I would have been a puddle of nerves if I was in a state that flew the confederate flag and sang songs  which included "The South shall rise again"

Such is the reputation of the faith in the US

Having said that I was once on an extended holiday to New Zealand and I got talking to this lady who asked where I was from, when I said the UK , she replied she was hoping to go there and spread the word of the Lord (her visit would have been a waste of time, we have heard of Jesus already in the UK) But I was taken aback to hear her witnessing her faith to me a complete stranger thousands of miles from home.

What is it with Christians who itch to share their religious convictions with you, but don’t want you to share yours with them.
 

 

 

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It's pretty crazy that they think anyone gives a fuck about their own personal religion.

 

I live in Seattle, and I wouldn't feel nervous to ask for an atheist book in a bookstore. Seattle is pretty damn liberal, though. NY is maybe a bit less so. Now you make me want to go to the South and ask for an atheist book just to fuck with people. :)

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While your concern is justified to some extent, I believe you have overreacted. I live in a Southern state in the US

(Florida}. I buy atheistic books all the time. I would in any big city in the US, with no concern. It's the small towns and

counties in the South that I may have some concern about. But not too much. Money trumps all. Besides you can always check the public library. bill

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It certainly varies from region to region, but I find that I am hard pressed to actually find any evangelical Christians. Just today I found a Bible tract near my workplace, and mocked it with my coworkers. Granted I work for a science company, but still...

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I live in one of the New England states, and it is no problem buying things related to alternative religions and atheism.  I asked a store clerk if he had anything on Buddhism and he was willing to help me find it. Heck, I bought a few packs of tarot cards and the clerk did not pay me any mind. It wouldn't have been a problem if I asked for anything on atheism.

 

It really depends on where you are and what store you go into.

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Here in Houston, Texas, all the regular bookstores and used bookstores sell atheist books. Nobody cares. 

 

The problem before the "new atheism" was not that bookstores were afraid to sell atheist books, it was there were no atheist books available to sell. I had to buy atheist books through a private mail order bookseller. The only "atheist" book you could find in a regular bookstore here in the 1980s-1990s was Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian. 

 

But the "atheist" books around were pretty bad ... it was mostly reprints of century-old material by people like Joseph McCabe. 

 

In the Bible Belt, this isn't really a problem, because there usually aren't bookstores in small towns. 

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When I was on holiday in the USA I wanted an atheist book from the store and did not dare ask the clerk if they stocked it because I was nervous about the reaction and this was only New York  I would have been a puddle of nerves if I was in a state that flew the confederate flag and sang songs  which included "The South shall rise again"

 

Such is the reputation of the faith in the US

 

Having said that I was once on an extended holiday to New Zealand and I got talking to this lady who asked where I was from, when I said the UK , she replied she was hoping to go there and spread the word of the Lord (her visit would have been a waste of time, we have heard of Jesus already in the UK) But I was taken aback to hear her witnessing her faith to me a complete stranger thousands of miles from home.

 

What is it with Christians who itch to share their religious convictions with you, but don’t want you to share yours with them.

 

 

Not sure where the fear comes from. I have lived in the US in a bible belt area all my life and have zero fear of what the christians think of me. If you are in a secular book store and they are actually selling books just ask. It is their stock and trade to sell you books, whatever books they have...

 

What did you think was going to happen? You would end up tarred and feathered or something?

 

Christians may cry loud in this country but they are not the powerful murderous zealots that I am guessing the rest of the world makes them out to be. They are mostly impotent in my opinion and all they really do is talk and futily try and get elections going their way.

 

really they are like toothless cats. Don't worry next time you are in the States. Just ask for what you want without fear. Christians may think they run the show her but the only thing they run is their mouths really.

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What is it with Christians who itch to share their religious convictions with you, but don’t want you to share yours with them.

 

Jesus freaks...  usually it's people without much education or appreciation of diversity.  Lots of people are one-track minded though, not just in religion.

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While your concern is justified to some extent, I believe you have overreacted. I live in a Southern state in the US

(Florida}. I buy atheistic books all the time. I would in any big city in the US, with no concern. It's the small towns and

counties in the South that I may have some concern about. But not too much. Money trumps all. Besides you can always check the public library. bill

I don't know, Bill.  I live in a small Southern town with a rich christian heritage and a church, quite literally, on every corner.  Most of the bookstores here have all the books an active atheist could want.  I usually buy from Amazon, on account of it's cheaper.  But if I needed a book in a pinch, I could get one here.  Granted, it may just be the proximity of our town to Atlanta.

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RNP: That's good to hear. bill

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I wanted an atheist book from the store and did not dare ask the clerk if they stocked it because I was nervous about the reaction and this was only New York

 

Why were you nervous?  I've never been there, but I wouldn't be afraid to ask for an atheist book in Alabama.  I seriously doubt anything would happen.  In NY, I'm sure nothing would have.  The clerk may have been atheist him/herself. 

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The only "atheist" book you could find in a regular bookstore here in the 1980s-1990s was Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian.

 

I remember those days.  In fact, to this day, that's the only atheist book I've ever read. 

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Henry: It certainly is selfish. It is telling that Xtians are all into witnessing but are loathe to follow the moral teachings of jesus. Compassion,

comfort to the poor, generosity, withholding judging people, empathy, etc. /They are more into these moral matters when it concerns fellow Xtians, but not so much with heretics. After all they think they don't have to do all the moral things, as long as they believe. Then they get "eternal life". bill

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I'd say you're safe in most spots. Don't go into a bookstore that says Life Way on it, that is owned by the giant Xian organization of Southern Baptists.

I thought about pranking it once, you know, be the blind guy that walks into a Christian bookstore and asks for help at the counter, and ask for Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion. But I really can't be bothered with the peevish, pealing responses.

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It's pretty crazy that they think anyone gives a fuck about their own personal religion.

 

I live in Seattle, and I wouldn't feel nervous to ask for an atheist book in a bookstore. Seattle is pretty damn liberal, though. NY is maybe a bit less so. Now you make me want to go to the South and ask for an atheist book just to fuck with people. :)

You just might be surprised at how many of the workers in southern bookstores would simply find the atheist book for you and then gladly take your money. Now, that doesn't count if you go into a Christian bookstore. Those employees would likely pray for you and then offer to sell you a Bible.

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It's pretty crazy that they think anyone gives a fuck about their own personal religion.

 

I live in Seattle, and I wouldn't feel nervous to ask for an atheist book in a bookstore. Seattle is pretty damn liberal, though. NY is maybe a bit less so. Now you make me want to go to the South and ask for an atheist book just to fuck with people. smile.png

You just might be surprised at how many of the workers in southern bookstores would simply find the atheist book for you and then gladly take your money. Now, that doesn't count if you go into a Christian bookstore. Those employees would likely pray for you and then offer to sell you a Bible.

 

 

The great thing and most amusing to me is that you can go into the secular book store and get your atheist books or a bible or both. You can go into the christian book store and get a bible with a side of guilt...One side of the argument actually seems to be in fear of their own stance. or at least they don't have enough confidence in it to let it stand side by side with the opposition.

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It was the other way around for me. Whenever i would buy a bible the person at the counter would stare at me with a weird look. They would be nice to me at first, but as soon as ii handed them a bible they stopped talking to me, sometimes not even bother to look at at me for the rest of the transaction. Ahhhh, jesus christ-making people uncomfortable for 2,000 years strong! 

 

Castiel233 your my favorite poster on here, if my thoughts could be a person, they'd be you. Thanks for eveerything

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To be fair, my nervousness was more to do with the fear that I might be offered a Bible instead or a bit of on the spot witnessing. I didn't expect alarms to go off and be bundled into a car and sped away to spend some time in a "Pat Robertson Re-Education centre"

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To be fair, my nervousness was more to do with the fear that I might be offered a Bible instead or a bit of on the spot witnessing. I didn't expect alarms to go off and be bundled into a car and sped away to spend some time in a "Pat Robertson Re-Education centre"

That' because your a fish, and they now have you on their hook. If they even get a whiff you might actually believe even the tiniest of their b.s. they won't leave you alone till they get you to repent being a human. Just smile and keep in mind the "good news" that were all going to hell anyways.  -your fan

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Slightly off topic: I suspect I will never visit America again, its a wonderful vibrant country in many ways, but I don't fancy being finger printed and having my eyes scanned purely for being a visitor.

 

I understand some states even have internal checkpoints between them. So you can be stopped by a state trooper and checked purely for driving state to state

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Yeah, I've experienced a heck of a lot of border crossings in my life and far and away the most intimidating is my home country, America. 

 

Crossing back from Canada at Niagra, I was subjected to 5 minutes of questions, regarding the names of various football teams in different cities, the name of the vice president, my place of birth, etc... What's the worse that could have happened?  A Canadian with an indistinguishable accent could have crossed the border? 

 

At JFK, I was delayed for 30 minutes while the TSA agents (about 8 of them) poured over the computer screen analyzing my travel records and passport (I have been to Venezuela, India, Russia, surrounding Eastern bloc countries, etc..., so I suppose I raised red flags). 

 

At JFK, my wife was put into holding because she didn't understand the immigration agent's thick Brooklyn accent as he demanded a particular document from her.  She was there for two hours before I finally tracked her down.  When I found her, she was in tears thinking she was being denied entry into the country.

 

After he stamped her passport, I told him to get fucked.  When he threatened to jump the counter at me, I laughed and asked him 'what are you going to do?  I'm a citizen, you have no power over me like you did my wife 2 minutes ago."  His face turned purple. 

 

At Dulles, I watched a nearly 7' tall TSA agent yelling at a 65ish yo old lady to go to the interrogation room and to clean herself up and ready for a private inspection.  It was obvious to anyone observing they chose this particular agent simply to intimidate the travelers.

 

Traveling across the south west, I've had to drive through unconstitutional check points and declare my citizenship to agents who have no business asking me my business.

 

My wife, formerly a US greencard holder, has now been denied entry into the US under the assumption that she is an immigration risk; this despite the fact we have been married for 15 years, own our own property here in Russia, and most ironically, has a right to immigrate if she wants to due to the fact she is married to a citizen.  She can't even visit her family in the US.  It's disgusting.

 

Here in big bad, fascist Russia, I've breezed past immigration along with everyone else every single time.  I've never been asked to show my passport on the street.  I've never felt I was being watched nor have never been intimidated by the government in any way. 

 

To be fair though, if you look like you're from Central Asia, you're going to get police harassment here in Russia. 

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This is a part of why I will not go back, constant checks, re checks and endless form filling to visit a country that prides itself on being the standard bearing for freedom and democracy.

 

Its such a shame, the USA could be such a welcoming country. The staff at JFK make you feel guilty for visiting

 

I see an America in the future turning into the police state Mega-City one as envisaged in the world of Judge Dredd

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Here in Houston, Texas, all the regular bookstores and used bookstores sell atheist books. Nobody cares. 

 

The problem before the "new atheism" was not that bookstores were afraid to sell atheist books, it was there were no atheist books available to sell. I had to buy atheist books through a private mail order bookseller. The only "atheist" book you could find in a regular bookstore here in the 1980s-1990s was Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian. 

 

But the "atheist" books around were pretty bad ... it was mostly reprints of century-old material by people like Joseph McCabe. 

 

In the Bible Belt, this isn't really a problem, because there usually aren't bookstores in small towns. 

I quite like McCabe myself although some if his stuff is a bit dry

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This is a part of why I will not go back, constant checks, re checks and endless form filling to visit a country that prides itself on being the standard bearing for freedom and democracy.

 

Its such a shame, the USA could be such a welcoming country. The staff at JFK make you feel guilty for visiting

 

I see an America in the future turning into the police state Mega-City one as envisaged in the world of Judge Dredd

 

They must really treat international travelers like poop in the US.

 

As a born citizen I have never once been treated this way anyplace I have ever been and I have been in 38 of the 50 states...

 

Airports are serious business all over the world where they give a shit about security and customer safety. All international airports are a bitch to go into and out of for the most part regardless of where you came from to get there.

 

sorry your experiences where so negative here.

 

I don't see America like this and if you could see how smaller america works and who lives there you may not see it the same way.

 

The US is a very welcoming country compared to many many places on earth. I meet people from all over the world all the time that seem very happy to be here to visit and come and live. I meet very few that have the attitude you have about it, so I am guessing you just had a negative set of experiences here or are making assumption of what you think of us as a whole.

 

There are a lot of very friendly places I have lived that encourage international visitors to come and relax and have fun. I grew up in such a town and met many people from the UK and many other parts of Europe that loved it and came back year after year.

 

if you come back I hope you experiences are more positive next time. Maybe try getting away from the largest cities and seeing the real America. Lots of mid size areas can be far more friendly to outsiders as weird as that may seem. You would probably love some of the great inland lakes where I came from and hanging out with friends on the boat and sitting in the sun if you are into that soft of thing. People are friendly if not a bit to drunk in the summer :)

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