So Count Chocula is most likely to commit murder just because he's a vampire? I call that Cereal Mascot Profiling. I'm sure Jesse Jackson will find it very interesting that most of you voted for the chocolate lover in the latest poll!
Left Wing Bumper Stickers
Today I am finally going to put down into words some of the things I've been thinking for many years when I see left-wing bumper stickers. I am not a big fan of bumper stickers period which is why my vehicles don't have any. But I am especially opposed to having a few words on a rectangular sticker define who I am. Some people are very comfortable doing that and so I have no problem defining them in my own point of view. When I see a bumper sticker that reads, "God is my co-pilot" I think, "religious, not sure what the Bible actually says, and probably a recovering alcoholic". Maybe I'm wrong but if you don't want me making a snap judgement then nix the bumper proclamation. When I see a confederate flag, I automatically think "redneck" whether it assures me it reflects "heritage not hate" or not. Sorry, but you decided to put it out there.
But the bumper stickers that make me think the person driving the car is either dumber than grits or a hate-filled anti-American jerk are the ones I want to focus on. Some are so erroneous, so moronic, and so prevalent I feel I need to put them through the ridicule and dissection they deserve. I tried finding some pictures of these but my brain almost exploded sifting through all of the propaganda. If I can get through this post without a single four-letter word it will be a miracle!
The Dumbest Bumper Sticker of All-Time
"The Last Time We Mixed Politics and Religion People Got Burned at the Stake"
Wow, this display of complete ignorance leaves me nearly speechless. Where to start? Let's take it one piece at a time.
First, "The Last Time...."
The "last" time? Really? How about right now all across the Muslim world where politics is religon and vice versa. People in theocracies like Iran wish they could be burned at the stake! What a luxury. Instead women are raped and murdered, infidels (depending on who defines that term) are beheaded, shot, put in mass graves, have appendages chopped off, and are stoned to death (and not necessarily in that order). Burning at the stake is so far past the stone age, really. The laws of these countries portray women as inferior beings and slavery as moral. But protesting them isn't politically correct like attacking Jerry Falwell or John Ashcroft.
Second, "We Mixed Politics and Religion".
This is another example of agnostics and atheists upset at how "religious" our country is apparently. It isn't enough that prayer has been banned in school for 30+ years, any mention of God in school commencement ceremonies or any other public event invites the ACLU and other groups to sue, and our current President wouldn't attend any Christmas event or even call his tree a Christmas tree. We sure are in danger of losing our country to religious extremists, huh? I could fill up this blog with quotes from our Founding Fathers and their Christian faith, and how this republic was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. And yet, our country like very few is built upon religious freedom, the freedom to believe or not to. That isn't enough for some who want to eliminate anything that makes them uncomfortable, which ironically makes them no different from the tyrants our ancestors fled from in the first place to make this new world!
Last, "People Got Burned at the Stake".
This is the best you can do, hippie? I mean if we have to go back that far and that's the worst thing you can come up with I almost think you're not trying to put forth any kind of legitimate argument! The Inquisition in Europe from the years 1233 to 1808 (that's 575 years!) burned an estimated 31,912 heretics at the stake.(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Inquisition.html)
Yes, that's a bunch of people, probably innocent of any crime, unjustly killed. Many of those were Christians by the way, probably all of them were religious. It was wrong and it was horrible. But it amounts to about 55.5 people per year. Let's do some comparable analysis, shall we?
The Russian Gulag killed an estimated 40 MILLION people in the labor camps in the span of about 30 years! In all the Russians as a whole killed closer to 80 Million! Communist, atheist, intolerant murderers!
The Nazis (National Socialism) killed around 11 MILLION in 12 years!
The Millions killed under Mao and the other Chinese Communists may never be known but some estimates are as high as 45 Million under Mao alone.
Then there are the regimes of Pol Pot in Cambodia, Castro in Cuba, Idi Amin in Uganda, Ceucescu in Romania, and both Kims of North Korea. The comparison becomes laughable as you can see. More have died under godless, athiestic, political regimes than any other group. And all of these happened within the last century. So I guess if I wanted to compete with the retards out there I could make my own bumper sticker say something like "The last time politics abolished religion 100 million people were murdered"
On the other hand, thanks to Christianity slavery has been abolished, women have the right to vote and more give to the needy than in any other culture. The aid to Haiti is a testament to what a religious populace can do.
That is one STUPID bumper sticker!
This ran a bit long so I will tackle another stupid bumper sticker next time. Stay tuned...
8 comments:
That's a lot about one bumper sticker, but still, very well said.
"Then I'd tickle 'em. They'd forget about the whole thing. Then we could go to church together and get an ice cream cone" - to paraphrase Darryl in the warehouse.
While I agree that it is a well written rant, I have to make one teensy little degression - the Founding Fathers - atleast the ones most commonly invoked - weren't Christians. John Adams is buried in a Unitarian church, and was Unitarian all his life. Jefferson was agnostic. Franklin also. Christianity has little to nothing to do with the issues you brought up.
"We recognize no Sovereign but God and no King but Jesus"
-John Adams April 18, 1775
Yes, Jefferson infamously tore pages out of his Bible that he disagreed with. But many of the founders were Christian or at least very religious. Even Franklin acknowledged the need for God's help at the Constitutional convention...not Christian maybe, but that doesn't sound very agnostic either.
The point of the rant was "mixing politics and religion" as the bumper sticker states. It isn't specific to Christianity but it was Christian movements in predominately Christian nations that abolished slavery and gained suffrage for women. Slaves are still part of Muslim culture, and women have no rights to this day. Hence the irony and fallacy of the bumper sticker's assertion.
Are you saying the bumper sticker isn't directed at Christian religion? If that's the case why the "burning at the stake" reference which was done by "christians"? Another version of the sticker says "there were witchhunts" which is even sillier.
It is obviously addressing Christians in the "religious right" not Buddhists, Hindus, or even Jews.
Don't forget that the Founding Fathers were writing for the masses who generally did believe in Christianity! Their private thoughts were kept out of it. They had a populace to sway and convince and they used God as a tool. Useful and effective. Christianity may have had a hand in banning slavery but don't forget that Christianity also condoned it - it's in the Bible therefore it's alright - and has condoned the oppression of other religions, peoples, and women. Still does to this day. I think the doing away with slavery and women's suffrage is more to do with the Enlightenment than the religion, which hasn't changed. The people IN the religion have changed. Their idea of the religion has changed, broadened, and evolved...but not Christianity itself. Otherwise there'd not be schisms over homosexuality or women being ordained. Also, not likely the bumper sticker is taking into account other religions beside Christianity since it's in use here in the States. You can only fit so much on that little sticker and can you see a bumper sticker that covers the entire bumper with disclaimers and so forth! Would take more than a stop light to read it all!
The bumper sticker is only about Christianity, actually. It is directed at Bush, Ashcroft, etc. Who else in politics is accused of mixing their faith with their job? Democrats are usually scornful of religion......unless they are campaigning in black churches then it's covered by the media and all is cool.
I suggest you read the Bible to see what it says and don't use any "representative" of Christianity at face value.
I have read the bible. Several times. Although I don't see what that has to do with anything. Are you actually saying that Democrats are less religious than anyone else? Considering that we have so many stripes of religion here when a politician uses it he's sure to offend someone. I have no problem with people being religious but when it comes to making laws that impact everyone then leave your religion at the door. If I have no right to impose my type of religion on you the reverse is also true.
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