Our View - Wednesday

Dems dismiss the atheists
Why rude guests aren't welcome

A few atheists have their panties in a twist once again, this time fussing that an atheist leader wasn't invited to speak at an Aug. 24 interfaith service that's part of the Democratic National Convention.

The service will feature Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist speakers. The official reason for the interfaith services is "to honor the diverse faith traditions inside the Democratic Party," which could easily include atheists. If they aren't welcome, it's probably because they're rude.

This column has advocated religious liberties for atheists, citing case law that defines atheism as just another religion - as in just another unproven and forever unprovable belief. This column has applauded a federal court ruling that forced prison wardens to allow prisoners an atheist study session. The court allowed the study session for the same reason wardens allow Bible study meetings: atheism is a religion, therefore subject to protections and restrictions of the First Amendment.

From the objective, legalistic standpoint of government, one belief is no more valid than another. Therefore a belief in creation - or an original intelligence, Jesus, Buddha, or the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" - is no more valid in the eyes of the law than the odd belief that nothing could possibly exist beyond what our embryonic state of scientific discovery has seen in our relatively primitive microscopes and telescopes. The humble and intelligent scientist understands that what we have proven about time and space is a microscopically small body of knowledge relative to the endless size and never-ending expansion of all that exists. To rational thinkers, atheism seems a sad and shallow belief. That's because great scientists understand that, metaphorically, they've discovered little more than the drawings on the walls of a cave. They don't know what's beyond the cave or how it began. As Albert Einstein said: "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. ... a legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist."

Yet an amazing number of atheists have taken to confronting and insulting believers of other religions. They pretend that atheist beliefs are proven true, while others are proven false. They refer to other religions as "irrational," and "superstitious." Their approach to ministry is overbearing and rude. They engage in confrontation, with disregard for persuasion. It's as if they've watched too much "American Idol," where Simon Cowell briefly made it hip to be the bully.

Consider the righteous indignation of Becky Hale, founder of Freethinkers of Colorado Springs: "By reaching out to people of faith, they have shown the back of their hand to those who do not believe," Hale told The Gazette.

In other words, if I'm not invited to your party then you're bad. Even the name of Hale's group is insulting. It implies that people of other faiths are something other than "free thinkers."

No, Ms. Hale, nobody gave your group the back of the hand. You simply weren't invited to a private party for "believers." While the law considers you nothing other than a "believer" - clinging to a belief that no higher power could exist - those who organized the party don't likely see you that way.

Hale, by her own admission, fancies her club as something other than a group of believers, calling it a group of "those who do not believe." So why invite yourself to a party of believers, Ms. Hale?

Boulder atheist Marvin Straus accused Democrats of "pandering" for the religious vote. How dare they reach out to people who believe in God? There oughta be a law!

Hitler imagined a world without Jews. The Freedom From Religion Foundation rented a billboard near the Colorado Convention Center that says: "Imagine No Religion."

Imagine a world with no religion and one sees a world without the Golden Rule, devoid of most charities, hospitals and great universities. One sees hurricane recovery zones, minus all the chartered planes and buses full of churchgoers giving their time and money to rebuild homes. How many children are fed and clothed by atheist charity organizations? Approximately none.

Imagine no religion and one sees a world ruled by atheist tyrants - Pol Pot, Albania's Enver Hoxha, Stalin and Mao, to name a few - who have murdered tens of millions in modern efforts to cleanse society of religion.

American Muslims, Baptists, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Mormons, Quakers, Amish, etc., don't erect billboards saying "Imagine No Atheists." They don't advocate government force to cleanse atheist expressions and teachings from the public square. They don't imply that atheists are "irrational," even though atheists claim absolute knowledge. They don't advocate theft and desecration of atheist property, even though an atheist hero in Minnesota stole and destroyed the Catholic Eucharist.

Democrats will nominate a Christian gentleman who respects others. It's likely they didn't invite atheists to their faith service because they didn't want embarrassing guests. Atheists might bring pseudointellectual proselytizers, who are intolerant, self-aggrandizing and rude. Atheists should fund universities and hospitals. They should feed and clothe starving kids. They should act more like Christians and Jews. If they do some of that - if they contribute to a diverse humanity - they might get better party invites.

Regents should lift CU gun ban

University of Colorado regents must listen to a group of students from Colorado Springs this week, when they argue against the university's dangerous gun law.

The Colorado Springs chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus wants the board of regents to allow concealed-carry permit holders to bring weapons to campus and into the classroom. They're not asking that just anyone be allowed to bring a gun to class. They're asking that students who have obtained certified training, passed background checks, paid enormous fees, and registered with the sheriff be allowed to carry concealed rearms. In essence, they're asking that permit holders be allowed to serve Colorado campuses as plain-clothed security guards who can defend their own lives and others if shots ring out.

Universities are targets for murderous random shooters, such as those who shot up Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois in recent years. The Virginia Tech killer enjoyed hours without challenge. He was unchallenged because the university's scores of concealed carry permit holders were obeying a gun law, and therefore unable to stop the murderous psychopath - a mass killer who chose to disobey the gun law. Imagine that. A man planned to commit the most serious category of crime and he completely ignored a gun ban. Shocking.

Mass murderers don't obey gun laws. Nor do armed rapists. Anyone who thinks the gun ban will stop crime is sadly confused. Instead of stopping crime, gun bans facilitate crime. They assure violent criminals that thousands of students are defenseless prey. That's why a spree of deadly school shootings began after the federal government declared public schools as gun-free zones in the mid 1990s. That law has cost lives, and someday CU's gun ban will aid some killer.

Concealed-carry permit holders respect gun laws. That's why they've paid money and applied for permission to carry their guns. Disarming them will get students killed. Regents who ignore this sensible plea can take direct responsibility when some monster has all the time he needs to shoot up a campus.