Screw the War on Religion - Thom confronts Scott Wheeler & Roy Speckhardt

[MacabreManifesto]

Deism isn't a religion, neither is atheism, they aren't even -isms. Atheism isn't even necessarily a lack of a belief in religion because Buddhism, Scientology, even the "hip new" commercial satanism is atheistic. Atheism simply means without a belief in deities, one position on one issue. All agnostics are atheists, because they still lack a belief in god, they are simply acknowledging the epistemological limit that you can't falsify many god claims. So what? I can't falsify many UFO claims...

[MacabreManifesto]

@MacabreManifesto ...bigfoot claims, or unicorn claims, but to go around saying: I don't believe in unicorns but you can never be sure: So I am an agnostic a-unicornist. doesn't make sense. If you are an atheist, a term that carries the baggage of "non-religious" in a colloquial sense but not a technical sense, then why shouldn't it include the baggage of "agnostic" in the colloquial sense but not the technical sense? Because religious people get a boner over believing in an unfalsifiable...

[MacabreManifesto]

@MacabreManifesto ...hypothesis? Just because you believe in a system of beliefs that counts as a religion and/or theism, doesn't mean that not believing in that is also a religion. If atheism is a religion then public land is an exclusive club.

[kmostudios]

the man talks crap religion is a fools gold !! no one wants it grow up people and stop following the man with a carrot on a string

[PhilJRose]

This man really has no idea what he's talking about.

[seanotube85]

I love how he struggles to separate his money-grubbing pro-consumer beliefs from his religious beliefs. I doubt religion would do so well without all the masses of money loaded on to back up their greedy causes (indoctrination, assimilation, and conquest).

[godzilla5500]

@seanotube85 meant to copy n paste that message to someone else sorry feel free to read it though

[scatcoitus]

i disagree with thom hartman when he says atheism is a religion. that is bullshit.

[godzilla5500]

@scatcoitus a standard definition of religion: is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of life and the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency...last time i checked atheism is not a type of philosophy or religion...it does not have a set of beliefs concerning the mysteries of existence it just simply denies a belief..the reason its 'atheism' is simply because of god's popularity to the point where such a disbelief is considered a cult

[godzilla5500]

@scatcoitus here is not a term for disbelief in santa, unicorns, bigfoot, or anything else...why? because they are considered childish ideas meant for children or to create a what if moment while god is believed true and a serious sacred traditional belief system that anything opposing it automatically is considered a separate counter belief system...its quite an idiotic common idea held by people that not believing in god elaborates on other beliefs..also it revolves around belief..continued

[TheDecidicator]

Santa has hijacked Christmas just like the Bunny hijacked Easter.

What is religious about Christmas nowadays? Driving around town it is evident that most of the houses are decorated with Santa, Frosty, and Snowflakes.

Christians unwittingly replaced the focus of their holiday with a Folk Hero.

[nemozazz]

i dident say that my bro did

[Beeblebrox55]

Religion is dangerous and unsubstantiated propaganda in the service of ancient evils. It divides the human family into groups of waring tribes. To my thinking there is nothing more despicable than the religions of Abraham.

Religion is wrong and should be heavily regulated by the government.

Indeed, any rabbi, preacher, priest or imam who does not sign an oath of fealty to the nation state should be prevented from preaching and jailed if necessary.

End religion before it ends us.

[gnome33]

You wrong it is the govt that will end us, are You that brainwashed by the system or are You an agent of the us SS. wow fredom of religion is what has made america stand out so why dont You move to russia or china where Your socialist communist views are widely accepted, death to the new world order.

[Beeblebrox55]

The religions of the Bible and Koran are full of violent parables seeking to use affiliations with imaginary deities to perpetuate a state of perpetual war. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are history's great con job and its biggest make-work program for the dogs of war and terrorism.

You can be a citizen of Planet Earth seeking to draw humanity together to meet a common future, or instead choose the barbarism of religion, barking peace and love as you seek to divide people against one another.

[gnome33]

Thank God he opened my eyes at these last moments in this worlds great history because now I see just how far this world is gonem shall continue inform others with waht little time I have left. mathew 25.1-13

[Beeblebrox55]

It is your choice to immerse yourself in something that comforts you from your fear of death. I am 54 years old and have been near death more than once. I do not fear it anymore than I fear life, and that strip priests, preachers, imams, rabbis, witch doctors, shamans and all other snake oil peddlers of their power.

Either you have the courage and conviction to stand naked before all eternity for who you really are, or you can cower within the cloisters of dogmatic religion and wait to die.

[tombeardman]

Here, here. Well said. So nice to read someone that is smart and eloquent. Thank you.

[tombeardman]

Ignorant rant. Socialism and Communism are different. We are the government, or haven't you read the Constitution. If you don't like what is happening, get out there and change it. There are great discussions going on about the same things that the founding fathers argued about. You want to stand there and tell people to get out of their america, that is the most unamerican thing you could say. What is your problem with a secular government?

[nemozazz]

Right onThom! These crazy righties look forward to the "war on Christmas" invented by fox noise every year so they can tell their lies to the "sheep" that ARE fox noise veiwers.Rile up the sheep,it makes them crazy!

[gnome33]

and You are an ignorant liberal nazi.

[badmuffy]

It's obvious these so called free market conservatives actually want to control private business owners, rather than letting them decide for themselves how is best to greet their own customers.

[smokinjoenew]

Even tho we have no actual evidence except the oral tradition that the Jesus story is literally true we must respect those who accept it at face value at the peril of sparking their potentially murderous wrath. Twas ever thus

[7Luckystar1]

Thom-when was Jesus' message for poverty? When did he promote poverty? The incident in the market place happened because he saw the greed and corruption of humanity as we see now. It is frustrating. Also, "......the eye of the needle" I understand that to mean that rich people find it hard to avoid the temptation of greed, corruption not that one shouldn't be rich. It's not the money that is bad, it is what the person does with that money that determines the rightousness or right-use-of it.

[tomestubbs]

Jesus was a Gnostic Sun God. December 25th is the birth of the Sun (Son) of God. When days begin to get longer leading to spring... The cross with a circle in the middle is bu8t an abbreviated Zodiac calencar showing the Solstices and Eqinoxes of the year and he symbolic Sun (Son) in the middle. Thomas Paine was aware ofthis as other founding fathers. Read The Age of Reason.

[MaryJesusJoseph]

Atheism is not a religion. I hate this tired idea. And if anyone can find somewhere where someone was sued for saying "Merry Christmas" I will be truly surprised.

[Strutinan]

I haven't sued anybody, free speech, but I HAVE walked away from the counter rather than make my purchase (and in one case I got a refund from the manager after being told that curse post-payment).

I do not shop or buy food at those businesses anymore, and I made DAMN sure they know why!

[MaryJesusJoseph]

That's certainly your right. My comment was directed at Wheeler's claim that businesses have been sued for saying "Merry Christmas". I don't believe it's happened. Businesses say "Happy Holidays", etc... to be inclusive not for fear of being sued.

[tomestubbs]

I do not let other peoples indoctrination offend me. It is a waste of time. But you managed to make money off of it at least.

[captcrais101]

The war on christmas is to prevent the togetherness that everyone feels at this time of year. Peace on earth and goodwill to everyone. THe arm feeling you are supposed to get in your heart this time of year. The war on christmas is to prevent that.

[MaryJesusJoseph]

The war on Christmas is a pile of bullshit created by fundamentalists and Fox News so that they can pretend to be oppressed at least once a year.

[seanotube85]

@MaryJesusJoseph Yup. Righteous indignation is just an excuse for conquest of real-estate.

[godzilla5500]

@seanotube85 there is not a term for disbelief in santa, unicorns, bigfoot, or anything else...why? because they are considered childish ideas meant for children or to create a what if moment while god is believed true and a serious sacred traditional belief system that anything opposing it automatically is considered a separate counter belief system...its quite an idiotic common idea held by people that not believing in god elaborates on other beliefs..also it revolves around belief..continued

[tomestubbs]

I like Christopher Hitchens preferred name "Anti-Theist" in place of Atheist.

[captcrais101]

don't mention Chris Hitchens. He is no liberal. He supports the ar in Iraqand George Galloway kicked his ass in a debate.

[tomestubbs]

captcrais101. No one's perfect. He makes good points regarding religion and how vile it really is. As for his being pro war and sexism I agree that he's off the mark. I don't totally agree /w Chomsky a& other intellectuals either. Religious nuts tend to place people on pedestals and give them lots of money I do not do that. It does take balls to support an unpopular issue rather than being a kiss-ass status quo follower.

[TomPiltoff]

Whatever you think of Hitchens, Galloway SUCKED in that debate.

[captcrais101]

I guess that is why everything Galloway says is true. "Because he sucks." NOT!!

[epigenomical]

@MaryJesusJoseph: Amen, brotha/sista ;)

[Justin9Noble]

Thom you're on point.

[saintearth]

Happy Holiday's is fine. Offended by "Merry Christmas"? I've never met anyone offended by it yet.

War on Christmas, War on terror, War on drugs, war on this that and the other.. Maybe some day there will be a war on war.

It would be an extraordinary step forward in human evolution if we all could realize that Earth is a living being.

[Strutinan]

Now you have.

Just because you can't believe something doesn't mean it is false. It is the failure of YOUR IMAGINATION, not of reality.

As the man said: reality is not only stranger than you imagine, it is stranger than you CAN imagine.

[MaryJesusJoseph]

You get offended by people saying "Merry Christmas"?  That's really sad.

[Strutinan]

Well then you can have a happy "ass-raped-by-syphilitic-horse­s day". Don't forget that bloody burning rectums are the reason for the season, so be sure to drink your holy pig jizz and give half your paycheck to NAMBLA!

If you don't then you are going to The Land of Razor Blade Clothes, instead of the Hall of Lobotomies.

If THAT offends your sensibilities, you are being a typical xtian hypocrite.

[captcrais101]

Nobody is offended by saying merry christmas. You are actually believing the nonsense of the war on christmas. MORONS!! Happy holidays is a way to include everyone and respect all reglions. You therocrat!!

[86adamleon]

@captcrais101

I happen to agree completely!

I am not offended at all by the phrase merry Christmas, or anyone celebrating,

and I'm an atheist. The war on Christmas is just people trying to control other people by making

shit up.

[PoliticalSkeptic]

war on war lol then there will be a war on the war on war.