Tuesday, June 18, 2013
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
99 CENTS

No gods for this guy

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Our forefathers shrewdly realized the dangers of organized religion, which has become just as dangerous as organized crime. We distanced ourselves from the suffocation of the Church of England, as well as the Catholic Church, only to be followed by some independent church groups that believed in snake worship, moonshine, shaking and twirling, biblical verses on public buildings, prayer in classrooms and at public meetings, and an endless line of saints as well as child molesters.

I defy anyone to bring forth the proof of any god, goddesses, trolls, prophets, saints, healers, seers or mermaids.  The only truths lie in Mother Nature and Father Time and Darwin, who was 100 percent right.

Many of us truly believe that all religions are merely sideshow entertainment and should be taxed as such. The religion with the best entertainment gets the crowds, who in turn support them financially and with the offer of a nonexistent afterlife.

No gods for this guy!

Harry Short

Vacaville

Letter to the Editor

LEAVE A COMMENT

Discussion | 18 comments

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  • Terry BairdJanuary 27, 2013 - 7:09 am

    Harry is entitled to his opinion. Although I would dare say that he worships something - it seems to be at least his point of view. "Only a fool says in his heart that there is no God" - Psalm 14:1. As the old saying goes, "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must me a duck."

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  • CD BrooksJanuary 27, 2013 - 8:44 am

    Terry Baird, what in the heck do you mean with the ducks reference, HUH?

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  • Danny BuntinJanuary 27, 2013 - 2:16 pm

    @Terry: Add me to the Apple Dumpling Gang as well. It always give me a chuckle to think of how important some people believe themselves to be in this vast universe. We are insignificant creatures/animals, as far as the universe is concerned. Enjoy it while you are breathing.

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  • CD BrooksJanuary 27, 2013 - 7:34 am

    Nicely done Mr. Short. Add me to the list of fools.

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  • jafJanuary 27, 2013 - 8:20 am

    Harry - While it's true that some colonies "distanced" themselves from the Church of England, Catholic Church, or other organized religions, not all of the original colonies did. Massachusetts was started by the Puritans; Rhode Island, by Roger Williams who was a Puritan minister; Pennsylvania, by the Quakers; Maryland, by the Catholics; and Jamestown, while started for a profit, also required its citizens to go to the Church of England. Years later, when our "forefathers" were writing the Declaration and Constitution, the only mention of religion came in the first amendment where they stated that the government couldn't require people to practice a particular religion, but they also couldn't prevent the practice of religion. Where, in any documents written by our "forefathers" did you get your facts that they "shrewdly" realized the dangers of organized religion? You are entitled to your angry denial of a God, but not to your own facts about others' beliefs.

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  • CD BrooksJanuary 27, 2013 - 8:46 am

    jaf, why do you say he is angry? I believe as he does and I'm not angry. Except when it comes to lousy drivers, you’d think a god would have done something about them by now?

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  • Danny BuntinJanuary 27, 2013 - 2:22 pm

    @CD: Atheist angry theme. Standard talking points that have been spread around for use in discussion. Creative minds are not championed within the groups of religion. Like I always say, "you must check your brain at the front door of a church before entering".

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  • jafJanuary 27, 2013 - 6:41 pm

    Harry, CD, and Danny - You're may be right, but why you folks go out of your way to insist that there is no God and that anyone who believes there is is brainwashed, I just can't understand. There are a lot of things I don't believe exist - Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, but I don't have to write letters to the editor of my local newspaper to give my opinion. And, Harry and CD, that's what all this is - your opinion. You have no proof of His non-existence. I just have to look at the wonder of the human body, the stars in the universe, or even the cyclical nature of everything around us to understand that these are not the products of an accident or Darwinism. So, you don't believe in God . . . what do you then believe in?

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  • CD BrooksJanuary 27, 2013 - 7:16 pm

    jaf, I don't waste my time worrying about it. But the hypocrisy kills me and I love to take shots at it. Jesus got beat to death for conning and lying. But the good people of the times saw the value in his stories and created the biggest lie of all, the single greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind. Believe as you like so long as it doesn’t hurt anybody. Oh yeah, too late…

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  • Flirtin With Disaster..I L Pray 4 U CDJanuary 27, 2013 - 7:34 pm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d01smJlHhQA

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  • Danny BuntinJanuary 27, 2013 - 9:42 pm

    @jaf: I do not care about what other people believe(Faith wise). I do speak up in a public forum, when people try and legislate it on me, or bring it up first in a conversation. I believe in being born and then dying. Just like every other living thing. I do not need the hope of afterlife to be a kind and generous person. The Christian like story has been told before Christianity existed many times, look it up.

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  • rlw895January 27, 2013 - 10:07 pm

    Keep reading, jaf. See Constitution Article VI, Paragraph 3. That's the so-called "no religious test clause." Yes, the Framers (of the Constitution) differed a bit from the Founders (of the United States, who wrote the Declaration of Independence) in that they studiously wanted to create a secular country. The no religious test, anti-establishment, and free exercise clauses are consistent with that. There was not so much concern about State religions, but the no religious test clause reaches the States. The required oath of allegiance is to the Constitution, and nothing else. Later, the 14th Amendment extended the First Amendment protections to the States as well. And Harry, “shrewdness” had nothing to do with it. The Framers were amazingly well-educated men, even if self-taught, and they were well aware of the strife caused by religion in the Old World. They wanted us to avoid that here, as we had so far due to our unique history of religious and secular colonies in peaceful coexistence. Freedom of conscience was practically in our DNA, unlike any place else in the world. They wanted to make sure the new federal government would never interfere with that. I doubt if the Framers thought of atheism as a religion, but it naturally follows that a person who chooses to practice non-religion should get the same protection as a person who chooses to practice religion. Both are matters of faith and conscience. The Founders certainly would not agree with your comparison of organized religion to organized crime. That’s hardly the language of peaceful coexistence.

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  • pornacJanuary 27, 2013 - 8:28 am

    Excellent letter Mr. Short. Belief in a god and the religions have only proved that brainwashing works.

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  • The MisterJanuary 27, 2013 - 10:10 am

    Harry! You've got me rolling on the floor laughing! Too bad Pepperbellys burned down... you could have done your comedy routine there! As you are so smart, where's your proof that God doesn't exist?

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  • CD BrooksJanuary 28, 2013 - 12:54 pm

    Fibber trust me, I have offended many with my interpretation of the bible. I did not go out of my way this time. But I have plenty to say on the matter…

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