Is this "hate speech"?

[EduChris]

Which (if any) of the following remarks might be construed as "hate speech"?

1. There is conclusive evidence that atheism causes people to be more mean, more selfish, and perhaps above all, more stupid.

2. Atheism is the painless explanation for the retarded the development of civilization.

3. All non-theisms are versions of the same untruth; atheistic belief is positively harmful.

4. It is difficult to imagine a set of beliefs more suggestive of mental illness than atheism.

5. One of the truly bad effects of atheism is that it teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with not understanding philosophy and logic.

6. When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called atheism.

7. The meme for atheism secures its own perpetuation by the simple unconscious expedient of discouraging rational inquiry.

8. Though the details differ across the world, no known culture lacks some version of the hostility provoking, anti-factual, counter-productive fantisies of atheism.

9. Atheism teaches you to be satisfied with nonanswers. Its a sort of crime against childhood.

[Moses Yoder]

This article about liberal hate speech is kind of interesting; http://carm.org/hate-speech . It talks about things I have noticed for a long time. It is my right, guaranteed by the first amendment, to speak out against homosexuality if I so desire (without the attempt to incite violence). And yet if I do, homosexuals are more than willing to incite violence against me, which is hate speech.

So far as whether we are on topic or not, we are about as far off topic as we can get. The original question asked simply if those statements were hate speech or not. A simple examination of the definition of hate speech compared to the statements would answer the question. Now we are talking about which are better, theists or non-theists.

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I propose that when Conservative Christians stop trying to infect society with their superstitious, antiquated and oppressive beliefs we'd all be better off.

But we can't have that, can we?

Oh, no! It makes the baby Jesus cry!

I looked up the definition of knothead at dictionary.com;

n.
a stupid person. :

I propose that if we were simply to get rid of all stupid people, the world would be a better place.

But we can't have that, can we?

Oh, no! It makes the baby Jesus cry!

Now, my question is, is that hate speech or what?

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 60:

...
Now, my question is, is that hate speech or what?

Expected speech.

When one worships a book or religion that is so damning of all who disagree, I find most often those proponents can be just as hateful as the god they worship.

[Oldfarmhouse]

From Post 60:

...
Now, my question is, is that hate speech or what?

Expected speech.

When one worships a book or religion that is so damning of all who disagree, I find most often those proponents can be just as hateful as the god they worship.

Oh -- you just don't understand -- God's hatred is a good and special kind of hatred and people like you who are not good and special wont see that.

[McCulloch]

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Oh, no! It makes the baby Jesus cry!

This is a decidedly uncivil way to make your point. Try to debate in a less condescending and inflammatory manor.
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[JoeyKnothead]

Of course.

Calling me stupid is totally NOT "hate speech".

But God forbid I mention Jesus might weep about something someone does.

[JoeyKnothead]

From Post 60:

...
Now, my question is, is that hate speech or what?

Expected speech.

When one worships a book or religion that is so damning of all who disagree, I find most often those proponents can be just as hateful as the god they worship.

Oh -- you just don't understand -- God's hatred is a good and special kind of hatred and people like you who are not good and special wont see that.

I hear ya. Just so long as one references the Bible in spilling their bile, we who oppose are held to a standard of "well, that's what them folks allow and y'all ought not carry on like they all them do".

This is the special standard the theist creates for themselves - "My god's all loving and all manner of carrin' on. But He hates you, and you, and you, and you, and you and you, dont' you think we didn't see you hidin' in the corner, we're hatin' you too!"

And damn you if you turn my hatred back on me! That's uncivil. That's foul! That's uncalled for!

'"Cause I love a lovin' God!"

"And my loving God hates you, you non-believer you!"

I contend that we have, as a society, become accepting of religious condemnation of 'others', while utterly and fully rejecting how or why others may express an opposing view.

But goldangint don't you say anything in opposition to may magical beliefs!

You effijn' pagin you!

[Autodidact]

.............and please note: I am NOT claiming that the theist threats do not exist, or that they 'aren't as bad' as you think. They are--and I am the last person on the planet to condone it. I would like to point out, however, that atheists really can't point to multiple million massacres of atheists by theists because of their atheism.

All I am saying, here, is that atheists simply cannot claim the high ground here. After all, if you had to choose between an bill board or internet comment and a bullet to the head, which would YOU pick as being the more offensive?

It wasn't an atheist starting this thread complaining about hate speech, diana, it was a Christian. I merely pointed out that while he's complaining about people merely criticizing Christianity, Christians are threatening to murder and rape atheists. This for some reason fails to excite his interest.

[dianaiad]

.............and please note: I am NOT claiming that the theist threats do not exist, or that they 'aren't as bad' as you think. They are--and I am the last person on the planet to condone it. I would like to point out, however, that atheists really can't point to multiple million massacres of atheists by theists because of their atheism.

All I am saying, here, is that atheists simply cannot claim the high ground here. After all, if you had to choose between an bill board or internet comment and a bullet to the head, which would YOU pick as being the more offensive?

It wasn't an atheist starting this thread complaining about hate speech, diana, it was a Christian. I merely pointed out that while he's complaining about people merely criticizing Christianity, Christians are threatening to murder and rape atheists. This for some reason fails to excite his interest.

I think...two things:

First, it may not 'excite his interest' because he's not one of the people making the threats, but he IS among those receiving those uncivil comments. Does the fact that someone ELSE is being offensive to other people justify others being hateful to him? ....or, to put it another way, if the boat is sinking, does it much matter which end of it goes down first?

Second, there's also this other thing--it's hard to get excited about threats that are not realized, when the reality is that atheists didn't THREATEN. They simply killed.

I guess, for me, given all the insults, put downs, disrespect and mockery I've been on the receiving end of for years--including actual rocks being thrown at me as well as words, I just don't have the patience to put up with the 'oh, poor me' attitude that the atheists here are exhibiting. The fact is, rhetoric, as bad as it is (and it's bad, no question) does not equal action.

The theists may threaten, but I know of nobody who has actually acted upon those threats, do you? There might be a nutcase or two out there, even though I don't know of one--but I honestly don't know any theist who has actually picked up a gun and started shooting atheists because they were atheists.

Atheists, however....well...they went straight to the shooting. By the millions.

So please excuse me if I'm just not that impressed, here.

[Autodidact]

.............and please note: I am NOT claiming that the theist threats do not exist, or that they 'aren't as bad' as you think. They are--and I am the last person on the planet to condone it. I would like to point out, however, that atheists really can't point to multiple million massacres of atheists by theists because of their atheism.

All I am saying, here, is that atheists simply cannot claim the high ground here. After all, if you had to choose between an bill board or internet comment and a bullet to the head, which would YOU pick as being the more offensive?

It wasn't an atheist starting this thread complaining about hate speech, diana, it was a Christian. I merely pointed out that while he's complaining about people merely criticizing Christianity, Christians are threatening to murder and rape atheists. This for some reason fails to excite his interest.

I think...two things:

First, it may not 'excite his interest' because he's not one of the people making the threats, but he IS among those receiving those uncivil comments. Does the fact that someone ELSE is being offensive to other people justify others being hateful to him? ....or, to put it another way, if the boat is sinking, does it much matter which end of it goes down first?

Second, there's also this other thing--it's hard to get excited about threats that are not realized, when the reality is that atheists didn't THREATEN. They simply killed.

I guess, for me, given all the insults, put downs, disrespect and mockery I've been on the receiving end of for years--including actual rocks being thrown at me as well as words, I just don't have the patience to put up with the 'oh, poor me' attitude that the atheists here are exhibiting. The fact is, rhetoric, as bad as it is (and it's bad, no question) does not equal action.

The theists may threaten, but I know of nobody who has actually acted upon those threats, do you? There might be a nutcase or two out there, even though I don't know of one--but I honestly don't know any theist who has actually picked up a gun and started shooting atheists because they were atheists.

Atheists, however....well...they went straight to the shooting. By the millions.

So please excuse me if I'm just not that impressed, here.

Are you serious? Christians have killed more people than everyone else combined. And I'm not even counting how many people Muslims have killed. Christians have killed Jews, witches, accused witches, Protestants, Catholics, Native Americans, Muslims and each other. By the millions. Give me a break.

On October 18, 2004, Arthur Shelton, a self described Christian and Eagle Scout, murdered his friend and roommate, Larry Hooper, because Hooper didn't believe in God.
from here: http://www.parallelpac.org/murder.htm

I challenge you to find a parallel case, in which, in contemporary America, an Atheist has killed a Christian for being a Christian.

But that's not what this thread is about. It's about the OP thinking that if people criticize his views, it's hate speech. My point is that Christians don't criticize atheists; they threaten to kill us. That's hate speech. Oh, and then they go ahead and do it. That's the point of hate speech; it incites violence.

[Oldfarmhouse]

Today -- right here in the United States as we speak there are numerous organized violent and dangerous hate cults. The KKK, Christian Identity Movement, Aryan Nations, Army of God, Focus on the Family, Operation Rescue, etc. All of them involved in violent criminal activity.

I will be fair and say that not every violent hate cult member in the US today is decidedly Christian -- it's more like 98.9%