I just read this article on the "Quiverfull" movement where the idea is to have as many kids as possible and that "God is the only one who can open or close the womb". Some of these idiots have 12, 18 and 20 kids.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I'll just assume that everyone on this forum is intelligent enough to know the reasons why this is a really bad idea, such as our severely dwindling environmental resources, for one.

On a more mundane level, every time someone complains about a new development going up behind their house, or long lines at the supermarket, or horrible traffic, I feel like screaming "that's because people are having too many *bleeping* kids!

It makes me so mad that people are so dumb.

I don't "flaunt" it. And by flaunt I mean - ok, I've had the Darwin fish on my car, back in college, but you won't find any bumper stickers. It came off when I got a good job at a conservative company. We're supposed to have religious freedom, but I didn't doubt for a second that having it on my car would somehow, someday, impact me at work. Perhaps people with the "WWJD?" bumperstickers there have had the same concern. Most likely they have not.

I'm completely honest about it when it comes up. If asked I will answer. If the general topic comes up conversationally I will play it by ear, perhaps employing litotes or a generic, "Not really my cup of tea" if I sense it might be a volatile crowd. I sit near three ladies at work and we do talk politics, so inevitably (because there's such great separation there, right?) religion comes up. One is a minister's wife, the other teaches Sunday school, and the third is in her church's choir. They know I'm an atheist. They're ok with it, at least on the surface. Most people I've encountered are not ok with it. Most people react with an odd sort of personal offense - a sort of "how dare I not share their same beliefs" judgement that you can literally see wipe across their face. Many have reacted with shame. My parents aren't ashamed of me, per say. They are proud that I have forged my own path, and here they split - my father is glad I am who I am and leaves it at that, my mother is saddened because she believes that no matter how good of a person I am, I will not get into heaven. At the same time they have asked nicely that I not "announce" it to the family. Afterall they live near the family, I don't, and it would just make their lives harder. I can understand that considering my family. I went to my grandfather's funeral, in a catholic church, and remained seated with my father while everyone else stood, and remained quiet when everyone else sang. I'm sure that raised a few eyebrows, but the inevitable drama has not climaxed yet.

If the ladies I sit near chose to tell someone else about my beliefs, it would not bother me. I'm smart enough not to tell someone something that I wouldn't tell myself. When the person they tell then comes to me and says, "So you're an atheist? Well what do you plan to do on judgement day? How are you going to raise your children?" - that bothers me.

Religious freedom only exists for those in the mainstream. If you have an obscure religion, a religion that is relatively controversial, or no religion, you can forget about it. When business owners can advertise for jobs and say they are a "Christian workplace," you know what they are saying even when they don't come right out and say it. You could be the best qualified person for the job, but you have a snowball's chance in the Sahara of actually getting it if you are obviously not a Christian. They might not come right out and ask if you are a Christian during the interview, but they will find out.

"So you're an atheist? Well what do you plan to do on judgement day?"

Come party with me!

WOO-HOOO!

I am going to be blunt and tell you that these statements make absolutely no sense at all to me. I wasn't offended by your statement. That was my point by saying, "Was that supposed to be offensive?" I assumed that you meant it to be, since you seemed offended by my former statements. Right now, I am basically scratching my head and saying, "Huh?" in regards to your statements that I quoted. Can you explain your statements to me? 'Cause right now, I have no idea what you are arguing.

Maybe I am rambling (working and typing). I said I thought your statement was offensive. You said it's not. That's your opinion, I am just stating mine. You can be blunt I probably was rushing trying to go to lunch.

I would be offended if someone said that to me. I just asked my coworker if she was offended and she said yes. I just wanted someone else's opinion. Her almost exact wording was if someone told me there were some good fat, black, Muslim women in the world that she would question what kind of person they were.

If you took my statement out of context, then I can see how it would be considered offensive. But in context, we were talking about good and bad Christians. In that context, the statement that not all Christians are bad is not an offensive one.

Context is everything. For example: Someone walks up to you and says, "Christians are bad and evil." You say, "Not all Christians are bad and evil. There are some good Christians out there." Your statement is not offensive in that context. You are acknowledging the fact that some Christians are bad and evil, but you are defending the fact that not all are. Does that make sense? My statement was meant to mean that while some Christians are not good people, not all Christians are like them.

If you took my statement out of context, then I can see how it would be considered offensive. But in context, we were talking about good and bad Christians. In that context, the statement that not all Christians are bad is not an offensive one.

Context is everything. For example: Someone walks up to you and says, "Christians are bad and evil." You say, "Not all Christians are bad and evil. There are some good Christians out there." Your statement is not offensive in that context. You are acknowledging the fact that some Christians are bad and evil, but you are defending the fact that not all are. Does that make sense? My statement was meant to mean that while some Christians are not good people, not all Christians are like them.

I thought the las topic brought up was the media and its portrayal. And how people's opinions were formed.

Well what do you plan to do on judgement day?

Atheists plan on sleeping thru judgment day, do they not?

I don't know the rest of them, but I plan on being dead & gone.

Unless they clone me. If they clone me, I'm whoring myself out.

Atheists plan on sleeping thru judgment day, do they not?

I figure I'll give up smoking, see if I can get some Vicodin - 'cause that's what Dr. House likes - and drink a bottle of single malt scotch or some fine, fine claret.... But seriously folks, atheists don't believe in judgement day.

I have one son (39 years old) and he has one daughter (6 years old). I am very glad that I have them both.

However, I would not have want anymore than two, nor would I have wanted my children to have any more that two (each).

My son is married to a women who has three children by a prior marriage. If I had my choice, I have to admit that I would have been selfish and wanted my own blood grandchild, although I have 3 people besides my biological granddaughter that call me "Grandpa". My son has been married for 7 years, so the 14 year old grandson feels like he is blood. The 21 year old boy and the 19 year old girl, may call me Grandpa and I may buy them Christmas and birthday gifts, but they don't feel like the real thing.

A friend of mine who became a Mormon and is a advocate of the Christian Right Political Movement and who thinks that George BuSh is too Liberal says that we must continue having as many children as possible. He claims that the world has limitless resources and that God will give us what we need until God decides to stop (Judgement Day?).

I see wars coming about very soon over failing resources. I see the oceans rising and the useful land being cut by 50% in the next 50 years or less. There is a way to stop my predictions from coming true.

Population control.

Conservation.

Renewable energy sources.

Conservatives should be for these things.

Some are, but the people who call themselves Conservatives, but who really are Neo-Cons, and the Christian Right Political Movement and the MultiNational Conglomerates will not stand for it. They will hang on to their profit making ideas until they sink below the rising tide.

But seriously folks, atheists don't believe in judgement day.

Just my little euphemism for "Atheists believe they are just gonna rot in the cold, damp ground. Worm food...nothing more."

Now...don't you think "sleeping thru" it sounds better?

Just my little euphemism for "Atheists believe they are just gonna rot in the cold, damp ground. Worm food...nothing more."

Now...don't you think "sleeping thru" it sounds better?

Yup, it is a cute euphemism.

Food stamps for 1 adult and 4 children is almost 1100.00 a month.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!:welldone:

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!:welldone:

I wish i could joke about that. I find it aweful esp since so many of the children in our projects have weight issues and i know 5 women that have had the gastric bypass ala medicaid, none of them have ever worked. They all had lived in the projects for more then 20 years and they paid not one dollar for the procedure.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!:welldone:

I would like to see some documentation regarding those figures. Big Girl lives, I believe, in Virginia, where food stamp benefits average 95 cents per person, per meal. For a family of 5 that would be less than $500.00 per month. I got the following information from the Virginia Interfaith web site. In addition, the VA Dept of Human Services says that only 54% of the state's residents eligible for food stamps actually receive benefits.

· Last year, 488,481 Virginians used food stamps to buy food every month. That amounts to 6.5 percent of the people in Virginia.

· Virginia food stamp households receive, on average, 0.95 cents per person per meal in food stamp benefits. This modest amount is crucial to financially pressed families.

· The Food Stamp Program pumped $499,708,150 into the Virginia economy last year, benefiting farmers, grocers, and small businesses throughout the state.

· About 80 percent of food stamp benefits go to households with children, many of them in working families. Most of the rest go to households containing elderly people or people with disabilities.

In Texas, food stamp benefits average approximately $150.00 per person, per month.