New York Atheists Angry Over 'Heaven' Street Sign Honoring Sept. 11 Victims

Tools.

If you are offended that easily, you need to take a look at what is going on in your life.

If some where in America they named a street after Anton LaVey, I would care just about as much as I care about this.

Originally posted by yourignoranceisbliss

Originally posted by guitarplayer
Folks the 7 in heaven is about the 7 firemen who died from that paticular fire house. It is not about the other people who died that day in the towers.

Why are we continually glorifying these Firemen? The Police and Firemen who died in the WTC were doing their jobs, something they specifically signed up for when they accepted the position. It's disgusting how much the families of those city workers killed are trying to soak up as much pity and money as they have.

Shameless.

They don't sign up to get killed by saving countless others. That's just not in their book. If they followed the book, many many more would have died. I find what you say to be very insensitive and downright pathetic. You really think the families are trying to benefit financially from this? What proof do you have of this?
Yet another lame attempt at trolling. Typical from the likes of you.

Originally posted by Evanzsayz
See thats the problem with atheist's they dont just not believe in God, there out to bash God its pretty pathetic actually if you ask me

See, that's the problem with thiests, not only do they make up stories, but they bash on anyone who's not gullible enough to go along with them. It's pretty pathetic if you ask me.

Also, point out one instance of an atheist 'bashing god'. Claiming said god doesn't exist, isn't bashing. Neither is not wanting a religiously free government shoving the stories of some in their faces. Sure, you'll find one instance, or two, but not enough for your generalization.

Originally posted by Dezero
If they look too hard they might find that God does exist meaning they need to change their whole concept of life and (God forbid) even need to change themselves. We couldn't have that now could we. "Damn I stepped in #, where's a Christian I can blame."

The whole concept that people avoid belief in god because because they don't want to change their lifestyles, is a joke. Some people do, but it's even more prevalent for Christians to believe out of a want for it to be true. And regardless of what reasoning some people have, has bearing on whether or not the people thinking it though critically are right.

By the way, I never 'felt' the existence of god. Just felt like a story, but there were all those facts and evidences presented by the church all my life though, making me think that it had to be the rational conclusion. So, I "looked into it", did not find god's existence. So they claim that people's minds would change if they looked into it, is unlikely, though more likely to happen to Christians who've never heard anything other than the one-sidedness and pro-creation bias all there life.

-
Can people stop all the attacks on atheists beliefs(or lack thereof)? There's other threads to do that in, I hate seeing it get littered everywhere else. There's legitimate topics that could be discussed instead, like if the signs ok, or if the reaction is justified.

Originally posted by gnosticquasar
I think they're being a little bit too sensitive about the whole thing. It's the name on a street sign, not the city dedicating a frickin church.

The thing of it is that if we disallow anything that can even be remotely construed as religious, we violate the Constitution as well because it reads for or against. The ideas of Heaven and Hell have become heavily secularized concepts, are part of the cultural norm, and these people seriously need to concentrate their pissiness on something a little bit more important.

Hypocrisy is awesome... I can't wait for a mosque to go up right around the block.

Originally posted by CastleMadeOfSand

Originally posted by yourignoranceisbliss

Originally posted by guitarplayer
Folks the 7 in heaven is about the 7 firemen who died from that paticular fire house. It is not about the other people who died that day in the towers.

Why are we continually glorifying these Firemen? The Police and Firemen who died in the WTC were doing their jobs, something they specifically signed up for when they accepted the position. It's disgusting how much the families of those city workers killed are trying to soak up as much pity and money as they have.

Shameless.

They don't sign up to get killed by saving countless others. That's just not in their book. If they followed the book, many many more would have died. I find what you say to be very insensitive and downright pathetic. You really think the families are trying to benefit financially from this? What proof do you have of this?
Yet another lame attempt at trolling. Typical from the likes of you.

edit on 6/22/2011 by CastleMadeOfSand because: (no reason given)

They HAVE benefited from this. Getting killed in the line of duty is an accepted reality by anyone in their position. Where's the fund for our military personal who die in the line of duty? If their families are lucky, they MAY get to continue their benefits, but that's usually it.

Do your homework if you need more proof. You obviously aren't very perceptive.

www.justice.gov...

www.nytimes.com...


"What's a Military Family Worth?
by Rush Limbaugh
March 11, 2002

I think the vast differences in compensation between the victims of the September 11th casualty, and those who die serving the country in uniform, are profound. No one is really talking about it either because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11th. Well, I just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.

If you lost a family member in the September 11th attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people that are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11th families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.

You see where this is going, don't you?

Folks, this is part and parcel of over fifty years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. "

Originally posted by traditionaldrummer

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
Atheism isn't really "personal", it's totally IMpersonal, when you really think about it, there's nothing personal about it, about a pointless, meaningless and absurd existence going nowhere, so hey, why DO they care? It makes no sense.

Except that has nothing to do with atheism.

You just defined nihilism

Well then, if there's direction, a purpose and therefore a meaning and significance to creation and our place in it, then it is willed with intent ie: a purpose, and so we're back to the God hypothesis.

Good to see the opposite side getting pee'd for a change about something like this. To show you get some ott's in every system. I am more than positive there's atheists whom it won't phase one bit... If anything some of us christians won't like this as well.

reply to post by Ancient Champion

any true atheist wouldn't give the sign a second look because they just don't believe that their is such a place. So a true atheist would see that sign the same way as a sign that said fairy land street. Its the atheists that don't want to accept that their is a higher power that object to public religious references. They don't want to face religion because it stirs their internal conflict.

but then consider how a Christian or anyone from any other religion would respond if a sign said something like no god street.

reply to post by willydude89


I agree. It could be called Yellow Brick Road for all I care. I'm definitely seeing some hypocritical behavior from the religious right... and a bit from the left as well.

Originally posted by willydude89
but then consider how a Christian or anyone from any other religion would respond if a sign said something like no god street.

True, It will get under the skin of many Christians, but there are those whom knows that it doesn't help going on about these things anymore. But you are spot on with what you said. I don't like this "Heaven" street sign deal and i am a Christian...

Originally posted by Darkrunner
Tools.

If you are offended that easily, you need to take a look at what is going on in your life.

If some where in America they named a street after Anton LaVey, I would care just about as much as I care about this.

edit on 22-6-2011 by Darkrunner because: (no reason given)

Yea, tools!

Everyone knows that if you want to push something...

...You just write a book about it...

...Let it stew in human interest and 'interpretation' for about 4,500 years...

...And presto! You have 3 factions yielding hundreds of millions that are willing to kill each other over it...

...And degrade the deaths done "in its name" by making street signs that attempt to fool people that "It's all okay; we're killing people for the sake of fiction, but at least they're in Super-Happy ImaginaryLand now".

These firemen want to name their street after their fallen heroes that died trying to save lives. This is why America is free and we can express our beliefs and not get persecuted. If the atheist wanted to name their street agnostic way, then they can. It's called freedom

Originally posted by willydude89
reply to post by Ancient Champion

 

any true atheist wouldn't give the sign a second look because they just don't believe that their is such a place. So a true atheist would see that sign the same way as a sign that said fairy land street. Its the atheists that don't want to accept that their is a higher power that object to public religious references. They don't want to face religion because it stirs their internal conflict.

WHAT??!!!??

I'm not giving the sign a second look. But - I am looking at a secular government paying to promote something that is definitely of a religious nature.

Its pretty simple really. Straight up - - tax payer dollars used to promote that of a religious nature.

Originally posted by sith9157
These firemen want to name their street after their fallen heroes that died trying to save lives. This is why America is free and we can express our beliefs and not get persecuted. If the atheist wanted to name their street agnostic way, then they can. It's called freedom

If a secular government can't use taxpayer dollars to promote something of a religious nature.

Why would you think they can use taxpayer dollars to promote something of an Atheist nature. Or Agnostic.

I can see why they are angry , just because christianity is the default religion in America it should not be imposed. Just like being at my friends funeral who was 18 n more or less being told that her death was gods way and therefor we should stop crying, people should understand in this day and age not everyone believes in the happy ever after. And to some there is no heaven only loss of life so the seven in heaven way translates only as seven people who used to work here are dead.


Edit to say that I think it is fair enough to name the street in their memory just that I can see the argument against it.

Originally posted by eyesdown
Edit to say that I think it is fair enough to name the street in their memory just that I can see the argument against it.

I agree. It is a nice gesture.

But still - - our government is secular - - tax payer money was used to pay for something of a religious nature.

If the sign had said "Atheists Honored Here". Do you think the religious would have protested?

Originally posted by TheOrangeBrood

Originally posted by DaMod
reply to post by TheOrangeBrood

 

Why can't it say heaven? There are streets named after saints.. there are streets named for the Roman gods.. Why do the roman gods get a street but heaven doesn't?

Isn't a sign with any kind of god on it a religious reference?

edit on 22-6-2011 by DaMod because: (no reason given)

I've explained how this is different only about 15 times now.

Like I said, I live on Church St.

The names of streets is not the problem.

It's that you're writing off the deaths of people who were killed by religion... by saying "it's okay, religion saved them in the end, they're in a fictional fairy land now". Obviously those who don't subscribe to that are going to be offended that those with honor who died protecting victims of pseudo-religious/corporate wars are going to have their deaths written off my pseudo-religious rhetoric.

Please read the thread or admit you are less willing to read and participate than you are to gurgitate some pre-conclusive anti-atheist tripe to hoard undeserved stars from more ignorant religious folk.

edit on 22-6-2011 by TheOrangeBrood because: (no reason given)

and 15 more times it has been established that the sign is for 7 fireman, not all the victims of 9/11.

do you know if any of them were of the atheist belief? or christian belief? catholic belief? jewish belief? etc?

i guess their families missed the "heaven" word, wait! maybe they were ok with it?

who payed for the sign anyway? hasn't been established.

if the atheist belief takes this to court, who will pay for that? how much more will it cost than the sign?

Originally posted by fooks
who payed for the sign anyway? hasn't been established.

It went through the City Council? Right?

I don't know for sure - but that might indicate government paid for it.

reply to post by Annee


i'm sure they had to approve it

and likely there is a 9/11 fund somewhere they got the money.

or it came from donations along with a petition to have the sign in the first place,

not out of some school funds.

I am a atheist but I guess I'm one of the tolerant ones because I have no problem with a sign honoring the dead even if it's a place I don't believe in these people do.