The atheist mom hero

By now, I'm assuming everybody has seen that famous video of the atheist woman in Oklahoma refusing Wolf Blitzer's pandering for her to thank God for her survival.

That video is really on my mind a lot lately due to an incident at my high school alma mater. For as long as that high school has been standing, there has been a baccalaureate service in the auditorium on the Sunday afternoon prior to graduation. At the time of my graduation in the late 70's, attendance was mandatory, but there were only two religious-themed moments - the opening and closing prayers. The rest of the time was like an honors assembly for seniors and their families, complete with awards, speeches, and LOTS of music. For a lot of us, it was more moving than the actual graduation ceremony (which always seemed rushed, boring, and disjointed).

Eventually, they had to drop the two prayers and make it into a totally secular celebration, which is perfectly fine. I didn't mind the prayers, but I could see how the diverse population living in our liberal college town might object.

However, this year they held their final baccalaureate, and will not ever do it again, thanks to the highly agitated protests of a perpetually outraged family. We have one atheist family in town that would file legal actions against oxygen if they could figure out a way to do it. For decades and decades, the many other atheist families in town have managed to maintain a symbiotic cooperation with the town's activities, because they recognized the value of small-town community traditions.

But this one family. Jesus!

What keeps coming back to me is the obvious difference between the one family and the rest of the atheist "community" in our town - they're assholes. There aren't any secret, subversive meetings going on as the atheists plot a course to destroy the moral fiber of the community (at least not since the disappearance of Madalyn Murray O'Hare). In fact, it's always been the opposite - all the atheists in town have been happy and content to go along to get along. But the motivation behind this one family single-handedly slamming the brakes on all kinds of community pleasantries has nothing to do with being atheists and everything to do with being assholes.

They would be jerks no matter what they believed, and I think our whole community gets that. The hero mom in that Oklahoma video (to me) is much more representative of the atheists I have known in my life instead of the rare squeaky wheels that are the ones we refer when we say, "They ruined it for everybody."

 

Tolerance at nearly every level sadly is becoming more rare by the day.

 

I feel like I'm missing something.
If the religious references and prayer were dropped at some point in the past, what were they against?

 

Yes.

 

Well ya got me by the sneakers.

 

What's wrong and "religious related" with baccalaureate?

 

I can date my final loss of faith as our baccalaureate actually. The baccalaureate was traditionally held by the multiple Catholic Churches in the area, and it was VERY much a simple celebration of those who had graduated. I lived in South Texas, and our dropout rate was abysmal. Anyways, the Catholic Church reached out to the Baptists and invited them to do the introductory speech, as they were the 2nd largest religion in the town. Their pastor then went on a speech that we should not worship those who had graduated, as we shouldn't worship Mary.. a direct attack on the Catholic Church.

The only word that could describe the fall out would be abortion. I'm honestly amazed there was not a fight that broke out, but it ceased being about the graduates and more about the white/latino crowd in the town. A town I later found out was a stronghold of the South Texas KKK back in the day.

/cool story bro

And Raghnar, it dates back to the medieval period where all schools of learning were church sponsored;

The baccalaureate service derives from the medieval European custom of presenting the candidates for the degree of Bachelor (bacca) with laurels (lauri) of sermonic oration. The Baccalaureate ceremony is a service of worship in celebration of and thanksgiving for lives dedicated to learning and wisdom.

 

Yes... I really hate to start the atheism vs. religion, but people don't commit suicide bombings in the name of atheism.

 

Baccalaureate:
A college bachelor's degree.
An examination intended to qualify successful candidates for higher education.


I have no religious association with the word. Believe me, my son graduated with an International Baccalaureate. If there was even a wiff of religion I would know about it.

 

I fail to see any difference at all between assholes bent on forcefully shoving their own agenda down someone else's throat.

 

The Oxford English dictionary defines Baccalaureate;http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/baccalaureate

• 3US a religious service held at some educational institutions before commencement, including a farewell sermon to the graduating students.
  
  In the context given by the OP it is a religious service. The atheists are correct to remove it from a secular school environment.

 

Perception becomes reality when the religious right imposes their beliefs through legislation as has been the case in states across the country in recent years far more frequently than any time in our nation's history.

Once we allow religious-based laws that a small group of citizens believe are from God, we all begin to lose freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution.

 

Lindy , atheists have no agenda other than there is no god (or gods - there are over two thousand of them 'would you believe?'), just as we believe there are no fairies at the bottom of the garden.

Unfortunately, people with heartfelt belief in the weird and wonderful have ended up calling the shots, (quite literally - just look for a war and there they are). Would you fight the fairy believers or encourage them and their beliefs by letting teach your children?

 

Atheists simply want to separate the governments from religious institutions for the mere fact that it's what the constitution requires. If one religion is recognized by the government, they all have to be. Since they all can't be, none should.

It's not atheists that are pushing to force trans-vaginal ultrasounds in a situation of exercising Supreme Court approved rights.
It's not atheists that prevented the building of a religious exercise center 6 blocks away from the Twin Towers because they're the wrong religion.
It wasn't atheists that fought so long and hard to prevent two couples from marrying due to their color.
It's not atheists who continue to fight so long and hard to prevent two couples from marrying due to having the same X/Y count.

I could go on... but you get it. If you think atheists have the real power you need to get off the cross and realize the Constitution has the power and the atheists are simply right sometimes.