Pastor Mike caused a bit of an uproar the other day. One that caused him to turn off his Facebook page and to make one of his blogs invitation only. By my current count, he seems to have at least three blogs, but that's beside the point. Our good pastor has decided to freak out about atheists and compare them to child molesters.
You heard me right. Child molesters. So as a result, he wants a national registry of atheists. Why? So he and those who think in the same warped way can make the life of an atheist miserable.
It would seem that a year or so ago, he posted his short manifesto to his blog. As his blog has a very small and specific target audience, blogs such as his are easily missed by the general population. But then, Stahl decided to post his ideas to FB. That is when the shitstorm hit.
His reasoning is warped and well, here is the post:
Brothers and Sisters , I have been seriously considering forming a ( Christian ) grassroots type of organization to be named “The Christian National Registry of Atheists” or something similar . I mean , think about it . There are already National Registrys for convicted sex offenders , ex-convicts , terrorist cells , hate groups like the KKK , skinheads , radical Islamists , etc..
This type of “National Registry” would merely be for information purposes . To inform the public of KNOWN ( i.e., self-admitted) atheists . For example , let’s say you live in Colorado Springs , Colorado , you could simply scroll down ( from the I-Net site /Blog ) I would have , to the State of Colorado , and then when you see “Colorado Springs” , you will see the names of all the self-admitted atheist(s) who live there ( e.g., if an atheist’s name happened to be “Phil Small” ) . The individual’s physical address , and other known personal information would NOT be disclosed ( though , perhaps a photo could be ).
Now , many (especially the atheists ) , may ask “Why do this , what’s the purpose?” Duhhh , Mr. Atheist , for the same purpose many States put the names and photos of convicted sex offenders and other ex-felons on the I-Net – to INFORM the public ! I mean , in the City of Miramar , Florida , where I live , the population is approx. 109,000 . My family and I would sure like to know how many of those 109,000 are ADMITTED atheists ! Perhaps we may actually know some . In which case we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism . Or perhaps they are radical atheists , whose hearts are as hard as Pharaoh’s , in that case , if they are business owners , we would encourage all our Christian friends , as well as the various churches and their congregations NOT to patronize them as we would only be “feeding” Satan .
Frankly , I don’t see why anyone would oppose this idea – including the atheists themselves (unless of course , they’re actually ashamed of their atheist religion , and would prefer to stay in the ‘closet.’).
Let that digest for a few minutes. Now let's go over it, point by point.
Brothers and Sisters , I have been seriously considering forming a ( Christian ) grassroots type of organization to be named “The Christian National Registry of Atheists” or something similar . I mean , think about it . There are already National Registrys for convicted sex offenders , ex-convicts , terrorist cells , hate groups like the KKK , skinheads , radical Islamists , etc..Isn't it nice to know that if you don't believe in a deity, that you are being equated with sex offenders, criminals, radical jihadists, (who have religion,) and other terrorists? He seems to ignore the fact that groups like the KKK are Christian to the core. Funny, I've never met an atheist skinhead. Sadly, I have run across a few in my time and every single one of them has been Christian, in spite of their hatred of Jews. You might want a good pair of running shoes if you wish to point out to them that Jesus was an Orthodox Jew. However, most hate groups have a dogma. Atheists have no dogma.
This type of “National Registry” would merely be for information purposes . To inform the public of KNOWN ( i.e., self-admitted) atheists . For example , let’s say you live in Colorado Springs , Colorado , you could simply scroll down ( from the I-Net site /Blog ) I would have , to the State of Colorado , and then when you see “Colorado Springs” , you will see the names of all the self-admitted atheist(s) who live there ( e.g., if an atheist’s name happened to be “Phil Small” ) . The individual’s physical address , and other known personal information would NOT be disclosed ( though , perhaps a photo could be ) .
Information purposes, eh? So let's say you have the most unusual name in your small town and you're an atheist. The right wing fundies of this country manage to cross the line of the First Amendment and get their list made. The list has your name and your picture. You also run a business in town. What do you think is going to happen?
Pastor Mike knows if he put a list like this out, it would be to intimidate and drive atheists out of town. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is also freedom from religion. Atheists are not out there picketing churches on Sundays. They are allowing you to practice your religion. What do you all think would happen if a list of known atheists, or even a list of people who belong to minority religions in a town full of fundies got published? Mikey-Poo already has his ideas on how the list can be used:
Now , many (especially the atheists ) , may ask “Why do this , what’s the purpose ?” Duhhh , Mr. Atheist , for the same purpose many States put the names and photos of convicted sex offenders and other ex-felons on the I-Net – to INFORM the public ! I mean , in the City of Miramar , Florida , where I live , the population is approx. 109,000 . My family and I would sure like to know how many of those 109,000 are ADMITTED atheists ! Perhaps we may actually know some . In which case we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism . Or perhaps they are radical atheists , whose hearts are as hard as Pharaoh’s , in that case , if they are business owners , we would encourage all our Christian friends , as well as the various churches and their congregations NOT to patronize them as we would only be “feeding” Satan .
OH NOES! RUN! THERE ARE ATHEISTS IN OUR MIDST, OUT TO FEAST ON THE FLESH OF YOUR CHILDREN IN A SATANIC ORGY!
Seriously, this man could benefit from the use of a few strong psych meds if he believes atheists feed Satan. (Sure, Laveyan Satanists are atheists, but according to Anton LaVey, the entire Church of Satan was built on Ayn Rand's Objectivism. There is no worship of Satan as a deity.) Or that atheists have no feelings, no heart, no morals. He wants a registry so he can run atheists out of town on a rail. To infringe on their first amendment rights. I'm willing to bet this man is among the first to complain if he feels his right to be a radical Christian is being infringed upon.
From what I can tell, the dangers of atheism are free thought, the acceptance of evolution, the Big Bang and acknowledging the Earth and the Universe are more than 6,000 years old. While not all atheists are scientists or intellectuals, most are far more open minded than a far right Christian.
Once again, he compares atheists to sex offenders and convicts. Funny, atheists in prison are a vast minority. As a matter of fact, in 1999, most prison inmates in the United States were Baptists. Hmmm... Most Living Water Churches I've come across are Baptist Churches... Not that I'm saying Pastor Mike is a convict or sex offender. Nor am I equating him to a criminal for being a Baptist. That would be irresponsible of me. But it is an interesting coincidence...
Frankly , I don’t see why anyone would oppose this idea – including the atheists themselves ( unless of course , they’re actually ashamed of their atheist religion , and would prefer to stay in the ‘closet.’ ) .
Really Mikey? You can't see why anyone would oppose this idea? Wouldn't this be akin to making Jews wear big yellow Stars of David on their sleeves? Or forcing homosexuals to wear the upside down pink triangle? You see no problem with giving those who don't worship your God a mark? Hey Mikey, you're a dispensationalist. You believe in the Rapture. You believe in Revelation and all that goes with it. Isn't it the Beast who gives people the mark?
So, once you have listed every atheists in the country who is willing to be harassed by right wingnuts, then what? Let's see... You might want to go after the pagan community, what with all that running around in the woods pretending their are female deities,while we're actually deluded and worshiping Satan, right? Or you might want to go after agnostics. Because they're a bunch of fence sitters, so you can force your brand of fundamentalism down their throats and "save" them, right?
Or how about those Buddhists? Oh, scratch that, as most Zen Buddhists tend to already be atheists. But hey! If you force every Hindu, Jain and Sikh on a list, then you'll be saving them from the people who think they're Muslims, right? Especially the Sikhs, as their turbans are mistaken for Muslim headgear. Your friends can start offering to take the Hindus on the list to McDonald's for a burger, to show them that the "right god" thinks it's ok to eat from a sacred cow!
You "saved" types tend to hate Catholics too. I dare you to try to force every Catholic in the United States to be put on a list, so you and your friends can save them from their worship of the Virgin. Especially since I've never met a Born Again who understood the difference between worship and veneration. I dare you to try this with Catholics! I dare you to try to get William Donahue to help you!
Or even better... How about a list of Scientologists who aren't celebrities? Your friends and neighbors who have paid for auditing? Yeah, I dare you to try to go up against the Catholic church and the Church of Scientology!
Of course, it's just easier to go after atheists, as they have no organization. Especially since you think atheism is a religion. Mikey, time for an English lesson and not about how you put a space before a comma or period. But about the word atheist. Theist = one who believes in a deity. Atheist, let's break it down. a-theist. The a means without. So atheist means... Yep. Without religion. Atheism is NOT a religion. I know it's hard for you to understand that atheists have no form of worship. But they don't.
Mikey, you really don't want to start an involuntary list. Unless you really hate America and the Constitution. In which case, why don't you move to a country that has a theocracy? I bet you'd love Saudi Arabia.
But I have a better idea. I say we make a list of far right Born Again Christians in this country. So more liberal Christians and Pagans and Hindus and Jews and Jains and Sikhs and Muslims and Buddists and atheists and agnostics and anyone else who realizes how dangerous you people are can boycott your businesses. Ah, but you'd be the first to scream persecution if that happened. Hypocrite.
UPDATE: The good pastor Mike Stahl has been getting a taste of his own medicine, it would seem. He's claiming to be getting a load of threats and hate mail. He is threatening those who write to him, (who don't agree with him,) with legal action. The following is his latest blog post.
IN REFERENCE TO THE THREATENING E-MAILS I AM STILL RECEIVING ( AND THOSE WHICH CAN BE CONSTRUED AS THREATS ) , AS A RESULT OF INDIVIDUALS VISITING VARIOUS ATHEIST BLOGS / SITES , I HAVE TURNED OVER , AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO ON A REGULAR BASIS , TO MY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY COPIES OF THOSE EMAILS , AS WELL AS FILING AN OFFICIAL POLICE REPORT.
Title 18 U.S.C. § 875 : US Code - Section 875: Interstate communications states:
"(c) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any
communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any
threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this
title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."
I am also in the process of consulting with an attorney for possible civil action.
You all have been publicly advised -please govern yourselves accordingly!
OK, Mikey, let me get this straight. It's fine and dandy for you to create a registry of atheists. But when those who read about your lunacy gave you a taste of the medicine that you would like all atheists to see, you're going to scream that people are being mean to you?
You are a hypocrite of the highest degree.
While I don't agree with threatening those who don't think the same way as you do, I feel that if you feel that it's OK to harass atheists, run them out of town, send them into hiding, destroy their businesses, send them threatening mail, well, then... What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Perhaps this will get you to understand why you don't create databases intended to harass law-abiding citizens, simply because they don't believe in your god.
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