FOXNews Tries To Scare The Base: Claims Air America Is Waging A War Against GOD
By Logan Murphy Tuesday Oct 09, 2007 8:40pm
Media Matters has put together a mashup of FOXNews' attacks on Air America Radio and their new show FreeThought Radio, a show aimed at atheists and the growing number of Americans who take issue with organized religion. In what is surely a warm up for FOXNews' annual War On Christmas crusade, they not only attack atheists, but take their shots at science and evolution. Using religion has always been one of Fixed Noise's weapons of choice. But cowards that they are, in promoting the story, they use photos of favorite liberal targets Janeane Garafalo and Al Franken, neither of whom actually work for Air America or have anything to with Free Thought Radio.
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Video and Transcript Via Media Matters:
From the October 9 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:
HEMMER: In a moment here, a liberal radio network launching a new show aimed at folks who do not believe in God -- Air America, promoting a nationwide show focusing on atheism. Is this the new war on religion? We'll check that out.[...]
HEMMER: Also, do you think religion is a sickness? If you think so, the radio guys at Air America have -- they've got one heck of a show for you. Straight ahead: on the air and godless. Read more...
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Fuck! I guess these stupid assholes have NO CLUE what religious persecution feels like. Let me give you a hint, dumb motherfuckers: ATHEISTS DO! I can help you understand that feeling if you're willing to take a car ride with me some day, handcuffed to the door of my car. I'll give you EXACTLY the experience I've had for the last 38 years in America.
96% believe in god is the simplest survey ever taken. How many believe So much that they live their lives by the bible and attend church on a regular basis? I wanna see that percentage Then Fox can chastise the 75% who don't as being bat shit crazy with the atheists.
And why should I have to "declare" atheism as my belief? Doesn't heaven have open primaries?
these people are fucking morons. who cares about their"god".
they just want a fascist state with their religion the law.
well, we have the right to freedom of religion or freedom from it.
when will they learn, that be there a "god", he/she is the same for everyone.
you can not declare that "god" is everything, then say your "god" is the one
and only. sure makes you look and sound like a fucking idiot, doesn't it?
Hell, yeah, we ought to declare war on Religion.
By the way, what's Religion's capital city? Does it have anti-aircraft batteries? I can seem to find it anywhere on google.earth.
nothing could turn me atheist faster than reichwing rule and Faux propaganda
Why does everyone always get their panties in a bunch with what Fox says? The only ones who listen to them and pay them any mind are those who agree with them and those who want to know what they are saying so they can report it on blogs. They are a bunch of idiots, we all know that already.
In the throes of sexual passion even atheists scream "Oh God!"
Chad @ 4:
It's part of an archipelago just to the west of Christmas. When we win the War on Christmas, it should be easy enough to transfer our forces to the new theater.
Putting Al Franken as the icon for this story is like putting Cronkite on the lead for Rathergate.
I'm the sort of Buddhist who resembles an atheist in some ways. In my small Wisconsin town of 30,000, I recently counted the number of "Christian" radio stations. Guess how many... TWELVE!!! Just on the FM dial! And that's not even counting (supposedly godless liberal) NPR, whose classical programming includes a significant amount of sacred works (exclusively Christian).
Oh, no! Poor little Yahweh has to try to handle ONE show on ONE radio network about atheism. Boo hoo!
EJG @ 6:
Why should anyone care that thanks to Fox News a third of Americans believe Saddam and Iraq hijacked the jets used to smash into buildings on September 11th?
This is the kind of stuff the Nazi propagandists spewed about liberals in Germany.
If they were, and god actually existed, why would a god need foxnews to fight his battles for him?
I'm so sick of people using religion to control people. Of course that's all it's for so.....
imagine growing up in the south and having to be forcibly woken up on sunday morning and going to a black baptist church.
then imagine that one of your parents is involved in the church.
then imagine that every adult you come across at church is trying to brainwash you into joining the church. along with most of those in your age group.
then imagine that every member of your family but you is christian, along with all of your friends belonging to some form of religion.
then imagine being told they behave better than most christians.
but i'm a third class citizen...? fux noise can go straight to hell.
i listen to a bunch of atheist radio programming on the net, dangerous talk, the debate hour and the infidelguy show to name a few (you're welcome staks and reg ;)) online mainly because there IS no other forum that atheist can use without being cut down and ruined in mainstream media. there is plenty of religious whacko and plain old religious programming on television, commercial radio, and shortwave radio (not kidding. there are at least 4 times as many religious shortwave radio stations in this country than in the world. combined.) why not give atheists, who are as rational and moral as many religious people, an avenue that other people are allowed to have?
One of the things that made the US a dynamic society that was able to grow at a phenomenal rate without devolving into endless civil war was the ability to move to other places easily, and get away from from hyper religious idiots.
We really need to have a cultural separation made practical by geographical and governmental separation. Smart, thinking, intelligent people have so little in common with the lemmings that populate the Republican party and mega church pews. Just as they have no use for smart, thinking, intelligent people. Especially those that have no use for an impossibly flawed ethical and moral system evolved from Bronze age myth.
If we do not find a way to separate ourselves from the Fox crowd, we are on a path to violent civil war.
btw...this story has little or nothing to do with air america, and eveything to do with franken's senate campaign
label the jew franken as being at war with god...same as faux does in regards to the faux war on xmas, which is just veiled anti-semitism
franken hasnt been affiliated with air america, yet his vid runs throughtout the piece
and when is john gonna post the vid of coulter dspariging both jews and the christian religion....its good for a hoot
its on those smear merchants. media matters site right now....
How nice of Fox to give Air America so much free advertizing.
I have to wonder how many of those bozo blowhards at Fox actually give a rat's ass about religion or God in their heart of hearts. Let us not forget what David Kuo revealed about Fox News' Masters in the White House, that they thought of evangelicals as "nuts" and "goofy" and Pat Robertson, in particular, as "insane".
It's kind of sad to see good people of faith being used so.
NiceNCool1 @ 13:
Most people in organized religion when they pray say things like,
Please Lord give me the big houses, the big cars, the second homes, the large incomes, the admiration of many.
God says, what do you mean you have the whole universe-infinity to skip around in you would accept these measly gifts and concepts in place of mine? Check back with me in 10,000 years.
New T-shirt for right-wing Christians.
"I voted for theology in America
and all I got was this lousy oil war."
EJG @ 6:
simply because fux noise is watched by more americans who go there to get their news. we don't necisserily have to like it but it is what it is.
btw, i say god, jesus, goddam and other things just like that because god and the names of others in the christian religion are nothing more than common colloquialisms to me. same with other religions. religious people have no right calling out people who "take god's name in vein" because for that to really apply, the offending person has to believe in that god first.
No, they're not "Trying to scare the base". Fox is trying to sell the base more of their sponsors products.
Duh.
IndyHoosier @ 15:
Um, I'm going to have to call the hyperbole police on that one. I highly doubt we're on the path to a violent civil war waged between those who get their news from Bill Moyers vs. Brit Hume. Also, let's not blame religion for the evil and idiocy of many in the Republican Party. I know many committed religious folks who are intelligent, compassionate, and caring individuals. Some of them post on this website. I doubt they'd like being compared to lemmings.
Fox News: The Voice of the Child Molesters Party.
I guess Christmas is coming early this year!
"FOXNews Tries To Scare The Base: Claims Air America Is Waging A War Against GOD"
Are they afraid God can't take it?
jaysus @ 5:
Amen!
As a believer (it doesn't really matter which label, suffice to say I believe in God), I believe "religion" is the biggest con/poison foisted upon humanity. Revealed religion, whether from a burning bush, an angel, or coming L Ron Hubbard's twisted mind is simply someone's interpretation of what they think a deity says.
Lord Acton said that "Power Corrupts, but Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" was correct, and there is no better proof than Christianity prior to the Reformation and the current radical Islamic theology being taught in Madrasses today.
It is such utter arrogance that we as a people think we know God, know what he/she/it thinks, wants, expects, etc.
The God I believe in doesn't require uniforms, flags, pledges of allegience, bullets, or any other manipulated message enciting people to degrade or destroy others for their beliefs.
"treat others as you would be treated". “As you treat the least among you, so you have treated me"... That's all that needs to be said.
This is just another sign that the religious right and some on the left are attempting to motivate their base. It has been studied and evidence supports the fact once religion invades the public square, there is a virtual stopping point at which a religious citizen will want it all to stop. As for me, I firmly believe and support their religion...I want to be invited by their "God" to ride around with him when the "God" begins zapping all these false prophets and war mongers. That being said, I for one am an atheist and will remain so. I do not force my views upon another and reject out of hand debating with the unarmed-which they usually are. If Cheney were an atheist, he would probably say, "the religious right is its last throes", why else would they utilize a network like fox. I find it amazing that their logic of killing, lying, and otherwise breaking almost every one of their ten commandments is fine, as long as it is in support of their "God" and his agenda.
Another issue with the religous right and left is this...they will be waiting a very long time to be judged by St. Peter; Rev. Falwell is most likely still attempting to explain his noble behavior and we all know how that will end. The Reaper firmly believes that he is somewhere hot and taking in the a** for all the havoc he wrought while on earth...that is if you support they mythology of "God".
xtien @ 18:
Too true. I guess you can take some measure of satisfaction in knowing that there's a Fox News producer out there struggling to dumb down his content enough for the most addled members of the Depends generation.
This is funny. I thought it was a desperate old Fox segment from Air America's start-up days, but it's a desperate new Fox segment. Franken ought to play this clip for thoughtful Minnesotans to show the patent dishonesty of right-wing media, followed by clips of Franken's own thoughtful expressions of respect for individuals' faith I heard on his show. (On second thought, I'm remembering Al's bright but willfully cement-headed friend Mark Luther. Never mind.)
Kudos to courageous Air America. I can't wait to listen to Freethought. Give us Thom Hartmann
12 - 3 on XM! Give us Air America on Boston radio!
L.A. Confidential @ 12:
I remember people telling me 6 years ago that my comparison of the Republicans to the Nazis was ridiculous and without merit and now some of these same assholes are telling me that I'm a conspiracy theorist...and I say these knuckleheads won't believe until they are rounded up themselves.
Funny how the reich-wingnuts harp on Al Franken; he's not on AAR anymore.
Considering how much god has been in this administration, I think it is time for some godless government.
If you think that government should be infused with the Bible, would you want to work for a company that has the Bible as its business model? If you think that business would fail, then why would government do any better?
I'm listening to Freethought radio right now. Lot's of religion-bashing. It's funny, but it won't build any bridges. Religious folks beware, this is not happy-fun secularism.
I'll continue to listen, but only because it's refreshing to hear a different non-PC perspective.
Science doesn't disprove the existence of god, but should remain silent on issues that do not involve observable phenomenon. However, science can, and does, disprove most important claims of organized religion regarding our material existence (e.g. age of the earth, creation, biblical flood).
What's new?
These morons wake up every morning in a puddle of their own piss . If its not Jihad, then its immigrants, Hillary, and/or the "godless." They can wage war and live in perpetual fear, who gives a holy shit.
my experience tells me that most today who are questioning their religion still believe in god.
just not in their religion.
can anyone really blame us? the so-called 'christians' who've been running the show for decades now are the most un-christ-like people on earth. most of them chant to a giant owl fer chrissake...;)
.
Dahgrostab'ph-r-i @ 33:
We're walking a tightrope. Or on thin ice whichever one prefers.
Rev up the Christoterrorists. Maybe they will blow up Air America instead of abortion clinics. Money is free speech. So are bombs.
Good! It's about freaking time atheists like me have a show of their own to listen to on Air America, considering they have a religious show. I haven't listened to it yet but I have heard of it and am extremely excited about it.
One thing I noticed from this clip was the lady said 90% of people believe in God in America but only 3-7% are atheists. Oh, I guess that leaves 3% Agnostics! I've always thought of the American non-theist population as 10%. By saying 3% she is trying to undermine atheists.
Welcome to the new Dark Ages.
Ignorance is bliss.
God is good.
Science is the devil's work.
etc,
Bob Dobbs sent me this link a few months ago. I see Richard Dawkins has it up on his site too. It's sad and funny at the same time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8Aq00yJSxo
seth @ 36:
Agreed. . . . and how people can still insist earth was created 10,000 years ago when specimens from a million years ago are available for public inspection is befuddling.
Greg @ 10:
That's the problem I've always had, as someone raised without religion. Too many Christians seem to consider an atheist's very existence to be harassment. I mean really-- what's the complaint here? That there is an atheist show, mixed in somewhere in the stew of literally thousands of Christian shows. It's incredibly bigoted, but this brand of bigotry is socially accepted.
Daniel W. @ 23:
Daniel
Um, I'm going to have to call the hyperbole police on that one. I highly doubt we're on the path to a violent civil war waged between those who get their news from Bill Moyers vs. Brit Hume. Also, let's not blame religion for the evil and idiocy of many in the Republican Party. I know many committed religious folks who are intelligent, compassionate, and caring individuals. Some of them post on this website. I doubt they'd like being compared to lemmings.
The intelligent committed religious, caring individuals you cite are in all probability not part of the Fox crowd and megachurch lemmings that populate the Jesus camps preparing for Christian Jihad. I did not indicate the length of the path to violent civil war, but think it could happen within 100 years. In the space of 40 years, we have seen the culture move from a sense of belonging and desire for a "brotherhood of man" to a highly divisive us vs them mentality. And the ones building the walls around which they are enclosing themselves are heavily armed religious fanatics with a deep seated affinity for authoritarianism. All it would take to spark a civil war would be a large scale catastrophe, natural or unnatural. The scramble for necessities would turn the current ideological divide into an armed one.
Think about what happened in New Orleans with Katrina. Now think about what would happen if the dollar became as worthless as the Thai Bhat. Or if the average temperature in Wisconsin for the year was 90 degrees Farenheit.
Well, let's see...we'll address this at a fair clip, shall we?
The "christian nation" tortures. Tortures. Then uses some fiction show like "24" to justify it.
The "christian nation" began as a slave market, used ghastly religious propaganda such as "manifest destiny" to justify genocide and still promotes racism.
The "christian nation" treats its poor like lepers and vetoes financial aid...as well compassion.
The "christian nation" paints peace-makers and peace-lovers as weak and effeminate, while encouraging an agenda of colonialism.
The "christian nation" just rolled out a propaganda program to whitewash the invasion and murder or 600,000-900,000 civilians who happen not to be white or "christian." They continue to conceal the real reason for this blatant imperialism, nor will the established church speak out, despite their claims to "moral leadership and guidance." Based on the teachings of a 'prince of peace.'
The "christian nation" harbors and defends pedophiles amongst its ranks and uses entire legalistic church resources to evade responsibility and attack the victims.
The "christian nation" will claim to love all of "God's works," but won't hesitate to bulldoze a beautiful and leafy green glade of trees, streams and forest creatures to be replaced by an asphalt, cement and glass dead-monstrosity 'building to this same "God"' that encourages pollution by wasteful, ugly combustion engines so that people can gather, insulate themselves from the sun, grass, clean air and then kneel on leatherette benches over marble floors mined in a strip-quarry and faux-wood pews to show their devotion to all "God's works."
Why would an all-knowing, all-wonderful, all-loving, gracious, forgiving God create humanity, in his own image, only to ban much of his creation to the fire and brimstone of eternal torture and suffering in "Hell" for committing "sins" that were also, in fact, created by God. (God created everything, right?) Let's not even get into the discussion of free will. There's not enough space on C&L for that!
It just doesn't wash.
I, for one, believe in "God" and eternal life but not for any of the reasons I was taught as a child. I think all the books we have on "God" now are utter bullshit. I consider myself an agnostic deist if there is such a thing.
28 - Titus
Great post!
I'm not gonna get all heavy on what I think. 'cause who the F cares and who really knows anyhow?
But I do believe Fox is a continuous outlet for the Republican Religious Right Wing and this video proves it. What does old Al Franken shots have to do with this new AAR show that I've never even heard of? Nothing.
More Pravda. Suck it up USSA.
Father StirFry @ 37:
I'm skeered!
All I know is...we're still paying fror that friggin "apple sin' in the Garden Of Eden. Must've one really big important apple or else God is really not the forgiving guy we're taught he is to be.
Noone even noticed they spelled "programming" wrong in the caption! As far as religion, don't even get me started. They are so afraid about a war on Xianinty, without even realizing their non-stop war on anything non-xian.
Oh shame, faux...
rob
Why would this God, whom the priests claim gave man his 'superior brain' and massive intellect, then demand he suspend all of those senses and gifts, inquiries and common sense, in order to 'understand God?' Moreover having a church threatening dire consequences such as excommunication or ostracism if there are too vigorous an examination of the validity of the 'sacred texts.' Can this God not withstand the scrutiny of mere man? Or is it actually something else that cannot withstand the scrutiny?
The validity of those texts, perhaps?
Gawd damn Christers are tiresome...
I'm a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Good for Air America putting them on the national airwaves!
A very clever Atheist in debating an advocate for the existence of God once said something like this: "You too sir are an Atheist, I only believe in one less God than you." To adopt one religion is to discount the rest and to make the unprovable claim that your religion is more truthful and enlightened than the rest. There is inherent bigotry in that stance. It is this unfounded certainty that is at root of the intolerance for others so often expressed by people of faith. I've always found it a useless exercise in futility to argue religion or the existence of a God or gods. There can be no verifiable empirical evidence to be offered to substantiate either side of the debate. One seldom, if ever, hears an Atheist claim that they know for certain that there is no God, only that they don't believe in one and see no evidence for it. As such, it is not a belief, but the absence of one. Atheists do not claim to know the truth, only that it is unknowable. Atheism is not a failure of morality, but rather a moral appeal to reason. For Atheists, existence is a profound mystery of which they stand in awe and human beings ourselves are responsible for our own morality and the way we treat others. For the faithful, there is no mystery, only predetermined fate and a ready justification always at hand for prejudice and ill treatment of others.
Leave it to the hate filled right wing to again pretend that only THEY are Christians when in fact they are the farthest thing from it. Whoops, Fox forgot to mention that the first guest on the radio show they were talking about is a Republican. shhhh. Don't tell anyone. While the Democrats continue to be the party of inclusion and the party of action, the hate filled right wing continues to be the party of words. We all know how words line up with action.
Hey Fox, I don't need your help... God
mrogi @ 7:
That's funny, I usually say, "Oh, [partner's name]." Credit where credit is due.
Throughout history the minority of progressives have drug the ignorant masses kicking in screaming into modernity. Faux News is just trying to keep the blinders on the flat earthers so they won't notice the raping they are getting from the GOP
They really fucked Franken. I am sick of their "accidental" clip errors. It is the epitome of bias. I hope the next time MSNBC is doing a piece on Rupert Murdock, they accidentally run a clip of Martin Bormann, followed by brown shirts beating elder Jews in the streets of Munich. I am sick of these pricks. Somebody pull their license please.
Snowball @ 56:
Snowball....beautiful! Thank you.
Religion = Oh never mind... Like Fox Noise has a tap into what's "godly", give me the tiniest fucking break.
waging a war against god???!!! well thank god someone is waging it!!!
Haven't you heard the God News? God doesn't send you to Hell for your sins (except homosexuality). He sends you to Hell for guessing the wrong religion!
[...] Democratic Senatorial candidate plus a banner that says “GODLESS PROGRAMMING” plus a Fox News logo. That sounds about [...]
hanshiro @ 53:
BAM!
Jesus Christ (oops), being a realist, give me proof!
john bourne harbour @ 64:
I agree 100%. Since the 1950's and beyond the ChristOfascists have waged war on blacks, immigrants, gays, atheists, etc....it's about time somebody waged war on them. Give em hell Air America!! Help save this nation from the Christian Taliban theocrats!
69!
No, religion is not a "sickness" per se. No-one "catches" it.
However, most people who are members of an organized religious cult of any kind - catholic, "christianist", jew, etc... - have essentially been brainwashed into their beliefs. This is usually done by instilling fear of the unknown, while pounding the "saving" precepts of the particular religion into the person's brain over, and over, and over, ad infinitum.
Bokonon @ 65:
Sh1t! I'd better pick one quick!
*rolls dice*
Matthew 22:21 "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
Doesn't this mean that the government stuff and the god stuff are separate?
Smack_dab @ 73:
You're reading ahead.
Folks in the flyover erm, sorry... the country - hear the word atheist or elitist...and immediately channel their brains into bibles... never understanding, the book is much better allegorically.
Historians do not hide the fact that Christmas was an invention of the Roman church, designed to compete with the heathen Roman feast of Saturnalia in honor of the sun deity Mithras. Mithras bore remarkable similarity to the Biblical Messiah. The Mithraic feast, like Christmas, was celebrated to commemorate his birth. Notice the remarkable parallels, as detailed by Joscelyn Godwin, professor at Colgate University. She writes that Mithras was “the creator and orderer of the universe, hence a manifestation of the creative Logos or Word. Seeing mankind afflicted by Ahriman, the cosmic power of darkness, he incarnated on earth. His birth on 25 December was witnessed by shepherds. After many deeds he held a last supper with his disciples and returned to heaven. At the end of the world he will come again to judge resurrected mankind and after the last battle, victorious over evil, he will lead the chosen ones through a river of fire to a blessed immortality,” Mystery Religions in the Ancient World, p. 99. Godwin remarks, “No wonder the early Christians were disturbed by a deity who bore so close a resemblance to their own, and no wonder they considered him a mockery of [the Messiah] invented by Satan.”
These two popular movements were vying for dominance in the Roman Empire – one being pagan sun worship, the other Christian. Historian and archaeologist Ernest Renan once wrote, “If Christianity had been halted in its growth by some mortal illness, the world would have been Mithraist” (Marc Aurele, p. 597). Caught in the middle were the Roman emperors, who wanted to unify and solidify their diverse empire. They didn’t need divisive religious factions. For political reasons, the Roman rulership saw great advantage in synchronizing and harmonizing these religious beliefs into one.
So assigning Jesus's birthday to Dec. 25th was merely a politically motivated hostile takeover from (other) pagans to coalesce religious factions into a manageable lump. A takeover. The festival of Mithras was essentially a celebration of Winter solstice. And Easter? Another attempt to supplant a celebration of spring and calving/milking/planting by 'pagans' observing the natural rhythms of the earth and sun. Why do you think rabbits deliver eggs that time of year? Our fertility symbolism runs amok into senseless combinations.
Jesus's 'resurrection' is only a metaphor for spring and the earth waking up again, a story to supplant the pagans celebration and manage the people. "To ensure domestic tranquility."
Fox Noise would go straight to Hell, if such a place existed. They must know it doesn't, so they have a workaround: They're doing all they can to create one, right here on Earth!
I'm not interested in "beliefs or faith". Show me some empirical evidence of your sky daddy or STFU. And yes, I would say that religion is a disease when it drives people to illogically murder and persecute their fellow human beings. Only under the guise of religion are people given a pass for insane behavior. Rolling on the floor, speaking in tongues, handling snakes, murdering each other, trying to impose your hypocritical values on everyone else...yes I think religion stinks.
Glad to hear that there is now a radio show to listen to that doesn't bow to religious freaks. I think religion has historically been one of the most evil, murderous and destructive forces on the planet. It is afforded much more respect than it deserves.
Gosh, this is pretty surprising news. I thought Fox had declared Air America dead and buried months ago! Now they can't say enough about it. Did they forget their announcement of Air American's obituary? I guess this story was juicy enough that they couldn't resist acknowledging its existence. See the mysterious ways in which God manipulates his minions? Imagine what he could do if he actually existed!
Ex-Canuck @ 71:
C'mon Ex-canuck, are you really using the old "they're all brainwashed" theory of religion? There hasn't been one conclusive empirical study that has shown that even the most "cultish" of religious groups (for example, the Moonies) are brainwashed. "Brainwashing" itself is a highly debated phenomena among social scientists, and most agree that if the phenomena happens at all, it happens only under very extreme and uncommon circumstances.
I, for one, am an agnostic, but as someone who studies religion and religious people for a living, I find it both elitist and ridiculous that so many people on these forums attack any and all things religious as stupid, somehow "primitive" or "premodern," the result of "brainwashing," etc. Doesn't anyone realize that this type of elitist and evangelical (yes, it smacks of evangelism) rhetoric only plays into the combative discourses of the wing-nuts? Just like the religious extremists, this type of position squeezes out the vast numbers of religious folk who, if not entirely secular, or very much humanists. They are great allies...but I'm sure they do get kind of tired of being told that they are dumb-ass, brainwashed primitives all the time.
Unless Caesar says differently. Like if Caesar or Hitler or Bush were to speak to God.
Paul clarifies the murky words of Jesus here:
Romans 13
Submit to Government
Isn't it funny that the right is always going into other countries to spread democracy and freedom, but they can't stand it in their own country? Oh no, a once a week show that is aimed at non-believers (only 3% of the population by their account, which is probably wrong like all their other news). Thats thats that's ... freedom of speech. It's democracy asshole, get used to it.
And I love the Al Franken photo, the guy left AA almost a year ago.
How can you declare war on God? The deity is all-powerful! I think God has better things to worry about than an atheist radio show!
#52:
I noticed the misspelling as well. Par for the course with these idiots. I believe they all got their degrees through the mail.
Suggest the Fairness Doctrine be reinstated and they scream: LEFT WINGERS WANT TO ABOLISH FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
Host a radio show aimed at athesits and they scream: LEFT WINGERS ARE WAGING WAR AGAINST GOD!
Moral: If it's Right Wing speech, it must be protected. If it's not Right Wing speech, it must be TRASHED!
That's fair and balanced.
I FUCKING HATE FOX.
How about this... invite someone from the show to talk about their show... now there is a thought.
Religion correspondent my ass.
She didn't even mention agnostics or the spiritual / non-religious and the non-practicing who identify to a religion. If you count them the number is probably something like 40% - 50% in this country.
Sarah @ 83:
And, if you don't believe there is a god, how can you wage war against something that you don't believe exists?
I'm going to wage war against the Tooth Fairy!
Daniel W. @ 80:
Actually, studies on cults and brainwashing have been done:
Brainwashing by Religious Cults
The Brainwashing Controversy
Plus, I think Richard Dawkins has looked at the "brainwashing" affect from a biological standpoint.
There are sociological reasons people choose religion - there is no other effective use for it in society. At the very least, religion is a comfort tool in order to deal with life.
The religious people you talk about exist in extremely small numbers. Liberal Christian churches have been shrinking while conservative, evangelical Christian churches have seen a rise in attendance. Look at the number of adherents that are attaching themselves to radical Islam too. A great number of people believe they have an infallible belief, but yet we are not suppose to mock them?
hadenuf @ 27:
And Amen again and again. It's people like this that have turned me away from organized religion. Why do they think they have the right to tell me how to worship when they are so full of hatred for everyone else who doesn't believe as they do? Live and let live is my motto.
mrsisk @ 87:
Not before I do!
: )
Fox has no problem with Bill O'Reilly having a radio show after writing a dirty novel in 1998 and sexually harassing Andrea Mackris or Rush going on Dominican sex tours and being divorced 3 times but Air America is "Godless". They are on their "secular progressive" kick and pretty soon they'll be doing War On Christmas stories again
One thing I learned from the video is that liberals were responsible for the success of Rush Limbaugh's show. One of the announcers said that alot of Rush's audience is liberals who listen so they can get mad at him.
So 90% percent of American's believe in the Christian god? Doesn't leave much room in America for Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Athiests, etc...
God Bless the Retard in Chief...
Ummm...I believe in God and I pray - I also practice rituals at Christmas. Hmmm. That doesn't mean I'm not really interested in listening to a show about atheists.
The ignorance is summed up in that guy at the end's comment, "I won't be (listening.)" Well why the hell not? Got a bias there?
"Free Thought" Radio??
Can't have that. It's unAmerican.
If I were the head of programming at Air America, I'd be thanking the Goddess everyday for FOX- they're providing the best free advertising anywhere. And the best part is - the knuckledraggers at FOX are too stupid to realize it.
Sarah @ 88:
Sarah, I said in my comment that there are no conclusive empirical studies that demonstrate that religious brainwashing is a real phenomenon, not that there are no studies on brainwashing. In fact, if you'll go to the links you posted for me, you'll actually find that these links report (correctly) that the overall social-scientific consensus is that brainwashing is in fact a hoax. The vast majority of empirical studies on brainwashing find that religious brainwashing does not exist, even in the most "cultish" of religious groups. People just make choices...and sometimes these choices are very strange from most of our p.o.v.'s.
Also, per your comment that the religious people I am talking about exist in very small numbers, that is actually grossly incorrect. If you look at any national survey data on religious groups (General Social Survey data, for example), you will find that there are in fact very large numbers of people who still attend liberal and mainline churches and/or identify with these traditions. Also, while a small majority of religious folk do identify with traditions one would call "Conservative Protestant," the "conservative" in Conservative Protestant refers to their theological - not political - points of view. Conservative theology and Republican politics do not always overlap (just ask my grandparents who are conservative Baptists AND lifelong Democrats who are against the Iraq War, or the VAST majority of American orthodox-Sunni Muslims and orthodox Jews who voted Democrat in the last election). Only a VERY vocal (and well publicized, thanks to Faux News) minority of Conservative Protestants are actually of the James Dobson, ultra-conservative evangelical variety that we see on television and hear on the radio all the time.
Furthermore, while it is true that attendance in liberal/mainline churches has been declining in recent years, there is no reason to believe that this is a linear trend. In fact, sociologist Wayne Baker has argued that this is a cyclical pattern that has occurred in American history time and time again. There are good historical reasons to believe that conservative religions will begin to lose numbers in the coming years and more liberal camps will see increases. It's happened many times before.
Really, my fellow progressives, why can we think so complexly about so many issues but tend to be so dogmatic when it comes to religion. Dogmatism is what we critique in "the other side," remember? I know religion is a loaded issue and people have strong feelings, but let's get some perspective, huh?
It's great idea to have a little radio time for the sane! but having lived in Madison and having listened to free thought radio a few times (it's been a local program for a while now) I have to say the program is embarrassingly hokey... As a self described Atheist, I really wanted to like it but the song segments are terrible...
My 12 year old daughter told me that Satan deceives and then destroys. She is right. Fox News is a perfect example.
Religion creates it's own war against itself. ALL religion is bullshit.
mrogi @ 7:
Did you blow every athiest in America to find out or just a random sampling?
The religious right seems to contradict itself.
I'm a born again Christian and I don't remember being taught to discriminate against certain people, to wage war on others, to spy on others. Jesus was more of a liberal and taught tolerance. The Republican party is opposite of that. And the hard liners in the Republican party are anything but tolerant.
I guess its the abortion thing. But that doesn't make sense either because you can't be pro-life and pro-war.
If the Republicans lived back in Biblical times they would stone a woman to death for having an abortion. Jesus wouldn't condone that behavior. He would reach out to her and ask her to follow him not stone the poor woman to death. In Biblical times they would be the war mongers. They would be the ones denying healing for the sick because of the cost.
How they can think Jesus represents them is so contratictory and hypocritical. Rove was a mastermind in getting the religious right to follow Bush even though he wasn't a church goer himself. And somehow it has stuck. These people are religious fanatics. Organized religion is a tool of the devil when it become politicized.
I like the bumper sticker:
"Fine...I evolved, you didn't."
I don't know about anyone else on the show but I know Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio are both Christians.
That fact alone casts serious doubt on what foxnews is claiming.
Also casting doubt on what they're say is the fact that it's foxnews.
I've said it before here but we on the left just walk head first into these sort of things.
And in the process do half the work of making us out to be disrespectful of the majority of Americans who are of faith.
This could be OUR issue since if you read Jesus' teachings, it's all about compassion and helping those less fortunate and against greed. But just as the Dems get sucked into the trap of having red staters believe that we want to outlaw ALL guns by the right wing, we also let people who genuinely feel contempt for faith to define the entire party for the vast majority of us who are people of faith and also liberal..
I'm pretty tired of it myself.
whomod @ 106:
*applause*
In technicality to all those that say they are using god to guide them in the arena of politics in govt are not abiding Jesus thoughts on control earthly govt when Satan offer it to him. Jesus turned him down and instead took up heavenly kingdom throne. God doesn't even need border between people.
According to Christianity, God gave all of us freewill, and not force it upon or manipulate us into believing God.
For anyone who truly believes in Christ would give up all earthly possession and follow Jesus in his footstep.
For Fox News to judge is pointless until they give away the station to the people, for all people to use. I just love it when a station accuse the leftist of being socialist, when nobody is more socialist than Jesus.
Correct.
Which is why it's so frustrating to always read the sanctimonious superior people here on the left denouncing and belittling ALL faith as hey try to denounce the sanctimonious fake Christians.
To me it just sounds as if they'd rather self aggrandize than actually try to reach out to people of faith seeing as how Jesus Christ would and was OPPOSED to the pious religious establishment and the rich and greedy. This is OUR issue. It's time to show middle America that we aern't the party of the small but incredibly vocal lot amongst us that laugh at faith as being the domain of the superstitious and foolish.
I think religion is a mental illness. How else can you explain how a person can believe in an imaginary being that controls the lives of men?
And there you have it.
Perhaps we can send him off to FOX news. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have him as representative of the Democratic Party.
Chip @ 102:
Jesus and even the Disciples warned against false religions. What Fox news is doing is being God. Who gave these cynics the right to judge others.
.
Why does Fox hate America?
.
anyone have any old pics of Bill O'lie-ly when he hosted on , E entertainment Hollywood r whatever it was???
what kind of faith do i need to get under that short mini-skirt?, and is god to be found there?
Yes, FUX News, I DO think Religion- the way you people practice it- is a sickness. We do, in fact, intitutionalize people who take orders from invisible men in the sky. They have pills for that. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.
Wow! AAR now has a show aimed at me? Someone who has move to being agnostic since 9-11 and the Christian religous pushers ... and slowly sliding toward being an atheists.
Great. . . something I can turn to instead of being assaulted by all the Christian relgious programming on the tv and radio I so loathe ... and right before the endless assault of Christmas music (even on non relgious pop radio) begins
YAY!
This isn't really about a so-called war against God. The reality is that Fox News and the Christian Right are really trying to create a war against NON-CHRISTIANS.
I have more thoughts on this at my blog, if you're interested. I won't take space here to talk about what's on my blog.
This is wrong on so many levels:
1. Notice the focus on Al Franken at the beginning of the segment. It's sort of like a free negative campaign ad for Norm Coleman!
2. They act like it's insane for Air America to cater to a narrow audience. So what? It's a business decision to serve an "underserved" market. They say atheists make up 3~7% of the American public. I'm not aware of any national programs that deal with atheism. Air America could own this segment and last time I checked, Americans were still free to believe as they wished - even atheists. I'll listen to the program now just because FOX News is being so goddamn moronic about it & creating a false controversy.
3. FOX Reports that 90% of Americans believe in God and 55% pray every day. FOX doesn't dedicate nearly that much time to religious issues. By their logic, why don't they give religion *more* coverage. Do they hate Jesus and the 90% of America FOX claims are religious?
4. Why doesn't anyone point out that FOX News' sister channel, FOX, is full of filth (except for the Simpsons!). By their logic, FOX should have far *more* religious programming. Religious comedies, religious dramas, etc. Alas, they don't have even one that I'm aware of.
What a bunch of morons. They are actually turning people against religion because too many Christian churches in America allow religion to be politicized and used by people like FOX and the Republican Party. I'm hating religion more every day! That's probably not the response FOX is hoping for and I don't think I'm the only one who is getting turned off.
Great commercial for the Air America program though. It'll be wildly popular now. Way to go FOX News!
mrogi @ 7:
I say, "Oh mama". Will war be declared on me? God, I hope not.
Lauren Green is lost when she's not reading a prompter and has to speak off the top of her head.
RELIGION is Man Made! God is NOT Religous! Man is!
That is the point of 'Free Thinking'!
Most people do believe in GOD....A good portion of people are finally awakening to the fact that RELIGION is not the path to Spirituality! It never was...RELIGION is about control.
Well, HOORAY, perhaps some redeeming possibilities for AAR after Mark Green has nearly destroyed the station with his ridiculous programming decisions. If the GOD of Faux News is so puny that he'll (you can be sure it's a HE) be destroyed by a "program"...one has to wonder about that ALL POWERFUL thingy! Course it's the "religion" not the deity that is in potential jeopardy and that should be reason to worry...the more people who might have their pea brains opened to other possibilities the more QUESTIONS might be asked about following some of the crap that all religions foist on their "followers"...BTW the only GOD that Faux News, Repugs, and tv evangelists believe in is MONEY!!!!!
the modern GOP was built on and draws it's power from their talk radio monopoly and it's massive often synchronized uncontested repetition of GOP talking points, bush excuses, lies, distortions, and attacks. air america is the biggest threat to them this side of a new Fairness Doctrine. Ed Shultz (moderate progressive just drew even with oreilly with 3.75 million listeners per week with Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, and Stephanie Miller each with 1.5.
but just the top republican blowhards louder than or equal to Shulz-- about 10- have about 70mil per week!!
I'll bet on God to win, no matter the subject.
Thank you FOX for Air America's free PR work.
I didn't know about freethought radio until now :)
Keep up the smearing / PR !
According to the reichwing Hillary is weak for refusing to debate Tim Russert, but God is afraid of a little one-on-one with Al Frankin?
Strange. Of the two, I would have labeled FOX as being godless, being that FOX's only purpose for existence seems to be to violate every godly principle ever known to humanity. To wit:
They are deliberate, willful liars,
They advocate, excuse, exhalt and - through their influence - enable mass murder,
They are strident champions of injustice, in whatever form it appears,
They demonize all virtue and accurse the virtuous,
They relentlessly attempt to promote the unworthy, the degraded and the sinful to the station of high virtue,
They tirelessly work to divide people through petty hatreds,
As is revealed by what they suupport and what they condemn, it is clear that they despise the poor, the defenseless, the downtrodden,
By same measure, they are the champions of the predator, the powerful, the avaricious and the criminal,
At heart, they are theives; witness their complicity in the theft of recent elections, how the cheer whenever the rich and powerful steal from those without means to defend themselves from that theft,
They lionize greed,
They worship the killers, the war-makers the spreaders of gratuitous death,
They despise the peace-makers and the just as enemies of mankind,
The list is very long.....but, in short, if there is a godly principle or attribute, FOX is in venomous, single-minded opposition to it. If there is a satanic quality or failing, FOX has embraced it with open hearts; FOX proselytizes the satanic as would only the truest, most zealous of believers.
FOX thinks nobody notices that they are calling the godly satanic and the satanic godly. This switcheroo has ever been one of the timeless disguises of true evil, and has ever been how the evil have deceived themselves into certain belief that they are the godly and righteous.
Fortunately, I don't need FOX to do my thinking for me. Like anybody who really wants to, I can choose and savor the fruit of truth from whatever orchard I chance to find it. That includes the orchards of the aetheists.
I wonder if C&L and DK and Media Matters and the ilk stopped watching faux news, I wonder if faux would lose all of their viewers. Stop watching, and stop advertising for fox. If you really wanted to be progressive, you would have linked directly to Freedom From Religion Foundation, and cut fox out entirely.
Alright! MY kinda show. I probably won't spend a lot of time listening to it... It's an old old subject and I have been out of this religious crap since I was 18. It's a bit like listening the same music over and over.. as good as it may be - I get tired of it.
This whole segment is so full of loaded language and subliminal messages I hardly know where to begin. I know, how would these people react if Christianity was constantly described as 'a war on rationality' - hmmm?
The one that really leapt out at me though was nearly the first thing out of 'religious correspondent' Lauren Green's mouth - "..it is the atheist movement fighting back against the wealth of conservative and religious programming.."
In contrast, I presume, with the poverty of liberal rationality.
One hour will lead to two, to three and so on, until it's a daily broadcast on more stations. I can see the religious yelling more fervently after each hour is added. A huge campaign will be created and then we'll see how forgiving and nice organized religion is. Get the popcorn, this'll be fun (and slanderous, to be sure)..
When the religious reactionary extremists worldwide (Christian, Muslim and Jewish) stop waging war and start waging peace -- THEN and ONLY then can they have anything of substance to say to humanists, atheists, etc. who stand on the side of sanity and humanity in order to TRY to preserve the human race. Unlike believers, non-believers have no interest in keeping the Middle East inflamed in the name of the Second Coming.
96% believe in God. So, we're a Theist nation. Some even suggest a Christian nation. We (s-)elected a "Christian" to the White House - a "Christian" who has waged an unneccessary war. A "Christian" who just slapped down increasing healthcare affordability for more Children even as he sends billions upon billions to Iraq. If this is what it means to be a Theist/Christian nation, I'm willing to try an Atheist for President.
I’m a born again Christian
Damn, I am so fucking sick of this crap. We are all BORN ONE TIME. That's it. No do-overs. You don't get to try again if it doesn't take the first time.
If you suddenly find yourself accepting jesus as your lord and savior, fine - you found faith. YOU WERE NOT BORN AGAIN.
And something else? I don't care about your faith or lack of it. Keep it to yourself. Live a good life and STFU.
This is not a personal attack - just stop with the "born again" nonsense.
Air America would like to thank Fox for all the free plugs. Hopefully, the free advertisement of a competitor's product will effectively seal shut the coffin of these idiots.
Everybody just simmer down now!
The short sided idiot fools at Fox just gave Air America a ton of free new publicity.
They probably outraged a bunch of religious kooks who will now tune in to Air America and end up hearing a segment of their regular programming that will maybe talk some sense in to their thick heads.
Randi Rhodes is my fav Air Amer host. I listen to AA everytime I'm driving and never heard this atheist show that FOX is crapping their pant about.
mrogi @ 7:
So true, but for an atheist it's not a sin to use any god's name in vain. Which god are we talking about anyway?
Oh is awesome, her last name means nothing to an atheist.
kac90b @ 135:
So true! If people are born again christians, what happens when we decide to no longer be christians? Are we reborn into our real selves? So are we reborn again?
Born born born and reborn. Weird. LOL
Gia @ 139:
I'm a Born Again Heathen.
When were you born again?
It had better been before 1986 or no beer for you!
Did Lauren Green say that 24% of atheists are college professors?
[Deleted. Deluded-Sitemonitor]
hey thanks fox! i didn't know about this show and i'm very happy to hear about it!
yay fox!
It's actually a step forward. Unfortunately "the debate" over atheism is being packaged both by Air America and Fox TV as make-your-blood-boil entertainment. I love how both sides are in a conspiracy to recruit hotheads of both persuasions. They're after their share of the hothead market. Let's shop elsewhere.
AAR does programming that tends to be anti-boosh.
FAUX claims AAR is broadcasting godless programming.
It's official folks, the 29%ers now believe boosh walks on water.
Gia @ 139:
:) I would imagine that actually being born in the first place was traumatic enough - not really sure why these folks keep wanting to do it over and over and over. Must be some pretty fragile faith.
Fox News not respecting anyone's views but their own narrow set... yeah that's pretty much the usual.
As a lifelong atheist I've gotta say how warm and fuzzy it makes me feel to know that, according to FOX, I am deviant scum with no moral compass.
Ugh. It astonishes me the slime atheists are tainted with publicly. It seems we're the one type of people that are totally fair game for any kind of negative labeling. Most of the people I know are atheists (or a few agnostics, hedging their bets). All of them are kind, decent, considerate, ethical people. And none of us need a story book to guide us or some post-death threat/reward system to keep us in line. Ridiculous. Religious folks are allowed every freedom to broadcast their message, but if a nonbeliever opens his/her mouth, the first thing the other side claims is "It's WAR on religion." Opposing viewpoints really aren't tolerated any more. Yay America. One voice. One God. Or tough shit.
Titus @ 28:
Excellent points Titus! I agree with about 95% of what you say...I'm agnostic, but I believe that if there IS an omnipotent deity, he/she/it, doesn't give a rats ass what goes on down here...we're just hairless apes, that think we're smarter than we actually are. Our species will die out eventually, and all our misguided concepts of mythological deities and beliefs about the afterlife will die out with us...we're no different than any other creature that's walked, crawled or scurried, etc. on this earth..except that we have the ability to fool ourselves into believing we are.
In America we have been taught certain "facts" about our history. A geat deal of them are wrong and/or never happened. One myth is that the puritans came to the "new world" because of religious persecution. Wrong they left England because their leader Oliver Cromwell was defeated and they left to avoid his fate. They brought religious persecution with them to New England, they were actually going down to the Carolinas. In the Massachusetts Bay colony they had Quakers executed by hanging for their religious beliefs. It was illegal, with the death sentance for being a Quaker in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The witch trials were against people who did not want to or could not adhere to the puritan religiuos beliefs. The Christian Rights wants the US to be a "Chriatian" Government/Country. Whic Christian sect/faith should be in charge? If there is one religious groups/sect/faith in charge, what happens to the other Christian sects/faiths? Do they become illegal? Does the state support the "official christian sect/faith and nort the others. We give all religions a tax break, I am not sure if that is done anyplace other than her. There are restrictions against certain political practices taking place on church property that will take away their tax exempt statues if they do certain restricted activities. All religious institutions do have the right to semonize against and for moral questions of the day, they cannot tell you who to vote for or against.
RGKahn @ 151:
Yes it is illegal for them to to tell the congregation who to vote for or against, but it's happening all the friggin time...I wonder what would happen in the govt. (after BushCo, of course) start enforcing separation of church and state....hmmm....might make for a good tv movie...starring Bruce Boxleightner as Pastor Whitey McWhiterson on FOX! HA!
Lorne Green sure has changed a lot since Ponderosa.
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