|  nobody2357 | Aug 31, 2005 1:22pm | credit goes to Emory for showing me this, also this is bush sr.
"Did George Bush really say that atheists should not be considered citizens?"
The following exchange took place at the Chicago airport between Robert I. Sherman of American Atheist Press and George Bush, on August 27 1987. Sherman is a fully accredited reporter, and was present by invitation as a member of the press corps. The Republican presidential nominee was there to announce federal disaster relief for Illinois. The discussion turned to the presidential primary:
RS:
"What will you do to win the votes of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is important to me."
RS:
"Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
RS:
"Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?"
GB:
"Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on atheists."
UPI reported on May 8, 1989, that various atheist organizations were still angry over the remarks.
The exchange appeared in the Boulder Daily Camera on Monday February 27, 1989. It can also be found in "Free Inquiry" magazine, Fall 1988 issue, Volume 8, Number 4, page 16.
On October 29, 1988, Mr. Sherman had a confrontation with Ed Murnane, co-chairman of the Bush-Quayle '88 Illinois campaign. This concerned a lawsuit Mr. Sherman had filed to stop the Community Consolidated School District 21 (Chicago, Illinois) from forcing his first-grade atheist son to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States as "one nation under God" (Bush's phrase). The following conversation took place:
RS:
"American Atheists filed the Pledge of Allegiance lawsuit yesterday. Does the Bush campaign have an official response to this filing?"
EM:
"It's bullshit."
RS:
"What is bullshit?"
EM:
"Everything that American Atheists does, Rob, is bullshit."
RS:
"Thank you for telling me what the official position of the Bush campaign is on this issue."
EM:
"You're welcome." |
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Sponsor |  m4bwav | Aug 31, 2005 1:59pm | | Dumb god-fearing people hate atheists because they threaten their belief system. Smart god-fearing people hate atheists because they threaten their belief system, and they make smart god-fearing people look stupid. |
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|  SirJames1977 | Aug 31, 2005 9:19pm | | Okay... so what if you are Buddhist? It's not one nation under Buddha, the last time I checked. So if you are Buddhist, you're not a citizen? Do they consider God and Allah the same being? Are Muslims citizens? What if you are Hindu? It's definitely not one nation under gods. And what about Scientologists... Wait, what the hell do Scientologists believe in anyway? |
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Sponsor | | catchthemice | Oct 24, 2005 8:21am | | nothing scares me more than how much this administration doesn't understand the concept of 'seperation of church and state'. between miers, intelligent design in school, public display of the 10 commandments, i seriously fear for the future of religious freedom (or the freedom to be free of religion as the case may be). |
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Sponsor | | m4bwav | Oct 24, 2005 8:27am | | Fundamentalists have saddly mastered the art of propaganda and victimhood. They have learned to frame the debate as if they are victims of an assault on Christianity, when it is they who are assaulting the separation of church and state. |
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|  logos | Nov 3, 2005 7:46pm | | Let's just say the god thing was good.ok.It or they see us as slower then they are.ok.They,he,it,knows we don't beleive in god.Should'nt the church goers see that their god loves and sees us all as the same?ok.This thought is from an athesistic point of veiw.ok.At one time it was the christains who suffered and died,now some make others suffer.Are they good christans?NO.The good ones learn.I see your points and fears and I'm sorry.I hope to teach others to respect others.We live we die.God or no god we are the same. |
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Sponsor | | SerialSinner | Nov 9, 2005 11:33pm | Such shamefull intolerance towards atheists...
The good thing, my friends, is that we, convinced atheists, are SO ignorant and lack in such huge extent the capability to understand and finally embrace catholicism, that we cant be blamed for knowingly rejecting religion. Therefore, good atheists are technically non sinners, because they are so "closed minded and illogical" that they cant be aware of what they are doing. Ergo, we will go to heaven too.
So, theists, I suggest you all get used to our company. We will prevail. |
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| | Bartkowski | Nov 10, 2005 1:31am | | When a politician makes a vow in Poland, it's politically correct to say "so help me God" at the end. You should see the that disgust in the parliament after one man has left the "God" part ;) |
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Sponsor | | primeirocrime | Nov 10, 2005 3:17am | I guess Mr.Bush goes with the the modern current of christianhood [like in gang not in buddhahood] Believing in something, forgetting what that something stands for in it's core, using parts of the bible to make feeble arguments look solid [like jello], permanent denial, obtuse reasoning.
The one-nation-under-god argument is too scary, why uphold this new-israelism in modern age is beyond me. If it was a-nation-under-god ok, but one? Can't understand this need to be sacred and protected. The worst is that most people that follow this bullshit don't even follow the bible moral and ethical code in the way it was intended, they take metaphorical and make it law, they take law and make it metaphorical; the interpretation isn't very well thaugth/thought. |
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Atheists → Discussion