Atheism is Indeed A Civil Rights Issue

In addition to what I posted before:

 List of autracities commited in the name of religion

1. The Crusades.
   
2. The Inquisition.
   
3. Witch trials in Europe and America.
   
4. The Divine right of Kings (valid until killed by another Divinely-appointed King).
   
5. Missionaries destroying/converting smaller, "heathen" religions and cultures.
   
6. Missionaries such as Mother Teresa.
   
7. The demonization of other religions, e.g. Christianity demonizing Pagans ("They're devil-worshippers!"), the Romans demonizing Christians ("They're atheists and cannibals!").
   
8. Persecution of Heretics - e.g. Galileo for daring to suggest that the Earth orbits the Sun.
   
9. Children dying because their parents refused them medical treatment on religious grounds; relying instead on faith-healers and prayer.
   
10. Slavery, supposedly supported by scripture ("Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, just as you would obey Christ.", St.Paul, Ephesians 6:5)
    
11. Holy wars - followers of different faiths (or even the same faith) killing each other in the name of their (benevolent, loving and merciful) gods.
    
12. The destruction of great works of art considered to be pornographic/blasphemous, and the persecution of the artists.
    
13. Censorship (often destructive) of speech, art, books, music, films, poetry, songs and, if possible, thought.
    
14. Persecution/punishment of blasphemers (Salman Rushdie still has a death sentence on him), and blasphemy laws in general.
    
15. The requirement of theism in order to stand for public office or to testify in court.
    
16. Serial killers believing they are doing the work of Satan (or sometimes Jesus).
    
17. Often-fatal exorcisms by priests believing they are destroying the work of Satan.
    
18. People suffering dreadful injury or death in the belief that their faith has made them invulnerable (e.g. people climbing into lion enclosures at zoos, with a Bible as protection).
    
19. Whole societies divided by minor differences in belief or doctrine, often resulting in violence.
    
20. Mass suicides of cult-members following a charismatic leader who believes the world is about to End (most recently, the Heaven's Gate and Solar Temple cults - there will be more as we approach the year 2000).
    
21. The attempted genocide of followers of a particular faith (e.g. the Jewish Holocaust, "ethnic cleansing" in former Yugoslavia).
    
22. Blood sacrifices to appease the Gods, or to ensure a good harvest. (The Aztecs made daily human sacrifices to ensure that the Sun would rise. Or did they? )
    
23. The practice of "female circumcision" (more accurately termed genital mutilation).
    
24. The discouragement of rational, critical thought (resulting in young-earth creationists, for example).
    
25. Uncontrolled population growth caused (or at least helped) by churches prohibiting birth-control and abortion. (You can also add : unwanted pregnancies, ill-fated forced marriages, and pregnant teenagers condemned to a life in mental institutions to avoid embarrassing their families.)
    
26. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. AIDS) due to churches prohibiting the use of condoms.
    
27. Believers whipping, impaling, poisoning or crucifying themselves during religious festivals as a demonstration of their faith and piety.
    
28. Suicide bombers taught to believe that martyrs go straight to Paradise.
    
29. The indoctrination of children into the religion of their parents, giving them an arbitrary, life-long belief that is almost entirely dependent on their place of birth.
    
30. Women treated as second-class citizens or even slaves (article : Islam's Shame).
    
31. Pentecostal snake-handlers (Augusta Chronicle news article)
    
32. Persecution of homosexuals (Genocide of gay and lesbian youth)
    
33. Abuse of power, authority and trust by religious leaders (for financial gain or sexual abuse of followers and even children).
    
34. Minor religions ("cults") stockpiling weapons to defend themselves from the Armies Of Satan (i.e. the police and the government).
    

Source:http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/harm.html

In this list something REALL stood out to me that I didn't even know before. It was number 10.

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, just as you would obey Christ.", St.Paul, Ephesians 6:5

The bible openly says slavery is okay. My original view was that it was the people that were truly corrupt, but this to me proves otherwise. The bible supports the awful practice of slavery.

It merely plays upon the human mind and inspires you into following with a promise of a better life if you essentially surender your right to think for yourself. And what if you don't believe? Well it is to hell with you mister! Live your days burning and suffering. Essentially making human kind regress.

Another example of wrong in religion:

In Alma 3:6-7, it is recorded that the skins of the Lamanites were dark, "according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. And their brethren sought to destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and Ishmaelitish women".

Mormon 9:6. "O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day."

Source:http://www.ldslearning.org/book-of-mormo...k-skin.htm

In The Book of Mormom it states it was a CURSE to have dark skin. They had done wrong and were therefore given dark skin.

We can also look at Islam who takes the rights away from women, and nonbelievers. You can be killed for commiting sins.

The issue is in court cases too. The Scopes Trial is a great example. The law specificly said you had to teach how the Church believed mankind came to be. Darwin's Theory of Evolution was forbidden.

Aetheists are only part of it. Already we are being denied out freedom of religion by having to have the youth say "under God" in the "Pledge of Allegiance". This "democratic society is not truly democratic until ALL religion is kept out of government. Because as long as religion is within the government they will always try to impose their beliefs among others. Their leaders tell them to and so they will. I will never understand how such an "educated" society still practices these primitive social beliefs.