then, he just sends his minions to destroy your property.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts2936

Because God forbid we have free speech in the South. Or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter.

FYI - Did anyone else realize that the phrase "under God" was not a part of the pledge of allegiance until 1954? I had no idea.

God, or Jesus, had nothing to do with defacing the billboard. I would guess the people who did it don't really know what their religion calls for.

One of my friends called me since he saw it first hand. I laughed so much.

Thanks Anthouny - I suppose you're right. I'm not being fair - but I thought it was pretty funny that people believe they are representing "god" or at least, their religion, by vanalizing. And in the process, they just made their beliefs all that more reprehensible in the eyes of the general public. *Sigh* ah, irony.

I grew up with people like this, so please pardon my bitterness. I thought it was more funny than anything esle.

Yeah.  People who do these kinds of things think they are "fighting" against something, in this case atheism, but in effect are also fighting against their own religion.  But of course, they don't realize it, or at least won't admit it.  Because if they admit it, that means either their religion is wrong or they are wrong, and you can't have that.

My sons girlfriend informed me about the under God not originally being in the pledge we are all very upset about religion sepping into our laws and such. I lived down south and being Southern Baptisit I constantly was terrified of going to hell I became so distrate in 3rd grade my parents let me quite the church as I got older I have tried a few other times but church isnt my thing. I dont know how this has happened there is suppose to be separation of church and state and there should be!

1st off, there IS NO division between church and state. they are totaly interwined and are one and the same. they couldn't be separated no matter how hard you tried.

a court is a church, think about it. a man in a black dress stands on one side of a fence and faces a crowd of people on the OTHER side of the fence and he tells them who will be punished or saved; who goes to jail or who gets off.

he sits three steps (degrees) above everyone else. (same in a church or a court house)

he has 12 helpers (jury / apostles).

you have to swear on a bible (even if you're an atheist, or hindu, etc?)

also, many courts have the ten comandments posted. the military has chaplins, etc - that's a priest that is paid by tax payer dollars as an official government position in the Dept. of Defense - as a catholic priest, (and there are other religions represented also).

and 2nd, "jesus saves", i'm just not sure what bank he uses.

Daniel, and others:  I thought you might get a kick out of an incident from literature----one of the principal characters in Conrad Richter's The Awakening Land, a trilogy about the opening up of the Northwest Territory to white settlers and the development of  farms and towns  there, is Judge Portius Wheeler, from "Back East".  Well, when the settlers begin holding "court", with Judge Wheeler presiding, the witnesses place a hand on "The Book" and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,"so help me God."   Towards the end of the trilogy (Vol. 3, The Town) it is revealed that all those years the wicked atheist Judge Wheeler has been having the folk who take the stand in his courtroom (a mostly illiterate bunch of frontier types) swear upon an impressive-looking volume of  . . . . . . .The Thousand and One Nights' Entertainment, aka The Arabian Nights! 

That's a good one Bonnie!  In the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, a witness in the court swears on a copy of Moby Dick, which the opposing lawyer thought was the Bible. 

Back in the 30s, people used to make a grim joke about how "Jesus saves, but nobody else can manage to . . . "   

And grocery stores had "CASH today, credit tomorrow."  Ah, those "bad old days" . . . .

Bonnie & Beverly, those are great references! thanks - Classic!  this stuff really is kinda funny when you look closely at the little details. it's like a big inside joke - on us.

another point to consider is that in the bible, it says 'take no oaths'. so in the court room, you swear an oath on a book that says 'take no oaths'. that is definitely a joke on us.  there are many of these types of jokes in the bible. that most people have no idea about them, even people who read the bible for themselves aren't aware of much of this. the bit about worshiping graven images is another one...

ps - this is a great forum, i've been reading the posts here, all you guys are a hoot, thanks for the discussion and for being so cool. it's a pleasure to be a part of it.

pps - sorry if i've stirred the discussion in another direction from the original thread...

Jesus saves

but Moses invests.

This was a sign posted in a jewish deli in New Rochelle,NY

My late father in law, a 32nd degree Knight, enjoyed it.

huntoonbob@gmail.com

Daniel:  Glad you enjoyed the bits of humor in this forum.   It kind of makes me want to tell you one of my Irish grandfather's favorite "Paddy-Izzy" jokes....about the time the two cronies decided to visit each other's places of worship . . .