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In my life I have demonstrated with my physical presence against activities I strongly oppose. I believe there has been more than enough debates over religion. It's time for action. I want to start picketing churches. The amount of harm religion inflicts on the world and our country needs to end. The first real step for any movement is taking it to the streets. Anyone agree?

Casey07 7 Dec 21
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Remove their tax exempt status. Most chuches use the pulpit to mobilize their congregants for legislative impact. Others use tax exempt donatiions to fund travel to picket at veteran's funerals. Others are fronts for para-military white supremecists groups. None need or deserve protection from taxation.

I agree. But they won't just give it up because we say so. The purpose of marching is to call their attention our way. Then we have to make sure what they see is a community of diverse people able to serve our communities and the nation and evan the world without the baggage of religion. Here is one example. The salvation Army operates various services. I'll use there thrift stores as an example. The workers in those stores make minimum wage and they can retire after forty years and still be making minimum wage. On top of that employees are told it is mandatory to tithe a minimum 10% back to them. It goes back to the church. Church leaders enjoy inflated salaries , medical, retirement. People donate clothes thinking when the items are sold thew money is helping the poor somehow. I'm just scratching the surface. We need to show them a better alternative to religion run community services. I have laid out a three prong strategy to do just that. .

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I think that would feed into their persecution complex and make them stronger. They love acting like martyrs for Jesus.

dkp93 Level 8 Dec 21, 2017
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I do not think picketing would be of much use in convincing anyone of the harm of Religion, It would lend itself to the narrative that there is a war on religion (christianity) that is prevalent in the North American situation at least. Were we to picket a church on a Sunday, there would likely be more coming out of the church to oppose us than join us. Such tactics have their place, I do not see how this would be one of them. If the plan is less simple than it sounds, I would invite an explanation of your approach.

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Not a good idea. Anyway, the way organised religion is going in the Western world , it seems to be having a natural death as it were.

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I think a fantastic first step would be taxation of these obviously propagandizing organizations!

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Up to you. You can complain about ignorance... or you can teach.

skado Level 9 Dec 21, 2017
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As I have said before - from the much less religious Canada -

Atheists if they want representation in the US - will have to refuse to sit in the back of the bus, someone has to be KNOWN as a good person, maybe a volunteer, member of the community, well likes=d and then run for mayor - saying they are atheist.. or something like that.

I am not sure what good picketing a church would do. I really never side with the protesters, I just consider them to be people who like to bitch.

picketing sure wouldnt show any particular positive qualities of an atheist

@Casey07 I hope this is sarcasm......

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Sorry can't agree,unless you picket mosques, synagogues and hindu temples too.Why pick on one religion?

Besides it would likely prove counterproductive,no one likes their freedom to worship challenged...isn't that in the US constitution somewhere?

I want to oppose religion in general but I want to do it at christian churches because they pose a threat to you, me and the very constitution you refer to. Religious schools are financed by our tax dollars. Rowe v Wade is in grave danger. Evangelical fanatics hold most of the highest offices in Washington and we inch closer to becoming a theocracy every day. They would like nothing better than people picketing mosques. I stand by my original post.

Thanks for the reply. As a Brit I am coming to understand the situation in the USA is very diffrent to the UK. Afetr being on here a few weeks I am learning more and more what is going on over that side of the pond.
Im not an epxert in US politics so my views are from outside the box on this. Religion is not a threat over here though some say Islam is. We are seiing increasd radicalisation but thats is caused by Western foreign policy in my view...so maybv=e that is driven by a Christian based meglomania that they have a divine right to rule the earth. Good luck with your protests, you will need it.

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I concur.

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Especially now with this Christian nation crap coming out of the White House I agree we need to take it to the streets nationwide.

That's why I joined here. Iv'e been anti theist most all my life. I'm here to meet others who want to take our government back from the religious right. They are shaping both domestic and international policy. People who pray everyday for Armageddon are shot callers in Washington. I am looking for a movement to join. People working for a societal Change .similar to the civil rights movement. Seems most atheists I talk with feel demonstrations are not a good look. I'm looking for the ones who feel theocracy is not such a good look either. . .

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