David Silverman, American Atheists,The Twin Towers Cross, and The Star of David
I'm a fan and supporter of American Atheists (regretfully, not financially. Too poor). I think the president of the organization, David Silverman, does a laudable job considering the forces against us. The same with Dan Barker, from Freedom From Religion Foundation. I support them both. And I think the law, history, and the future is on our side. But nobody's perfect, and as they say, getting skeptics and atheists to agree and join forces is like herding cats.
They catch a lot of flak. Not much of it deserving. But the Star of David in the Holocaust Museum controversy is where I may have a nit to pick.
Religion tends to have a lot to do with history. And the Holocaust perpetuated on the Jews was historical fact. The cross beam worship from the Twin Towers Memorial is ridiculous and a prop and a sop to a religious takeover of the tragedy. It shouldn't be allowed. It's divisive, not historic, not even significant, and if people that believe in Bronze Aged myths need it for a symbol (like all the other symbols they've stolen from other cultures, lied about, or just plain fabricated), then let them keep it in their own churches. And worship till their ears bleed, if they like. But the museum is not to be made into a propaganda piece for Christianity. Not on our tax dollars. Our country was attacked. Not Christianity.
The attack on the Star of David in the Holocaust museum is misplaced. I think. I understand the thought behind it, but I don't think it was well thought out. The sewn patches in the death camps were forced on them. The Jews were targeted. The history lesson to be learned from that one brief period goes back to the days before Constantine. And the history unfolding before our eyes is still affected by the War, and the Jews, and the Nazis. "Never again!" is our rallying cry. Though we've seen it happen again, and again. And we have helped to foster genocide ourselves. In our past, and in our present. No doubt we have helped to avert it as best we can, when it suits our purposes, but our hands, and our hearts are not clean. We have lessons yet to learn.
This was a misfire. Individuals, groups, organizations, and nations (even the "good" ones) occasionally misfire. Mechanisms (like guns, for instance) will misfire sometimes. Silverman and Barker will probably remain on the defensive and keep arguing their point. I hope they don't. It's wrong. And it casts a bad light on all the other good work they do.
Here's a guy, Daniel Finke, two posts from his blog Camels With Hammers, that puts it better than I:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2013/07/the-very-worst-of-the-atheist-movement-on-display-major-atheist-orgs-attack-star-of-david-holocaust-memorial/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2013/07/its-about-what-the-1st-amendment-should-mean/
And a lively and thoughtful intramural debate continues on Hemant Mehta's Friendly Atheist blog:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/07/26/dave-silverman-appears-on-fox-news-to-debate-jewish-star-on-ohios-holocaust-memorial/
They catch a lot of flak. Not much of it deserving. But the Star of David in the Holocaust Museum controversy is where I may have a nit to pick.
Religion tends to have a lot to do with history. And the Holocaust perpetuated on the Jews was historical fact. The cross beam worship from the Twin Towers Memorial is ridiculous and a prop and a sop to a religious takeover of the tragedy. It shouldn't be allowed. It's divisive, not historic, not even significant, and if people that believe in Bronze Aged myths need it for a symbol (like all the other symbols they've stolen from other cultures, lied about, or just plain fabricated), then let them keep it in their own churches. And worship till their ears bleed, if they like. But the museum is not to be made into a propaganda piece for Christianity. Not on our tax dollars. Our country was attacked. Not Christianity.
The attack on the Star of David in the Holocaust museum is misplaced. I think. I understand the thought behind it, but I don't think it was well thought out. The sewn patches in the death camps were forced on them. The Jews were targeted. The history lesson to be learned from that one brief period goes back to the days before Constantine. And the history unfolding before our eyes is still affected by the War, and the Jews, and the Nazis. "Never again!" is our rallying cry. Though we've seen it happen again, and again. And we have helped to foster genocide ourselves. In our past, and in our present. No doubt we have helped to avert it as best we can, when it suits our purposes, but our hands, and our hearts are not clean. We have lessons yet to learn.
This was a misfire. Individuals, groups, organizations, and nations (even the "good" ones) occasionally misfire. Mechanisms (like guns, for instance) will misfire sometimes. Silverman and Barker will probably remain on the defensive and keep arguing their point. I hope they don't. It's wrong. And it casts a bad light on all the other good work they do.
Here's a guy, Daniel Finke, two posts from his blog Camels With Hammers, that puts it better than I:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2013/07/the-very-worst-of-the-atheist-movement-on-display-major-atheist-orgs-attack-star-of-david-holocaust-memorial/
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/camelswithhammers/2013/07/its-about-what-the-1st-amendment-should-mean/
And a lively and thoughtful intramural debate continues on Hemant Mehta's Friendly Atheist blog:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/07/26/dave-silverman-appears-on-fox-news-to-debate-jewish-star-on-ohios-holocaust-memorial/
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