Althouse: Why is it so hard to see atheists?

March 13, 2015

Why is it so hard to see atheists?

Do they have some God-given invisibility power?

45 comments:

James Pawlak said...: Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao and others of that ilk seemed very visible.; 3/13/15, 9:11 AM
Jaq said...: "Right Wing Watch"? Seriously?; 3/13/15, 9:15 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "'Right Wing Watch'? Seriously?"

That's the kind of comment you'd make if you had nothing of substance to say.

Is Graham's comment misreported?; 3/13/15, 9:19 AM
Wince said...: Ann Althouse said...
"'Right Wing Watch'? Seriously?"

That's the kind of comment you'd make if you had nothing of substance to say.

Is Graham's comment misreported? Graham's comment misreported?

Hey, even a "Right Wing Watch" is correct at least twice a day.; 3/13/15, 9:25 AM
CStanley said...: I don't understand the connection between your title and Graham's statements. Is it that you think atheism is a more likely explanation for Obama's beliefs, but Graham can't see that?; 3/13/15, 9:26 AM
Ann Althouse said...: @CStanley

If I was going to spell things out, I wouldn't have bothered to post.; 3/13/15, 9:29 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Why is it so hard to reconcile what Obama says he believes with what he actually does?; 3/13/15, 9:34 AM
traditionalguy said...: It is simple.

Graham is speaking for Christians. The spirit that started Christianity is opposed to the spirit behind Mohammedism that requires its people to vow daily they will wipe out Christians who dare to contradict Mohammed by saying Jesus is God's Son.

Atheists are not involved at all. They do not accept any spirits unless they can control them for fun and profit.; 3/13/15, 9:39 AM
CStanley said...: Sorry, maybe it's me but I needed a bit more to connect the dots.; 3/13/15, 9:40 AM
mccullough said...: Obama, like most atheists, is Christian; 3/13/15, 9:42 AM
SJ said...: Perhaps there should be a discussion of the evidence about Obama, and the religious practices of his parents.

What is known?

What are the known unknowns?

What are the unknown unknowns?

What evidence did Franklin Graham bring to the discussion?

Is there any counter-evidence that could be brought?; 3/13/15, 9:46 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Sorry, maybe it's me but I needed a bit more to connect the dots."

You need to enjoy dots more.

Consider me the Seurat of bloggers.; 3/13/15, 9:49 AM
Wince said...: Ann Althouse said...
@CStanley. If I was going to spell things out, I wouldn't have bothered to post.

Shouldn't be so harsh on CS.

After all, hasn't the media declared it off-limits to question -- or more to the point, not attest in answer a question -- about Obama's Christianity?

Loyalty oaths and all.; 3/13/15, 9:58 AM
Cog said...: Obama got a madrassa education during his years in Indonesia while living in his Muslim step-father's home. Seem obvious that is what informed his recent defensive statement about Christians not getting on their high horse about terrorism on account of the Crusades.; 3/13/15, 10:00 AM
machine said...: "...refusing to fight ISIS"

sounds about "right".; 3/13/15, 10:00 AM
mccullough said...: Graham needs to stoke the embers to keep the donations rolling into the family business. Like most atheists, Graham is a Christian.; 3/13/15, 10:08 AM
traditionalguy said...: Graham runs a world wide Mission to feed the hungry and evangelize the world like his daddy used to do.

So he thinks hard about the problem of his converts daily being enslaved and slaughtered for Allah's pleasure.

He wants to know why Obama goes along with that but kisses the Murdering Muslims' asses everytime he can saying, "Want a nuclear bomb, then have one so you can defend Muslims from bad Jews and bad Christians."; 3/13/15, 10:09 AM
CStanley said...: Consider me the Seurat of bloggers

Some posts evoke Seurat, some Ishihara :-); 3/13/15, 10:12 AM
Unknown said...: "Is Graham's comment misreported?"

I went to the source and there is no transcript. I don't care enough to listen to the pod cast, but with a very cursory search am unable to find any source claiming Obama Sr. was an atheist that didn't originate with the man who said he was a Christian because he couldn't get elected to Congress from the South Side of Chicago or Senate in Illinois or president if he were an atheist or Muslim.

It's entirely possible Obama II didn't actually know his father's religious bent, and made a political calculation that it was better for him if his father was atheist rather than Muslim.; 3/13/15, 10:14 AM
mccullough said...: The Graham family has a net worth of $25 million. Religion is their industry. Stoking up some hatred of Muslims and Obama fills the coffers. They are atheists, not Christians.; 3/13/15, 10:14 AM
Jaq said...: Right Wing Watch is like a site dedicated to the observation of some species run by people who have absolutely no understanding of their own subject matter.

It is a hate site, basically.; 3/13/15, 10:22 AM
n.n said...: Atheists possess a faith that evades acknowledgement.; 3/13/15, 10:24 AM
The Savage Noble said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/15, 10:47 AM
The Savage Noble said...: Because, ultimately, many who believe cannot properly accept that atheism isn't some form of protest belief. They (atheists) have to believe SOMETHING deep down...they know better, they're just throwing their medals over the pearly gates, so to speak.; 3/13/15, 10:48 AM
traditionalguy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/15, 10:55 AM
traditionalguy said...: It is better to be an avowed atheist than to publicly declare Billy and Franklin Graham are fakes doing a fake ministry for money. That might be the famous unforgivable sin.; 3/13/15, 10:55 AM
Quaestor said...: Obama probably isn't a secret Muslim, nor is he likely to be an atheist. At this stage in his presidency there would be little to loose if as an atheist he came right out and admitted it. Those who admire him would continue to admire him. Those who dislike him would continue to dislike him. Even if Obama's popularity floor collapsed under his feet after a confession of non-belief, the Democrats are too heavily invested in his policies to bail on him.

Obama is a Christian; you can take that to the bank. But that says both too little and too much. There are lots of nominal as well as devout Christians who are all too willing to do mischief to this republic, whether it be peacenik nuns who would happily sink an aircraft carrier at her moorings or creationists who seek to replace biology, astronomy, physics, geology, and all other "ologies" with their own mythology.

We've already had atheist presidents, Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln come readily to mind, and they've been pretty good when contrasted with strident bible-thumpers like Jimmah Cahtah and Woodrow Wilson. Yes, I know what you're thinking, gentle reader, you're thinking Quaestor's off his chump again. Everybody knows these guys were deists, which I counter by noting that a deist is just an atheist without the benefit of modern science.

That Franklin Graham attributes Obama's fecklessness regarding ISIS to covert Mohammedanism surprises me not. The poor boob is hardly a patch on his daddy both as an intellect and as a polemicist. The true explanation is much simpler and doesn't rely on the machinations of Obama's distant, ever-seeking-never-finding mother. The plain fact is George W. Bush largely won a hard-fought war against jihadist Islam on two fronts, one in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq, but he didn't have time in nearly eight years to complete the victory. Obama took over the reins of power and promptly lost through a potent mix of stupidity and arrogance the peace he could have won if he was anybody but himself. To wage a vigorous fight against this obvious common enemy of everyone who values civilization is tantamount to an admission of failure, and Obama values his own high opinion of himself far too much to countenance such an admission. The lives and liberty of a bunch of brown people in a far away land are inconsequential in comparison to Obama’s ego.

If America can have a president who edited his own New Testament, razoring out everything that was either not a direct quote from Jesus or contrary to Natural Law (Jefferson's Bible was rather thin I surmise), and two other presidents who never joined a church, then surely in the 21st century we can send a non-believer to the White House. The only devout belief we should look for in a candidate ought to be a devotion to the Constitution and to the Republic. Hang the rest.; 3/13/15, 11:03 AM
Nonapod said...: What's weird is how often we're expected to take politicians at their own word about their beliefs. Obama says he's Christian. He says his parents were atheist and/or agnostic. But ultimately you can't know what's really in a person's heart, you can only judge them by their actions.; 3/13/15, 11:09 AM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Quaestor said...To wage a vigorous fight against this obvious common enemy of everyone who values civilization is tantamount to an admission of failure, and Obama values his own high opinion of himself far too much to countenance such an admission. The lives and liberty of a bunch of brown people in a far away land are inconsequential in comparison to Obama’s ego.

Daaaamn. Are you sure you're not a Praetor, working on Consul?; 3/13/15, 11:48 AM
Quaestor said...: Suppose I skip precursories and go straight for Princeps?; 3/13/15, 12:13 PM
Anonymous said...: I assume everyone is an atheist until proven otherwise - even people at Church who often don't really believe, but are there for social reasons, family reasons, or are sincerely trying to belief, but don't.

If you want to "see" atheists, just go to Reddit or talk to 90% of the scientists and/or academics, although occasionally you will find a believer.; 3/13/15, 12:18 PM
Anonymous said...: belief = believe; 3/13/15, 12:18 PM
Drago said...: machine: "sounds about "right""

Look who needs to catch up..again.

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-03-13/did-kerry-exaggerate-islamic-state-casualties-

Obama is doing the minimum required politically in confronting ISIS.

Obama is handing nukes to Iran so standby for the inevitable nuke arms race in the Middle East: http://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-nuclear-deal-raises-stakes-for-iran-talks-1426117583

It's okay machine. These are "uncomfortable" real world-y type things. You can return to your much needed slumber.; 3/13/15, 12:44 PM
Revenant said...: I don't understand the connection between your title and Graham's statements.

Obama's father was an atheist, but Graham calls him a Muslim because that's how he was raised.

In fairness, though, I've known atheists who called themselves "Muslims" or "Jews" because that's the community they grew up in. I've been called "Christian" for similar reasons. Identity politics and all that.; 3/13/15, 12:55 PM
Revenant said...: Quaestor's been on a roll lately. Bucking for a guest blogging spot at Instapundit, Q? :); 3/13/15, 12:57 PM
mccullough said...: Obama and Graham call themselves Christians. Apparently, atheists are very hard to see.; 3/13/15, 1:12 PM
Gusty Winds said...: Does a wolf in sheep's clothing count as a cloak of invisibility?; 3/13/15, 2:20 PM
Jaq said...: "Media: How dare Scott Walker doubt Barack Obama's faith in Scott Walker's ridiculous invisible sky beard man" - Iowahawk David Burge

An oldie (in internet time) but a goodie.; 3/13/15, 2:31 PM
hombre said...: A. Atheists are not hard to see. Dawkins and his disciples are very visible, as was Hitchens. And there's Mikey Weinstein, among others, listed on the AFA's anti-Christian bigots list. They're easy to find.

B. Obama's father was an atheist, not a Muslim? And we know that because Obama said so, was quoted in the New York Time, which was linked by Right Wing Watch?

ROTFLMAO!; 3/13/15, 3:02 PM
hombre said...: A. Atheists are not hard to see. Dawkins and his disciples are very visible, as was Hitchens. And there's Mikey Weinstein, among others, listed on the AFA's anti-Christian bigots list. They're easy to find.

B. Obama's father was an atheist, not a Muslim? And we know that because Obama said so, was quoted in the New York Time, which was linked by Right Wing Watch?

ROTFLMAO!; 3/13/15, 3:02 PM
hombre said...: Oh. I see from one of the Professor's earlier posts (9:19) that "consider the source" is not adequate refutation in her book.

How about "consider the sources" when referring to Obama, the NYT and Right Wing Watch, not one, but three sources known for bias, distorting the truth and general unreliability.

I don't question that Graham said what was attributed to him. I question the assertion that Barack, Sr, was an atheist, not a Muslim.; 3/13/15, 3:12 PM
CStanley said...: It seems to me that Graham was mostly asserting that Obama's mother was a Muslim, and the only evidence he cites is her marriages to Muslim men.

That's pretty dumb, but it is a bit inexplicable that leftist atheists would find common cause with Muslims. On the other hand, plenty of them do, whether that makes sense or not.; 3/13/15, 3:37 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 3/13/15, 3:42 PM
Revenant said...: Obama's father was an atheist, not a Muslim? And we know that because Obama said so, was quoted in the New York Time, which was linked by Right Wing Watch?

If you want to go based on objectively verifiable sources instead of Barack Obama's testimony, Obama Senior was neither a Muslim nor an atheist. He was a Christian.; 3/13/15, 6:10 PM
hombre said...: And an "objectively veruifiable source" would be you, Revenant?; 3/14/15, 10:03 AM