From Not My God blog

Aye gevalt-- Is it September already?

Thank Darwin for Facebook. It is proving invaluable in my meeting and schmoozing with other atheists/skeptics. Plus it's great for meeting cool people everywhere. To any young 'uns reading this, you have no idea how much the internet has changed things.

One thing I see a lot of in this project is atheists who have double, and sometimes even triple, whammies: being an atheist and being gay. Being an atheist and in the bible belt. Being atheist, gay and in the bible belt. I've met two such people from that last category. Here is one.

The author said I could use his real name, but since he is under 18, I decided not to use it for now. His words: "I don't mind if you put my name in it since the people I have to fear will only hold your book to burn it."

"I live in the bible belt at the age of 17 and being out of the closet, both as an atheist and gay male, I have had a constant stream of abuse from my fellow students. Because of my beliefs I am referred to as Hitler and greeted with a high hand salute or a 'Godless fag' remark. Our vice principal is the wife of a pastor, so she has a very good hold on [ignoring] my claims of abuse. I have been mocked during class and forced to keep quiet or face the [students} turning on me without any sort of protection from the so-called teachers there. I am told that it's because of my people, gays and atheists, that our country is decimated by natural disasters and child abuse. Oddly enough, with that being said, the husband of the pre-mentioned VP has been brought up on child abuse cases where his adopted sons have been molested along with the girls he also adopted. He was allowed to keep the boys if he changed churches, because God is a get-out-of-jail free card. One of our science teachers openly mocks evolution and says, 'The bible will tell you all you need to know about science.'

"I also was shunned by half the student body because I would not take part in the prayer on prayer day. Every argument towards reason is ignored with the saying, 'Don't pay attention to him, he's just some pathetic atheist.' This is followed by a laugh and a cold shoulder. I have few friends because of this mentality and the friends I do have still won't let me say anything atheistic for they are Christians, too. I'm called a whore because i see nothing wrong with premarital sex by the students who are already married to God via a wedding their Church held for them.

"I had to fight for my right to write a paper on the errors of the bible and the usage of it as law in today's culture."

I find the Hitler reference particularly disturbing... I know that many theists claim that Hitler was an atheist (as if that means god does exist), and that's probably where that comes from, but to liken an openly gay male to Hitler is, well, wrong in every sense. Then again, some town hall idiot called my own congressperson Barney Frank a Nazi, and he is openly gay AND Jewish.

I better talk to the guys at Homosecular Gaytheist about this.

I have some questions about the writer's story, such as exactly what happened with the pastor's children and whether religion really did factor in to the legality. Either way, when religiosi accuse atheists and gays for causing child abuse, I think that's really displacing what's going on. Methinks Christianity doth protesteth too much.