"...How I love to see the secularists squirm under conditions of defeat!"

Diver dan
Are you referring to the Egyptian Coptic Christians who cannot practise their religion freely in their own country?

Philo,

Huh? How on earth does pointing out what crucifixes were used for make me intolerant of community diversity? There aren't even any Romans about who might regard such comments as intolerant.

Trav,

I assume, in that case, that you won't have any problems with me banging loudly on your door at 6am after you've had a big night on the turps to share with you the awesomeness of atheism. Nor will you take any issue with me haranguing and harassing you about my lack of faith, and why you are A BAD PERSON if you don't agree with me.

I don't know why you wouldn't have a problem with this - I regard such behaviour as irritating at best, and frequently downright offensive.

As I said, I don't mind religious folk being religious in church. I only object when it is forced upon me. All I'm asking is that I can go unmolested in the public square, without having a pamphlet thrust into my unwilling hand by some irritating God-botherer.

Go back and read my post for yourself (if you are sufficiently literate). I think you'll find that what I was arguing for was that ALL views be excluded from the public square, and that people be allowed to conduct their town-square related business free from the ideological impositions of ANY sort of evangelist.

Your example is a red herring. Private citizens could actually knock on each other's door, that has little to do with public spaces or public discourse generally.

I know that it is your view that ALL religions should be kept out of the public square- you need not clarify. My objections remain. There is no democratic reason to retain this totalitarian principle, and it was not the original intention of secularism.

Trav,
I support your view. True democracy allows public expression of diverse ideas. Ancient Greece had the Areopagus Sydney has the Domain. I in my youth loved the public spruking of ideas and diverse philosophies. I say Bring ot back!

Trav,

So then you'll have no problem with providing me with your address, in order that I might practise a little evangelical atheism?

Yeah, I thought so.

Like all Christian apologists on this forum, you are unwilling to put your money where your mouth is. You're quite happy for your 'Christian' mates to evangelise at us godless heathens, but I have little doubt that you'd get your nose seriously out of joint if a heathen were to evangelise at you.

Hooray for double standards! (sarcasm)

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (not sarcasm)

Enough with the red herrings, please.

I am talking about public discourse and which views should and shouldn't be allowed to exist in the shared public arena