Dear David the Atheist,

I approve of your efforts and wish them success. You are aided by the fact that there is a word, atheist, to describe your position. However, I wish there was a word to express opposition to faith, itself. Critics of the Chinese government and its dogma of Marxism are sent to re-education centres to accept the official ideology. That is analogous to the Inquisition. Ideology is merely religion with a shorter shelf time. Unfaithful implies something other than rejection of unprovable propositions. Sceptic merely means a doubter.

David of unfaith, rejecter of unprovable propositions

Yeah, David N & David F,
the term “atheist” is not ideal, mainly because not believing in a god or supernatural beings is the default position.
Why should there be a word to describe a non-belief or lack of belief in some made-up being, or anything for which there is no evidence?
I suppose I use it (reluctantly) because there is no other convenient term to describe or label this position.
Someone gave the example –perhaps it was Sam Harris, that we don’t have a word to describe a lack of belief in other non-proven things, like astrology. People don’t talk about a-astrologists.

I have no problem with people who have faith if they feel that it helps them deal with life, or when they feel it makes them a better person. But beliefs definitely need to be kept private.
The problem starts when someone's religious beliefs impose on other people’s freedom or interferes in other people’s lives.
I also have a problem with faith schools that spread or reinforce a certain faith held by the parents of the pupils. They can teach ABOUT world religions, but not promote any.
Schools are supposed to pass on knowledge about technology and such, not fill children’s heads with religious nonsense.

Poly, I understand what you mean and do see your point.
On the ABS site, people are asked to fill in the forms correctly also in regard to the religious question.

”ABS recognises that people have a wide range of belief systems

If your belief system is "Jedi" then answer as such on the census form. But if you would normally answer Anglican or Jewish or Buddhist or something else to the question "what is your religion?" and for the census you answer "Jedi" then this may impact on social services provision if enough people do the same.”

Tee-hee, we can play with the thought about the social services required by the Jedi :)

"BUS SLOGAN REJECTED!"

Heh, excellent. Common sense takes a wicket. Finally.

I see David's organization valid, if only to have the general public, both believing and non-believing, more able to review their situations based on science and history. If one considers the hunge resources placed into the hans of those whom would promote the Christmas story, why would one deny a simple sign on on a bus?

It is important to Humanity's intellectual outlook to know whether vegetarian lions accompanied a person called Noah on the Ark after a Flood that Covered all the world's mountains by twenty feet, or, whether the Sun is at the centre of the Solar System (conceded by Christians in 1992), or, whether Jesus Christ was a medicant or a god or other entity, or, whether The Earth is 6,000 years old or five billion years old.

"People against Live Animal Export..."

I suggest, it is probably good that the place of monarchy and religion have diminished. No more shooting of an Archduke leading to fifty million deaths. No more cruasades and Inquisitions. Domocratic government by The People, is superior to a Monarch or a Theocracy, I suggest.

one under god,

So you would you object to the sign on a chariot circa the first century of the current era? The Roman pangi regarded Chrsitians as Atheists. So ou would have agreed that it one should not have proclaimed Christ, because it would have been an offense to pantheism?

In the Julian decades, it would not have been so much the problem that Christians did worship their god, they would not recognize other gods.

Also, in case of the Jews, the offense was that Romans "did" go to their Jewish Temple" The Romans eat meat from the bone, which made them "unclean".

It was reported a couple of years ago that the Tasmanian group Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania wanted to pay for ads on the Metro Tasmania government buses against live exports, and it was refused. Apparently Metro Tasmania took exception to the picture of the dead sheep it contained.

Nicky