American Atheists Missouri

REPORT: 25% - 50% of Catholic Priests Gay!

ATHEISTS URGE THEM TO LEAVE THE FOLD…

An Atheist advocacy group today called upon Roman Catholic priests who are gay to resign from the church and reject the Vatican’s repressive teachings on homosexuality–and much else.

This comes following an expose by the Italian weekly news magazine Panorama titled “Good Nights Out For Gay Priests.” Investigative journalist Carmelo Abbate who spent time undercover filming and interviewing gay clerics who often flaunted their lifestyle, and even hired male escorts for private parties. Panorama’s expose seems to confirm a 2000 study by Father Donald Cozzens whose book, The Changing Face of the Priesthood suggested that as many as 60% of American Catholic priests were gay.

Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, said, “In an institution where men and women are treated as equals–as human beings!–double lives (hypocrisy) aren’t necessary. These men should choose integrity, honest lives, not continuing support for unsupportable, irrational dogma that misleads millions and expands human suffering rather than easing it.”

Dr. Buckner added, “The issues of sexual abuse of children by clergy and the church’s policies regarding accepting homosexuality are connected (though the abuse has certainly not been exclusively of boys); hypocrisy and dishonesty plague the Vatican in many ways, but these are perhaps the most damaging. Sexual orientation is a different question altogether from clerical pedophile abuse. The church considers gays to be ’sinners,’ and we think it appropriate that any gay clerics reject this superstition.”

Dave Silverman, Vice President and Communications Director for American Atheists, encouraged recognition of gay rights and openness about problems: “Gay men and women continue to speak out for civil rights and social recognition. There is no longer any need to hide in the shadows even of the priesthood.”

Silverman added: “There are many religions out there, and some are far less intolerant or antiquated than Catholicism. We agree with the Vatican that any gay priest should leave the priesthood, and pursue a life of tolerance and civility.”

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.

American Atheists, Inc. PO BOX 158, Cranford, NJ 07016

Tel.: (908) 276-7300 Fax: (908) 276-7402

JULY 24, 2010 — 10:00 AM ET ~ Glen Beck, The

Founders, Atheism & More

Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, will be the guest on The Samantha Clemens Show” this Saturday, July 24, 2010  The show airs from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM on WWZN Boston, 1510 AM and will be streamed live on the internet.

To access the program, visit http://samanthaclemens.com/ .

Glen Beck is on a crusade; a self-appointed prophet of God, the Founding Fathers, and anyone else he can think of.

According to him, social justice is wicked.  Collective salvation is what liberals are trying to get by taking wealth from individuals and spreading to the needy. And atheists are to blame for it all.  As reported in the Utah News…

First, though, he asked the audience to visualize a pyramid illustrating his view of how liberals are attacking America’s foundation.

Originally, he said, America was built on God at its base and personal charity (as opposed to government welfare) at its center, with government occupying only the pointy, narrow top, doing only the things people couldn’t do for themselves. Now, he argued, the U.S. government has reversed the equation, insinuating itself into all aspects of life while pushing God aside.

“There is a perversion of faith right now,” he said, “a wicked, wicked perversion. And it is all about social justice. It is all about collective salvation. It’s actually all about Marxism.”

Collective salvation, he said, is a liberal goal meant to force individuals into doing the right thing by taking wealth from them and spreading it to the needy. In his view, he said, salvation only comes when individuals accept God.  Utah News, July 18, 2010.

We’re going to get a real live atheist on the show to explain why he wants to destroy America by imposing Marxism and thus thwarting the Founding Fathers, who apparently weren’t deists or atheists…  except they were.

Interestingly, even faith organizations are protesting Beck’s characterizations – we’ll look into that as well.

WHO & WHAT: Dr. Ed Buckner, President of the American Atheists live on The Samantha Clemens Show and on the internet.

WHEN: This Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 10 AM - 11 AM ET.

WHERE: WWZN radio Boston, 1510 on the AM dial, internet at http://samanthaclemens.com/ ,

MORE INFO: http://samanthaclemens.com:

(AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church-temple-mosque and State; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.”)

USA Today piece: “Mo. Special Olympics ousts ex-priest over abuse history”

An Atheist civil rights group today called upon a columnist for a popular conservative web site to reconsider and retract her comments that those defacing an Atheist billboard in North Carolina are “my kind of vandals.”

Chrissy Satterfield, who writes for the WorldNetDaily.com site, was describing a billboard erected by secularists that was defaced last month. The advertisement read “One Nation Indivisible,” referring to the wording in the original Pledge of Allegiance. Congress added “Under God” in the mid-1950s. Vandals spray painted “Under God” on the billboard, an act which has spurred a debate over free speech and the role of government in promoting religion.

In her WND column titled “My Kind of Vandals,” Ms. Satterfield wrote: “Never would I encourage vandalism, but in this case I think I’ll let it slide…” She then accused local Atheists of “insulting Christians” and then declared: “I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the man or woman responsible for this vandalism….”

Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, urged Ms. Satterfield to reconsider her intemperate remarks and to condemn any and all acts that threaten free expression.

“It’s one thing to disagree with what other people — Atheists or Muslims or Christians — are saying, but endorsing violence and incivility in the form of vandalism crosses an important line. When people are intimidated by physical violence for politely (or strongly) stating their views, the First Amendment rights of everyone in our society are threatened.

“As a working journalist Ms. Satterfield should know this. Writers have often paid a high price for expressing their views, and it is important that we condemn all attempts to silence or bully any social or political statement. Ms. Satterfield’s credibility is undercut by her own words, since she declared she’d ‘never encourage vandalism,’ but then openly encouraged it in the same column. How would she respond if a hacker invaded her column and inserted words there expressing the opposite of her opinion?”

Dave Silverman, Vice President and Communications Director for American Atheists, asked: “How would Chrissy feel if Atheists gleefully defended vandalism of churches or religious billboards?”

“You can’t have one standard for religious messages and another for those expressed by Atheists and secularists,” said Silverman. “If religious people disagree with the message on our billboards, perhaps they should put up their own advertisements. And if their billboards are defaced, American Atheists will be the first to emphatically condemn such cowardly intimidation.”

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
American Atheists, Inc. PO BOX 158, Cranford, NJ 07016
Tel.: (908) 276-7300 Fax: (908) 276-7402