Offensive E-mail I got from my mom
Offline I just got this e-mail from my mom today. I found it to be extremely offensive, and I wanted to share it with y'all. My mom very often forwards idiotic chain e-mails she gets from her friends and co-workers, most of which are Christian or conservative themed. I'd like to tell my mom to stop sending me this crap, but she'd probably have to delete me from her contact list in order to do so (she sends these e-mails to everyone on her list). Also, she rarely talks about this kind of shit over the phone or in person, unlike my dad.
Anyway, I just wanted to see what y'all thought of this extremely offensive e-mail I got from my mom. It's in the original format, although I deleted the pictures that were broken and some of the extra spaces in between lines.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
AGREE OR DELETE
Andy Rooney
DID YOU KNOW?
As you walk up the steps to the
building which houses the U.S Supreme Court
you can see near the top of the building a row
of the world's law givers and each one is
facing one in the middle who is facing forward
with a full frontal view ... it is Moses and he
is holding the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments
engraved on each lower portion of each door.
DID YOU KNOW?
As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see on the wall,
right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in
Washington , D.C.
DID YOU KNOW?
James Madison, the fourth president, known as
'The Father of Our Constitution' made the
following statement:
'We have staked the whole of all our political
institutions upon the capacity of mankind for
self-government, upon the capacity of each and
all of us to govern ourselves, to control
ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to
the Ten Commandments of God.'
DID YOU KNOW?
Every session of Congress begins with a prayer
by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid
by the taxpayer since 1777.
DID YOU KNOW?
Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the Constitution were members of the established orthodox churches in the colonies.
DID YOU KNOW?
Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would
overstep their authority and instead of
interpreting the law, would begin making law
an oligarchy...the rule of few over many.
How then, have we gotten to the point that
everything we have done for 232 years in this country is now suddenly "wrong and unconstitutional"?
Let's send this around the world and let the world see and remember what this great country was
built on...
I was asked to send this on if I agreed or
delete if I didn't. Now it is your turn...
It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God.
Therefore, it is very hard to understand
why there is such a mess about having the Ten Commandments on display or 'In God We Trust'
on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance...
Why don't we just tell the other 14% to Sit Down and SHUT UP! If you agree, pass this on!!
I do, so I did!!
And, I'll do so as many times as I am invited to do so!!
I, of course, deleted this garbage.
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Did they know?
"What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyrrany. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy." - James Madison
"It may not be easy, in every possible case, to trace the line of separation between the rights of religion and the Civil authority with such distinctness as to avoid collisions and doubts on unessential points. The tendency to unsurpastion on one side or the other, or to a corrupting coalition or alliance between them, will be best guarded agst. by an entire abstinence of the Gov't from interfence in any way whatsoever, beyond the necessity of preserving public order, and protecting each sect agst. trespasses on its legal rights by others." - James Madison
"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." - James Madison, 1803 letter objecting use of gov. land for churches
Did they know?
"I have examined all the known superstitions of the world and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the earth." - Thomas Jefferson
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." - Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Danbury (Conn.) Baptist Association, January 1, 1802
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot.... they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon, unintelligible to all mankind, and therefore the safer engine for their purpose." - Thomas Jefferson, to Horatio Spafford, March 17, 1814
Did they know?
"This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." - John Adams
"The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." - signed by John Adams, from the Treaty of Tripoli
"Can a free government possibly exist with the Roman Catholic religion?" - John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson
Did they know?
Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." - Benjamin Franklin
"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." - Benjamin Franklin, in Poor Richard's Almanac
"I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity." - Benjamin Franklin, Works, Vol. VII, p. 75
Did they know?
"The study of theology, as it stands in the Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on no principles; it proceeds by no authority; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing; and it admits of no conclusion." - Thomas Paine
"What is it the New Testament teaches us? To believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married; and the belief of this debauchery is called faith." - Thomas Paine
"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and tortuous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistant that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel." - Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
Did they know, George Washington?...
"Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by the difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be depreciated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society." - George Washington, letter to Edward Newenham, 1792
"Gouverneur Morris had often told me that General Washington believed no more of that system (Christianity) than did he himself." - Thomas Jefferson, in his private journal, Feb. 1800
Did they know that most of the Founding Fathers were NOT Christians? Did they know that virtually all of them were firm proponents of the separation of church and state? Did they know that virtually all of them would be opposed to the contents of this email? No, they didn't. Because they are intolerant, ignorant fundamentalists.
Because you can't. Because that 14% has a right to express their voice, under the Bill of Rights of the constitution, the most supreme law in the country, created by your "holy" Founding Fathers. Ha...ha...ha.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Thanks for all of those quotes. They are very nice. I've heard of most of them already. It just proves how ignorant the author of that e-mail was, and how ignorant all of the people, including my mom, are for spreading it.
The level of fail of that email when it comes to American history is just ridiculous.
I have to say Mahaco, I'm really sorry about you having to deal with this kind of bullshit. Having my mother tell me to Sit Down and SHUT UP would set me off. If I was in that position, I would tell her that her son was one of those she wanted to silence themselves, and she could choose her delusion or her son. I would personally never deal with shit like that, and she would either lose the disrespect or lose her son. But that's me, I have never been very good at avoiding confrontation... ask my mom (poor lady... I still feel bad that she had to deal with my punk teenage bullshit).
I guess I'm lucky that when I get email stuff from my mom, it's either genealogically related (that's her thing) or some kind of scientific study. Everyday, I find more and more reasons to thank probability that I was raised in an open minded, science loving atheistic household.
"This may shock you, but not everything in the bible is true." The only true statement ever to be uttered by Jean Chauvinism, sociopathic emotional terrorist.
"A Boss in Heaven is the best excuse for a boss on earth, therefore If God did exist, he would have to be abolished." Mikhail Bakunin
"The means in which you take,
dictate the ends in which you find yourself."
"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government! Supreme leadership derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
No Gods, No Masters!
I'm tired of this "The Ten Commandments are the basis of our system of law!" bullshit. It fucking pisses me off. And, it just isn't fucking true.
Let's take a look at the commandments, shall we?
Seriously? That's the one you're leading with? Good job, God, showing us that you are a fucking narcissistic bastard.
And exactly what law do we have that reflects this commandment? None. At least, none until the fundies get their way.
This one is kinda strange. It seems to be saying it's against the law to make pictures of real things. That's kinda sad. It's like God is saying, "Be ye not creative, or ye shall receive mine Divine Boot up thine ass." (Don't rag on my declensions. I don't know how to do all that olde-English bullshit, and I don't care to learn.)
In any case, it would make for a bad law.
Okay, there are some states in which cursing in public is illegal. I don't think that's the same as taking the LORD your God's name in vain. It seems that preachers do that all the time when they claim to know what God wants. But really. Is this a good idea for the basis of a law?
Okay. That's a good idea. Let's not have people work on Sunday (or Saturday, depending on your dogma of choice). Everything should just shut down. Also, what's this "To keep it holy" bullshit mean? That seems like a blank check to make you do anything at all on Sunday.
Beats the fuck out of me. But there's no law based on it.
Here we are, half-way through, and another clunker of a law. "Sorry, Dolly, your father has been raping you since you were three, but you still have to honor him."
When are we going to get some laws out of the Ten Commandments?
Yes! At number six, we finally get one real law. I'm glad I had the Ten Commandments to tell me not to murder. I wouldn't've thought of it myself.
There should be a law against people sleeping around. Seriously. You guys just don't have the right to have sex out of wedlock, unless you are raping a villager in a country you have recently conquered, and put the men to the sword. And then it is the fault of the villager, who is guilty of being conquered while being female.
And at number eight, we have another obvious law. Thanks, Old Testament, for finally writing down a law that nobody thought to write down before!
Nobody except Hammurabi, and a bunch of people after him.
Okay, this one actually is a good one. Perjury, libel, and slander are things that should not be tolerated in a decent society, one that must function equitably and truthfully.
However, this might also include gossip. Do we really want to outlaw gossip? If it weren't for busybodies talking over the fence at each other, they might be out there trying to pass a law banning sex out of wedlock.
I'm only giving this a one-half law.
Wow. Just . . . wow. The tenth commandment is the worst. It takes a good rule of thumb for living (don't get all worked up about what other people have) and turns it into a law? That's harsh! Worse, it turns thought into a crime. It's like God wanted to catch everyone in the net of the Ten Commandments, so the last one has to include everyone -- even those who do not act on their thoughts.
That's bullshit, God. You're a fuckin' asshole.
-----------------------
So, what's the final score? Let's see. One, plus one, plus one-half. Huh. That ain't good. That's not even the Major League batting average in 2004 (which was .266).
Y'know what my conclusion is? Our laws are not based on the Ten Commandments. At all. In the least. And even more, I don't want our laws to be based on the Ten Commandments. That'd be fucked up. How fucked up? Sharia-law fucked up.
The Ten Commandments suck. They suck so hard, they blow. If you agree, pass this on!!
I do, so I did!!
And, I'll do so as many times as I am invited to do so!! Because I am a sheep! That's right! I just do whatever anyone tells me! I follow whomever desires to lead! Especially people who can see Russia from their house, because that's just bitchin' cool! Oh, God, I did not mean to say "bitchin'!"
(Sorry, dude. I know your mom sent that to you. I hope you really do love and honor your mom, but mostly because I hope you have the kind of mom that deserves love and honor. I do mean disrespect, but I mean that disrespect to a strawman version of your mom, not your mom herself.)
"Yes, I seriously believe that consciousness is a product of a natural process. I find that the neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers who proceed from that premise are the ones who are actually making useful contributions to our understanding of the mind." - PZ Myers
Indeed, very much so.
Yep, that's the part of the e-mail that I found personally offensive.
I thought about telling her that, but my mom didn't actually qrite any of the words in that e-mail, she just got it from someone else, and then forwarded it to everyone on her mailing list.
Someday, I would like to pose such an ultimatum to my parents. As of now, though, I still occasionally need their help financially. I don't want to lose that yet. Also, I hate confrontations, and usually try to avoid them, although sometimes my dad pushes me too far with his bullshit since he talks about religion and politics almost every time we talk on the phone. Fortunately, my mom doesn't talk about such shit very often.
Also, my mom is not very tech-savvy, and is relatively new to the Internet. She might not even realize that she is sending these e-mails to me in the first place. She just forwards them to everyone on her mailing list.
At least I am not in the closet. Everyone in my family knows that I am an atheist and a liberal. They don't like it at all, but at least they don't shun me because of it.
I love science and geneaology. I wish I would have grown up in a household like yours. But, instead I grew up in a conservative Christian household. The odd thing is, though, we very rarely ever went to church (mostly because we moved around a lot, and my dad didn't much like organized religion or he thought that most churches were too liberal).
I'm confident that both of my parents are well above average in intelligence (how else would 3 out of 4 of their kids be near-geniuses?), but unfortunately, they are both (along with my older brother, the "dumb" one by our standards) extremely ignorant and uneducated. I was the first one in my family to go to college, although my younger siblings have since also gone. My younger sister is also an atheist like me. My younger brother apparently still believes, but he also accepts evolution and other science, and he does not take religion seriously (he NEVER talks about it) or literally.
Someday, I hope to be able to stand up to my parents and tell them to fuck off with the religious bullshit. Until then, I'll just continue on as I have for years.
I totally agree. It seems that anyone who thinks that our laws are based on the Ten Commandments is completely and totally ignorant. They either A) don't know shit about our laws; B) don't actually know what is written within the Ten Commandments; or C) don't know anything about either our laws OR the Ten Commandments! I'm going to go with C on this one. I mean, seriously, it's obvious that only 3 of the 10 have anything at all to do with any of our laws (don't murder, don't steal, don't commit perjury/libel/slander). But, here's the deal: those laws would exist with or without the Ten Commandments!
You know what's even worse though? Is the fucktards who not only think that our laws are based on the Ten Commandments, but those that think that the Constitution is based on the Ten Commandments! In that case, not a single one of the Commandments has anything whatsoever to do with the Constitution!
I really wish people weren't so willfully ignorant! Especially not such otherwise intelligent people as my parents.
I'm not offended by anything you said, and I agree with you. Yes, I do love and honor my mom. She doesn't bother me with the religious bullshit very often, unlike my dad, who does so way too much (but I love him anyway, also). They are both definitely religious Christian/conservative sheeple, and it's quite disgusting. At least they didn't raise me in a church. So, it could have been worse.
Not to forget the stuff that's not in the 10C - rape and torture are fine, since Big G has to be able to give his team the ok to wreak follow-up vengeance on any tribe that they manage to defeat in battle.
And of course slavery is perfectly ok as well, its part of the system.
I too get totally pissed-off anytime someone tries to say how great those rules are as a basis for morality...
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
Yep, there's a lot of bad stuff that isn't in the Ten Commandments, but should be. Also, notice how the people who spout off about how great the Ten Commandments are and such never, ever post a copy of the Ten Commandments when they do so? Probably because they couldn't name them.
First, what Nigel said, because ... seriously.
Second: why is it that when someone has a strong opinion about American politics, they follow it up with "and the dissenting view should shut up!" ? That seems anti-American to me. Isn't the point that you're able to argue about American politics? Americans practically invented the modern version of freely exchanging political ideas.
Demanding that a minority "shut up" is easily the worst part of that email.
Saint Will: no gyration without funkstification.
fabulae! nil satis firmi video quam ob rem accipere hunc mi expediat metum. - Terence
Yes, I totally agree. The "shut up" part is what offended me the most. The rest was just annoying by comparison. It seems only conservatives hold the view that people who disagree with them should just shut up. They seem to equate conservatism with Americanism. It's quite disgusting, really.
I'd have added her to my block list and stopped speaking to her until she apologises.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.