h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Nice to see the chilling quote from Bush Snr. in there.

It may also be worth restating that in a survey, US voters were asked how likely they were to vote for a candidate of their party if they were:

- black
- a woman
- a homosexual
- an atheist

The results suggested that there will be a black lesbian President before there'll be one without an imaginary friend...

SoRB

Yes, the USA is one nation under God...but only since 1954 when that part was included into the Pledge of Allegiance. Prior to that there was no reglious inference in it.

So, presumably, only atheists born after 1954 cannot be citizens due to not believing in a god. Prior to that to be a patriot you could believe in whatever god or no god.

I believe IN GOD WE TRUST is printed on American money together with a mystical triangular symobol. As a visitor to this planet the meaning of this cryptic message baffles me. How can a piece of paper, a banknote, in this case a US dollar bill believe in the existence of a, presumably Christian(?), God?

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Yesterday I saw the same mysterious symbol a on the USA money over a church door with the message GLORY TO GOD AND THE EMPEROR and black beasts holding two swords aloft. It's all very primitive isn't it?

Well, let this yank set you all straight and lower your fear levels over out cryptic "symbols" of world domination (darn, that was supposed to stay secret...oh well).

The unfinished pyramid and the eye in a triangle on the reverse side are classic symbols. The Egyptian pyramid is a symbol of strength and duration; the 13 steps indicate the original number of U.S. states; and the 13 steps leading to an unfinished summit indicates future growth of the nation.

The eye is known as the "Eye of Providence" and is surrounded by rays of light. The single eye shows up in Egyptian mythology as the Eye of Horus, an ancient god of the Egyptians. The eye represented wisdom, health and prosperity. Above the "eye" are the Latin words "Annuit Coeptis." This translates to "He has favored our undertakings." This line is associated with the "Eye of Providence."

Yes, it all sounds verrrry sinister indeed.

You think we'd have moved on by now,after all it's the space and the internet age. Superstitious nonsense seems to be rife. Perhaps it always will be?

Oh, I have no doubt.

ya i do understand. living in the U.S and in a very republican state i am looked down upon by teachers in school. most accualy think because some1 is atheist they must be gay, even tho i throw stuff at the gays . its just when not very close friends find out your athiest the look on there face is priceless...

You know, you're absolutely right. You /should/ be proud of discriminating against people because they're gay. After all, it isn't like they're normal people like you and me.

no there not. when one says the word magical "it" should be put to death.

Who learned you how to spoke?

If you are an atheist, you have a different perspective on things than the Church wants you to believe. You are free of religion's surly bonds.
You know reputedly there was this bloke once who had a different perspective on things than the established Church of the day. He went around telling people his views. I don't think that the established religionists of the day liked him too much, 'cause reputedly they got him nailed to a tree. Or is that just what the established religionists want you to believe happened to him, cause it sort of works as a bit of a deterrent?

Some of the things that we see on the TV about what upstanding US citizens do in the name of God, bring God into disrepute. Like picketing their fellow citizens children's funerals and making lives a living hell for them.

And Gays are OK, it just means more women for me! It's a far more humane system of population control than culling by Wars.

Love to you my friend, i am spending an hour spreading the love to fellow Atheist's, those who do not need an imaginary friend to love their fellow human being and to spread peace and love in the universe.

Just to put things straight then, I am not an Atheist. I have an imaginary friend, if that's what you want to call him. It's just that I appreciate the views of others and I am really sickened to the core over what goes on in the world in the name of this God, who is my friend and also that of anyone else who wants to get to know him well. Trouble is he tends to become a bit more than just a friend to some people and it gets to be the case of with friends like that who needs enemies.

Friends are there when you need them and are quite happy to take a back seat when perhaps you don't want their advice. The Church's monopoly on theism is almost at an end, thank God for Richard Dawkins or don't if you prefer. Richard does not appear to understand why people hold on to their Gods and I think that is a very good thing, that he doesn't comprehend everything. There probably is no rational reasoning behind everyones theology, and I am glad that there isn't. We are not a race of machines where everything can be dictated by reason and logic, however contrary to popular belief, reason and logic are allies of My imaginary friend.

fair play, well put, always learning, love love my friend

religion for most people is some sort of crutch. i have friends that just need somthing to believe in cause there life isnt going that well but then you get those extremists that take it so seriously. ive herd stories about when an atheist voices his opinion about religion gets a gun in his face from some muslim. people take religion to seriously and after 1000's of years of listing to the stories they take it for the truth and will do anything to uphold these belifs. for me i see religion as a stepping stone to a high understanding to life. long time ago people beleived in many gods and the reason for everything was some sort of god. then people got smarter and brought ideas from science and relgion and formed this one god concept. its a bit like the whole electron moving energy levels in an atom. once you get that next piece of understanding you see more and understand alot more about whats going on in life. not believing in a higher being for the reason for things opens up your mind. i saw drastic changes from one year in school when i still kinda was reigious and then everything opened up in my head and now i can understand and relate better to things being in school work and in turn get better grades and do better in life. letting sombody tell you what to think corupts your mind and closes it off from understanding the big picture. if you can get sombody to try to open up and try to understand what atheism is fully about then the world might be a better place. in the US people are very closed minded and do not wish to be told somthing or made to do somthing. since we are such a large countrie and so diverse you can just move and probably fit in somwhere else but in other countries like the UK its more compact and not as diverse in its people so they just learn to accept these kind of things and not make fun of people for it. i have a few atheist friends at school and there not so open about it as i am but also i take alot of shit for being atheist.

Move to Utah. And while you're at it, take an English class.

Or California now that I think about it. California would be good too. Maybe Nevada.

where's the bible belt ? :P

http://the-diplomat.com/asean-beat/2012/01/25/man-arrested-for-being-atheist/