Atheistforums.com

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/there-was-staggering-increase-violence-threats-against-abortion-providers-2015

QuoteAbortion clinics and providers suffered a sharp rise in murders, attempted murders, death threats, hate speech and internet harassment committed against them in 2015 according to a new report by The National Abortion Federation.


Threats of direct harm against abortion providers soared from a single reported incident in 2014 to 94 the following year; documented cases of online hate speech rose from 91 to 25,839 in 2015, and the number of facility pickets climbed from 5,402 to a record-breaking 21,715. The number of clinic blockades, meanwhile, nearly doubled in 2015 from the level the year before.

Violent incidents, which had been on the decline in previous years, peaked in the aftermath of the November shooting of a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic.

The NAF detailed the long history of violence against abortion providers leading up to the Planned Parenthood attack.

“Since 1977, there have been 11 murders, 26 attempted murders, 42 bombings, 185 arsons, and thousands of incidents of criminal activities directed at abortion providers,” the report states. “Three of those murders happened in November 2015, when Robert Dear opened fire at an abortion facility in Colorado Springs, killing three people and wounding nine others.”

The report also claimed that the “alarming” rise in violent incidents “directly correlates to the release of inflammatory videos aimed at demonizing providers” released by The Center for Medical Progress last year.

According to Slate, the verdict on the causality of the videos remains unclear, with the Los Angeles Times remarking that, “There is no evidence that [the attack] was a direct result of the anti-Planned Parenthood fervor.”

The Times, however, emphasized the continuous threat faced by abortion providers in the United States.

“Still, it is important to remember that as long as abortion has been legal in the U.S., abortion clinics throughout the country have been subject to arson and bombings,” they wrote.

The National Abortion Federation highlighted the importance of reversing this disturbing trend.

“We cannot continue to allow anti-abortion extremists to use violence to advance their own personal, political agendas,” they wrote. “Nor can we continue to allow them to contribute to a climate that encourages violence against abortion providers.”

Christian Nationalism:

QuoteChristian nationalists believe in a revisionist history, which holds that the founders were devout Christians who never intended to create a secular republic; separation of church and state, according to this history, is a fraud perpetrated by God-hating subversives.

The actions taken against abortion clinics are fully justified by their beliefs. Along with Dominionism, in effect we run the show and everybody else is not entitled.

Same people that insist the U.S. is a Christian nation, that once we were an ideal country gone astray and so forth. This will continue and it will get worse until they finally come to grips with reality. Won't happen soon.

I wonder if Republicans have lots of stock in these machines:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw0gE8ueXAw&nohtml5=False

Just because a fanatic looks like you, doesn't make him any less dangerous than a fanatic who looks different than you ... in fact the fanatic who does look like you, is more dangerous, because he can fly under the radar.

Self-righteousness is a horrible sin ... in any religion.

QuoteChristian nationalists believe in a revisionist history, which holds that the founders were devout Christians who never intended to create a secular republic; separation of church and state, according to this history, is a fraud perpetrated by God-hating subversives.

This is so stupid and not at all backed by actual historical documents.  These people will proudly declare their ignorance when they say, "The Constitution never mentions separation of church and state!", completely oblivious to the historical truth that, first of all, that's EXACTLY what the First Amendment says, and that the term "separation of church and state" comes from Thomas Jefferson (I'm pretty sure being the principal author of the Declaration of Independence qualifies him as a "founding father") who wrote about wanting a "wall of separation between church and state".  Not to mention the Treaty of Tripoli, which outright states that America is not a Christian nation (regardless whether the translated version contained article 11, the English version, the version unanimously approved by Congress and the president, did).

But here's the REAL kicker.  Do you know what is NOT mentioned in ANY of this "Christian nation's" founding documents, EVER?  THE CHRIST!  Never once is Jesus mentioned anywhere.  It does refer to "God", but so did Einstein, who was very much not a Christian.  It's just the way people used to talk.  But the most damning evidence that America was never intended to be a Christian nation is that no founding document ever even mentions the Christ, something kind of important when establishing a Christian nation.

Quote from: widdershins on April 08, 2016, 11:40:08 AM
It does refer to "God",

Actually the US Constitution doesn't mention "God" at all. The closest it comes is in the signatory section where it says, "Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven".

Quote from: widdershins on April 08, 2016, 11:40:08 AM
This is so stupid and not at all backed by actual historical documents.  These people will proudly declare their ignorance when they say, "The Constitution never mentions separation of church and state!", completely oblivious to the historical truth that, first of all, that's EXACTLY what the First Amendment says, and that the term "separation of church and state" comes from Thomas Jefferson (I'm pretty sure being the principal author of the Declaration of Independence qualifies him as a "founding father") who wrote about wanting a "wall of separation between church and state".  Not to mention the Treaty of Tripoli, which outright states that America is not a Christian nation (regardless whether the translated version contained article 11, the English version, the version unanimously approved by Congress and the president, did).

But here's the REAL kicker.  Do you know what is NOT mentioned in ANY of this "Christian nation's" founding documents, EVER?  THE CHRIST!  Never once is Jesus mentioned anywhere.  It does refer to "God", but so did Einstein, who was very much not a Christian.  It's just the way people used to talk.  But the most damning evidence that America was never intended to be a Christian nation is that no founding document ever even mentions the Christ, something kind of important when establishing a Christian nation.

This goes to show that the christian puts no stock in facts, thinking or critical thinking.  It is all about belief and faith.  If one has to have faith to believe something, then that is the best testament to it's 'truth'.  Reasoning gets one nowhere with a christian.

Faith: Belief without evidence.
Sums up Xtians to the letter!

Quote from: PopeyesPappy on April 08, 2016, 12:34:49 PM
Actually the US Constitution doesn't mention "God" at all. The closest it comes is in the signatory section where it says, "Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven".

Good catch.  I was actually thinking of the Declaration of Independence there, and that also does not mention "God", as in "the Christian God".  I was going off "assumed knowledge" there, which was, apparently, all wrong.  Just goes to show, you have to fact-check every damned detail you hear from Christians.  Hell, I should have known the Declaration of Independence didn't even mention God.  It was written by Thomas Jefferson mostly, after all.

Quote from: RCnal on April 08, 2016, 02:03:29 PM
Faith: Belief without evidence.
Sums up Xtians to the letter!

Actually, more and more often faith seems to mean, "Believe IN SPITE OF evidence against"

It seems this is one of the telling verses:  Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

And therein lies the problem.  By faith the xians are assured of all the magic of the bible.  And they thus have a conviction that all those made up things are real.  And reasoning does not fit into that at all.

Or is Paul speaking of the future, which no one can see, and which people focus their hope on?  But I doubt assurance of hope, that seems to be asking too much.

Thankfully this seems to be a bit overhyped and the actual incidents of violence/ arson are still very few. I don't really care about threats or online harassment these people had to deal with. It sucks that those three people were killed in Colorado though.