I'm not Irish but I don't get bent out of shape at St. Patrick's Day or when someone says "Happy St. Patrick's Day. Those who don't celebrate Christmas for whatever reason need to lighten up, and if you are in a store shopping for gifts you are being a hypocrite. So if you don't like the festivities stay the hell home.

ewv, Outstanding. +2,000 (If I could)

Reasoned, rational, and logical statements and even thinking are often difficult enough to achieve without the noisy hullabaloo and distraction of those convinced that their supernatural god will grant them immortality and can't comprehend those that have determined to live this life to the fullest, unabashed by the religious fear of life, death, knowledge, and self determination.

Spot on analysis! This topic was just cheap cover for another completely unnecessary "drive by".

So the oaf must DIE!
Bwahaha!

Hi, R,
I find your statement, despite the wink, offensive because it feels condescending to me. So, I am not sure that you are worth putting up with. Just my opinion.
All the best.
Maritimus

I was thinking Ebenezer before stuff went weird.
Sadly in real life, the oaf is the one who is weird.
But you're right.
Maybe I shoulda used the Grinch.
Did the Grinch change?
I can't remember.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Gri...
Yeah, he changed. Thank goodness I have a little time to go away, come back and edit.
Maybe Adolf Hitler. The only change he made was a bullet in the head.

maybe he was a muslim

That is what I thought so I did not miss the point but K made a good point the the article did not say the person was an atheist. It could have been someone having a very bad day. I agree that you are likely correct in your assumption but that still is a guess. :)

Are you going to tell me the point I missed? :)

What has helped for me in this sometimes contentious world, is to remind myself that I'm not a militant atheist. So long as theists are not argumentative, or try to convert me by debate or stand in my way, Merry Anything is OK with me. There are times when I am tempted to jump into a discussion that I know cannot end well, because the statements being made are so ridiculous that I can actually smell them. One of my very best friends is a Born Again, dyed-in-the-wool believer. He has been working on me for 20 years. He doesn't confront me, but always makes sure that I know he's praying for me. Other than that, we have most personal philosophies in common. So..I let him get all passive-aggressive on me, because in most other ways, he's worth putting up with it.

Unfortunately, this will be variously represented as being rude/ being atheist (though there is no proof of the latter, it fits the public view of atheistic behavior and will be assumed to be such). Probably the best response by the airline is, "We don't care about his beliefs, we just wanted someone who was emotionally unstable to not be on the plane."

Jan

I can understand this guys upset actually. We are constantly bombarded by religious propaganda that not only makes no sense, but is sometimes really stupid. Christmas is some sort of religious fairy tale, that probably isnt even true. That being said, one must select the battles one fights, and in this case there was no winning to be had. He should have just not let it get the best of him. I sometimes even wonder if the proponents of Christmas are religious, or are just wishing others well (which is OK actually). Personally, I assume its the latter unless the person really gets into the religious stuff.

And the discussion of Ayn Rand and Christmas http://www.galtsgulchonline.com/posts/1e... shows that she had absolutely nothing in common with the nut on the airplane, and neither do any of the rest of us that Robbie attacks for our "attitude" in rejecting his mysticism.

This is another instance of religious conservatives obsessed over "atheists", as they confuse atheism with a philosophy as opposed to a rejection of the supernatural no matter what one's own philosophy is. That someone is an atheist says nothing about his philosophy or personal characteristics. That someone freaked out on an airplane is the least of it. It doesn't make any difference whether he is an atheist or not. Most atheists of any philosophy don't behave that way.

This thread attacking supposed "ungracious atheists", coupling someone's bizarre behavior on an airplane with he dishonestly calls "the attitude by some on this forum", is an ad hominem attack on the forum itself.

The "some on this forum" who reject Robbie's religious proselytizing are in fact in accordance with the purpose of this forum for fan's of Ayn Rand's philosophy of reason and happiness on earth as expressed in Atlas Shrugged. Robbie's constant religious proselytizing is not and does not belong here, including in the form of his latest vicious personal attack against the forum.