In a bow to Satan, Phoenix City Council ends public prayer

boing
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only when the good/bad coordinate system is the christian one

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I can think of more offensive ones.[quote=“petzl, post:20, topic:73299”]
They are distinct from “The Church of Satan,” who actually might be called Satanists.
[/quote]

If you mean Anton LaVey’s lot, their theological position is pretty similar: Satan is a metaphor for independence and defiance, not a literally existing entity.

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“But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?” -Mark Twain

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Prince George: Well, I wouldn’t be too sure about that! Antidistibilitsmin… anti-misty-linstimbl… anti-stids…
title card: Two Days Later
Prince George: Anti-distinctly-minty-monetarism…
[Blackadder enters]

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25

Hail Satan!

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26

I wouldn’t be surprised if much of it is left over from the Red Scare. I know that’s the reason why the high schoolers in my classes are expected to stand and say a bizarre Theistic prayer to the American flag every morning.

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It’s the afterglow of the Cold War…

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[quote=“renke, post:13, topic:73299, full:true”]
It may not against the actual law, but it is curious. The public religiousness feels very foreign, I could name maybe two politicians in Germany expressing christian ideas frequently in the political realm, but in the US even cabinet meetings are opened with a prayer.[/quote]
Have they finally eliminated mandatory, Church-provided religious education in German public schools?

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“could land the city in an expensive legal battle” - Once again it’s clear that money is more important than their convictions. LOLZ

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At least they aren’t scaring the kids by making them hide under their desks from the godless communists anymore.

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According to my calculations, about half the BoingBoing headlines would improve by starting with “In a bow to Satan”. Where’s that suggestion box?

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32

It’s also a sign that perhaps a City Council is no more in need of direct Divine Intervention than a football team.

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33

While I get what you’re saying (and US public religiosity looks plenty weird to me as well), it does seem a little strange given the name of Angela Merkel’s party.

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34

It’s a weird phenomenon that those countries which have an official state religion and even require taxation/education within that context are now the least religious countries in Europe.

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35

Tell that to Sunderland F.C. fans

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no, and religion is the only subject defined as mandatory in the German constitution. but it is for decades possible to refuse - the pupils have either a free period or ethics classes.

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I don’t disagree, but the Christian in the name is mostly used as some philosophical background (“Christian Occident”) without connections to an actual religion.

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Don’t forget the first conservative corollary: Tolerance of other beliefs means tolerating intolerance.

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Yes, and those that cannot tolerate the intolerant are unamerican bigots, somehow.

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If I was to hazard a guess, it probably dates back to the McCarthy era of politics. You see Communists are like vampires in that they are afraid of god, that’s why around that time they put God on everything including money to keep the reds out.

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