Do Christians
Have Any Rights Left?

So, the two questions I want to address here are: Do Christians have any rights left, or did they give up all their rights when they accepted the tenets of Christianity?

It seems to me that Christians do still have these few rights.

Christians have the right to peacefully assemble.

Christians have the right to invite others to join them at "Christian" events or "Christian" services.  That's the right to Invite, not force.

So, let's do a little comparison shopping here.

If a man is invited to go out with the boys to get joyously drunk he can expect to acquire these benefits.

1. He spends his money and has nothing good to show for it.
2. He wakes up with a hangover.
3. His clothes are a mess and must be sent out for cleaning.
4. His eyes are bloodshot.
5. His nerves are trembling.
6. The slightest sound tries to split his skull.
7. He has to rely on hearsay evidence to reconstruct his activities of the previous evening.
8. He may have acquired a social disease.
9. He ended up 3 drinks short of proving he was "a man!"
10. Somebody punched his lights out when he hit the floor.

On the other hand, if a man had been invited to go out with the boys to a "Christian" event he can expect to acquire these benefits.

1. All he lost was 53 cents that accidentally fell into the collection plate when he was sorting through his change for nickels.
2. He heard some spiritually uplifting music
3. He met some beautiful girls.
4. He listened to some inspiring talks.
5. Free sandwiches and snacks were served.
6. A quick swipe from a hot iron put his clothes back into shape.
7. He woke up the next morning with a smile on his face.
8. He's stronger and healthier than before he went to the event.

If a man didn't go with the first crowd he might have lost the admiration and respect of his buddies because he was too weak in the knees to hoist "a few."  If that man didn't go with the second crowd he would probably have seen a smile and heard the words, "Maybe next time, okay?"

When I was in the service of my country I too bought that bill of goods that said I was a man only if I could drink myself into a stupor.  But, let's face facts here; it only takes strength to hoist a few after you have hoisted a few too many -- and there is nothing particularly manly in being cross-eyed with drink and trying to hold your side of the bar down so your preciously purchased drinks won't come back up in your girl-friend's lap. Maybe you call that fun, but I would much rather be invited out to a "Christian" event or meeting.

Now, maybe you're right and Christianity is an opiate that's trying to keep people from having some fun out of life; and it doesn't deserve any kind of respect, but it costs a lot less going in and it doesn't cost near as much over the long run either. 

As for those other religions that were mentioned as being on good behavior in comparison to "Christianity." I'll have to admit that I've never been to a Muslim meeting, but I do have some choice Muslim friends that are bright, cheerful and eager to do good works in their community. Shinto, Hindu and other religions tend to produce some good fruit too.

After 50 years of experience, when I meet some really nice people I don't assume they are potential drunks or drug addicts, I assume they have religion. When they invite me to one of their meetings I know it's because they want to share their "good news" with me.