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| 1/18/01: No, your eyes don't deceive you! I've actually got new stuff here! While very little directly has happened, people are screwing around with me more and more lately over every little thing. I was talking to a friend of mine about it a couple of weeks ago, and he said they were doing it specifically because I'm an atheist. Of course... This afternoon, I stopped at the gas station to fill up my car. A group of boys and (I think) one girl pulled up next to me in a white Honda. Part of the group went inside, but a couple of them stayed in the car. One of the boys (I don't know him) leaned out the back window and started asking me about my car...all the typical questions, like how fast it is, why I never really get down on it, what size engine it has, and the like. Finally, I started walking in to pay for my gas, right when the Honda started driving away. The sawed-off little cretin then said, "Well, don't worry Doug...Jesus is watching you." "Yeah, whatever," was my reply. He simply shot me a dirty look as the car sped out of the parking lot. I didn't have any time to think of anything more elloquent, but my comment seemed to get the job done. Friggin' fundies... |
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| 1/19/01: Believe it or not! Some people still don't know I'm an atheist! While waiting in the lunch line today, some dip walks up to me and says, "Hey, Ray told me you have a website." I knew what was coming. "Yeah." "What's it about?" I smiled. "Atheism." He looked somewhat despondent. "Uh oh." As he walked away, I could barely control my laughter. I don't know why it struck me as being so funny. I guess you had to be there. |
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| 2/27/01: I should let you in on what happened in first period today... This class is Environmental Science and Genetics. It's taught by Mrs. Brown, who is very pregnant (due in less than two weeks). She also possesses a very religion-addled mind. We were discussing population control, and somehow the topic of abortion came up. She started describing the procedure of partial-birth abortion, and I thought almost all the students (the females especially) were going to have seizures. A few of them were so angry they were shaking. One girl commented that these things made her so mad that she didn't even want to discuss it. Mrs. Brown said something like, "Well, I used to be like you guys, and I used to ignore it. But after I got old enough, I started to do something about it." That was basically the end of the discussion. What does she do about it? Hell if I know...and I'm not real sure I want to. In any case, it disgusts me that a topic like this would come up, and it also disgusts me how Mrs. Brown is apparently trying to encourage them to "do something about it." In other words, she's trying to breed a whole tribe of clinic-bombing zombies for JEEZUS. On an odd note, this very teacher has, for the past few weeks, kept a copy of the movie Left Behind on the table that holds the overhead projector. A conspiracy, perhaps? Maybe I'm just paranoid... Maybe not. |
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| 3/30/01: Today the topic isn't something that happened in school, but rather on the way home. On my way to and from school, I pass by several churches. These always have some wise-assed little saying plastered to the sign out front, like "The Supreme Court will answer to the Supreme God," "A Candle loses nothing by lighting another candle", or "Jesus saves! Does it mean nothing to you who pass by?" I was only half surprised when I passed one of them on my way home today that said "Read the Bible. It will scare the HELL out of you!" Yeah, I have to say that the Bible does scare the hell out of me. Not in the way they intend, though. And it doesn't scare me quite as much as the people who follow it word for word. After I drove a little further, an interesting thought crossed my mind...basically, these people are admitting that they are pious out of fear. Fear from a young age when their parents forced it onto them. Then I realized that it's Friday, and no longer gave a damn. |
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| 4/24/01: The newest in a line of dumbass incidents this year. Yesterday morning, I was walking to my usual spot to hang out with Ray and Brandon when I noticed a group of girls joined in prayer by the flagpole. I shook off any suspicion I had of this scene and didn't think anymore about it until the end of first period. Mrs. Brown (who just came back from her pregnancy leave) was reading the announcements paper (every teacher gets one every morning), and one of the messages she read off was "There will be a prayer circle around the flagpole every morning this week, from 7:15 to 7:45 am." What the-? Why the flagpole? Oh yeah, the flagpole is next to the road, where cars pass by, and the people in those cars will get to see how pious they are! I get it now! This morning, I passed by, and there were even more people by the flag pole. The second I walked past them, they all split up and literally ran off in different directions...even though it was 7:35, 10 minutes before the circle was supposed to break up. When I made it to my usual area outside the cafeteria, Ray and Brandon were standing there...watching the group dissipate a few feet away. Ray said he didn't realize I had that much power over people. He was joking, of course, but they did break up right when they noticed me walking by. What's this all about? I'm wondering what will happen the rest of the week...maybe they'll try for a permanent prayer group...AGAIN. |
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| 5/2/01: Well, I'm sure you all know by now about Bush declaring a national day of prayer. And if you haven't guess already, the fundie loons are dancing their goofy little victory dance. Yesterday in school, I noticed that every few feet of wall in the school was plastered with banners for the "National Day of Prayer". Today, I ripped one of the door to the main building, and I'm keeping it as a souvenier. It says: |
| NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Thursday, May 3rd! Meet at pole at 7:15 for entertainment from the EHS chorus and lots more! I hope to see you there! This year's theme is "One Nation Under God"! So come to pray for your nation and school! Matthew 8:20: "For where two or three joined together in my name, there I am with them. |
| I think I'm going to launch my lunch. A few observations...the title at the top is written in rainbow letters...isn't a rainbow a symbol of gay pride? Hmmm, fundies and homosexuals don't exactly mix. You'd think they'd try to avoid something like that at all costs. It says "I hope to see you there!" Who is "I"? I don't know who types these messages that are posted, but whoever it was obviously thought that everyone who gazed upon it would know.. It also says "Come to pray for your school and nation!" Why? What's wrong? Praying for a poor rural school with around 300 students enrolled is one thing, but why the nation? Oh yeah, Bush is in office. This country needs all the help it can get...even if it's from a fictional source. ;) I'm thinking about taping up this flyer in my room...as a reminder of when things were rotten. |
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| 5/3/01: Here's how National "Pray Day" went... Although it was nothing huge, this morning about half the school was gathered around the flag. I walked past them to my spot by the cafeteria, and noticed that I couldn't hear praying...just all of them had their heads bowed and Christian music played from an unseen radio. Yes, people, everyone can see you. I don't think any of them are impressed, either. And of course, since fundies want to inconvenience people in every way possible, they decided to keep standing there as the tardy bell rang. Since most of the class was late for first period (and because Mrs. Brown is so damn pious), no one got tardies that morning. And again at the 10 minute break between 1st and 2nd period...out there, holding hands, heads down, all having the same glazed over look as a pig with a recently severed jugular. That was about it...everyone I spoke too - even many religious people - found the whole thing disgusting. They were so obviously doing it for show that even other Christians could tell! Now that that's past...I'm just waiting for the talent show next Friday. I wonder how many Christian songs will play then, in the EHS talent show's third year of existence... |
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| 5/18/01: The third annual Enterprise Talent show was today (it was moved back a week). The final score for Christian songs? 2. Twice the first year of the show, but only half of last year's number. That's quite an improvement. The most disgusting thing about people doing Christian songs is the coercion...they know you'll pay the dollar to go to the talent show (Everyone who doesn't go to it has to go to Coach Perkin's class for "study hall", which I gather is doing a lot of homework in silence and having people throw paper at you). I say either they assume everyone there is a Christian (which makes one wonder why they're singing a song that preaches a Christian message), or maybe they know that not everyone follows JEEEZUS, so they decide that singing their song will convert them. Or maybe just spite them. But I already said all of this last year when I reported on the talent show, so I guess it would be rather senseless to go any further. |
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| 5/24/01: That wraps up this year. I won't be updating my journal anymore until August...then you'll be reading the writings of skidmark_84, the high school senior. That's right. You'll be reading it. Because I'll make you do it. ;) I'll be working this summer wherever I can (my car needs a bit more horsepower), but when I'm not working, I'll be updating the site...some new articles if I can find time to write them, and I'll keep better track of atheism news to keep you all updated. "Chock Full of Atheism"...you read it here first. Or maybe second. Or maybe third...but you'll read it here anyway. |
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| 8/6/01: Damn, that was a short summer. Yes, school started back today. Things are pretty much the same as ever. W...Whoa, waitaminute! What's that hanging on the wall in my first period class? A small (roughly 12" x 6") poster on the wall with an American Flag on it. Okay...not so bad. In yellow print it reads "In God We Trust". Below that is in black print "Motto of the country, instated...1956". To top it all off, this same poster is in every classroom. I'm not real sure, but I think it may now be a law in Mississippi for that to be posted (I heard something about it over the summer, but didn't think anything of it) in every classroom. What does this tell me? It tells me that unless you worship the Judeo-Christian God, you're not an American. Mark my words, I'm going to do everything I can to oppose this. But in the meantime, I guess I'll just have to see what happens tomorrow.... |