January 18, 2011 1:55 PM
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley http://www.governor.alabama.gov
Updated 2:06 p.m. Eastern Time
Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley said in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day message Monday that he does not consider Americans who do not accept Jesus Christ as their savior to be his brothers and sisters.
"There may be some people here today who do not have living within them the Holy Spirit," Bentley said shortly after taking the oath of office, according to the Birmingham News. ''But if you have been adopted in God's family like I have, and like you have if you're a Christian and if you're saved, and the Holy Spirit lives within you just like the Holy Spirit lives within me, then you know what that makes? It makes you and me brothers. And it makes you and me brother and sister."
''Now I will have to say that, if we don't have the same daddy, we're not brothers and sisters," he continued. "So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother."
American Atheists President David Silverman told Hotsheet that the comments were "bigoted" and show that Bentley "puts his Bible above the Constitution of the United States."
"There is a difference between being a governor and being a mullah, or being a preacher," he said. "Being the governor of all people means that you are a representative of all people. It certainly does not mean that you abuse your position to push your religion on people who differ from your faith."
The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish rights group, also condemned the comments.
"It is shocking that Governor Bentley would suggest that non-Christians are not worthy of the same love and respect he professes to have for the Christian community," ADL Southeast Regional Director Bill Nigut said. "His comments are not only offensive, but also raise serious questions as to whether non-Christians can expect to receive equal treatment during his tenure as governor."
Nigut added: "Governor Bentley's remarks suggest that he is determined to use his new position to proselytize for Christian conversion. If he does so, he is dancing dangerously close to a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which forbids government from promoting the establishment of any religion."
Asked about Bentley's comments, his communications director, Rebekah Caldwell Mason, told the Birmingham News, "He is the governor of all the people, Christians, non-Christians alike."
While Bentley, a deacon at a Baptist church, drew a distinction between Christians and non-Christians in his comments, he also said he was "color blind" and would represent all the people in his state.
Bentley's comments may not be much of a problem for the new governor. During the Alabama GOP gubernatorial primary, candidate Bradley Byrne was attacked for allegedly suggesting that evolution, as opposed to creationism, "best explains the origin of life."
His response was to deem the ad awash in "despicable lies" and insist, "As a Christian and as a public servant, I have never wavered in my belief that this world and everything in it is a masterpiece created by the hands of God." He went on to tout his efforts to ensure creationism be taught in public schools.
You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
- maiforpeace
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You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Alabama Governor: Only Christians are my Brothers
Atheists have always argued that this world is all that we have, and that our duty is to one another to make the very most and best of it. ~Christopher Hitchens~
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
It's Alabama. What do you expect? 

"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
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"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
- maiforpeace
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Better.FBM wrote:It's Alabama. What do you expect?
Atheists have always argued that this world is all that we have, and that our duty is to one another to make the very most and best of it. ~Christopher Hitchens~
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Yeah. The only place I can think of I'd less rather be in than Mississippi is Alabama. Them people need killin'.maiforpeace wrote:Better.FBM wrote:It's Alabama. What do you expect?
Metaphorically speaking, of course. They really just need educatin', but that's a lot harder.
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
I hope he realises that that makes most of the Ku Klux Klan his brothers and sisters.
Actually, he's probably right.
Actually, he's probably right.
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
This is really very sad. Sad that people actually think like this 

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But those letters are not silent.
They're just waiting their turn.
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They're just waiting their turn.
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Even sadder that they can become elected officials!tattuchu wrote:This is really very sad. Sad that people actually think like this
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Well there are 72 million Americans who literally believe in The Bible. That's quite a few brothers and sisters, so he should be happy.
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
It must be really expensive buying birthday presents for all of them.surreptitious57 wrote:Well there are 72 million Americans who literally believe in The Bible. That's quite a few brothers and sisters, so he should be happy.
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
This is what sickens me the most about it.Kristie wrote:Even sadder that they can become elected officials!tattuchu wrote:This is really very sad. Sad that people actually think like this
Are there no Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans...people of other religions besides Christianity that live in Alabama? Only AA and the Jewish anti-defamation league is willing to speak up against this bigotry?
And what an insult to make this declaration on MLK day. I feel certain MLK would have decried this if he were alive, despite his own religious views.
Atheists have always argued that this world is all that we have, and that our duty is to one another to make the very most and best of it. ~Christopher Hitchens~
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley: "who's your daddy?"
"When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
maiforpeace - A nation that is overwhelmingly Christian is not predisposed to having elected officials in office who are of a different faith or none at all. So you may be waiting a while for others to have their say. I once remember Fox News asking if it was alright for Barack Obama to reference atheists in his Presidential address after being sworn in. They were unsure whether he should have. I am so glad to live in a country where this doesn't matter. You wouldn't get any of our elected officials banging on about the Almighty. They tend to keep quiet about it. Not that they should mind you, but we don't want to end up with what our friends across the water have. No sir.
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
I'm glad for you surreptitious, that you live where you do.surreptitious57 wrote:maiforpeace - A nation that is overwhelmingly Christian is not predisposed to having elected officials in office who are of a different faith or none at all. So you may be waiting a while for others to have their say. I once remember Fox News asking if it was alright for Barack Obama to reference atheists in his Presidential address after being sworn in. They were unsure whether he should have. I am so glad to live in a country where this doesn't matter. You wouldn't get any of our elected officials banging on about the Almighty. They tend to keep quiet about it. Not that they should mind you, but we don't want to end up with what our friends across the water have. No sir.

Depends. I actually live right next to the congressional district with an openly Atheist congressmember, Pete Stark, so people do have their say...contrary to the belief of many that don't live in the US, we aren't that backwards or overwhelmingly Christian either.
Alabama...as FBM said, sure, what do you expect? But, just because that's how it is, doesn't mean it can't or won't change. The article I posted does have the governor's website listed. If Americans care enough, they can write him.
Atheists have always argued that this world is all that we have, and that our duty is to one another to make the very most and best of it. ~Christopher Hitchens~
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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
How very Christian of him ...maiforpeace wrote:Alabama Governor: Only Christians are my Brothers
January 18, 2011 1:55 PM
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley http://www.governor.alabama.gov
Updated 2:06 p.m. Eastern Time
Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley said in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day message Monday that he does not consider Americans who do not accept Jesus Christ as their savior to be his brothers and sisters.
...

God has no place within these walls, just like facts have no place within organized religion. - Superintendent Chalmers
It's not up to us to choose which laws we want to obey. If it were, I'd kill everyone who looked at me cock-eyed! - Rex Banner
The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression. - Gary Larson

It's not up to us to choose which laws we want to obey. If it were, I'd kill everyone who looked at me cock-eyed! - Rex Banner
The Bluebird of Happiness long absent from his life, Ned is visited by the Chicken of Depression. - Gary Larson



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Re: You're not Heavy, and You're not my Brother
Mind you, with an attitude like that, who'd want to be his sibling? So long as he realises he has a duty to non-family members in the state, then ... But sadly I suspect his prejudice will cloud his behaviour.
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