I'm joined by David Silverman is president American atheists he was at
Fox News during the segment where gretchen carlson
very animatedly expressed your disdain that a Festivus pole
would have the audacity to be allowed to share space with a nativity scene
earlier on the show today we also spoke about the clip where megan kelly
explored whether Santo was white or not and then it led her to talk about
Jesus obviously being white so David let's start first with the gretchen
carlson
Festivus pole thing I found it fascinating that part over anger
was that best that this was a maid up holiday
when I'm thinking in some sense no matter what you believe in
all love the holidays are made up aren't they yet there
they're all made up and they're all I'm course all religions are made up
and she really doesn't like the fact that Doc being thrust in front upper
on you know she if in that same interview she said what
up christianity is not the first company
is not the first religion to have the Solstice what what Christianity stole
the holiday to lunch
they they they make up their stories that make up there never gives
and what we're seeing between if you look at %uh
if you look at this season dismissed season on Fox News
Gretchen and Megan and Hannity and
all Riley they're all about privilege
now all about their Christian privilege being attacked
they want there're means you're they want their nativity
and nothing else if you gonna put in a Jewish thing
built already because they feel like they have to and with our time you like
that specific because there is still this underlying thing from Christians
were maybe soon
bill convert the Jews into believing in Jesus I almost feel like judy is them
is accepted from criticism because I've that hope that exists
n because of the Holocaust jokes right okay it there's a lot of holocaust
killed everybody is afraid to be labeled as an anti-semite
I so they like the Jews and no except the Jews
and the whole those judeo-christian ce but when you say hey you know what
you art in fact equal to state must
you are in fact equal to atheists
you are in fact equal to Muslims in the eyes of the law
they don't like that they want to be a bob they wanna be on top
they want to be special that's why they push the whole concept up
well we're a christian nation a christian majority
and blah blah blah blah blah you wean they know it's a lie
and they know that the christian majority is irrelevant they know it's
but they won't say it's because they want that privilege
and bats were all this being good that you're seeing all that was a Festivus
pole next a lot
next to the manger and I come at it from a certain Eagle
the baby Jesus will be hidden by the best to this poll
well yeah and if you come out from another angle the path to this poll
will be hidden by the baby Jesus and that offends me just as much
well no it doesn't in the whole concept is that everybody
owns me center square equally and Christianity does not have an advantage
they want that advantage they Steve
with anger when that advantage is challenged
because in order for them to bypass in order for them to really take on our
issues
during the season they have to admit but they are not pushing
the golden rule do unto others as you would have them do unto you
they must ed Mich that what they are trying to do to us
is push equality on us which they would not
want pushed onto them they are breaking their own golden rule
they're going against the american way and they are pushing for the %ah Chrissy
and they know it and they don't like it but they're doing it anyways because it
benefits them
I'm very hot yeah he I'm I'm very interested in the war on Christmas
narrative not because I think it's a real narrative but
because I'm fascinated by how much play
it continues to get and it's very interesting because then
when we talk about the war on christmas. it doesn't really exist
here's all you need to know about it I get emails from people saying David
why are you so anti Christianity why he focused on Christianity and I always
have the same response which is
we happen to be doing in american politics show:
any here the strongest forces trying to impose religion within the legal system
within the system of government happen to be Christians if we were in the
middle east I'd probably be focusing on Islam
and that gets me to this issue David which is
the elements a Islam invading
the legal in government system that Christians
oppose in the Middle East they seem to
favor here in the United States whether it using sacred texts to limit marriage
equality or abortion
or as we're talking about here place in Christianity
above other religions when it comes to you City your government
displays et cetera I've had no success in communicating the double standard
that exists there
I don't know if you had any success no I haven't are
in in a reason are gretchen carlson debate
we talked about the pastor in Iran who was left in jail
I'll when they negotiated the I
when they negotiated the nuclear treaty with senator kerrey or
I don't know what is titled Secretary of State yeah yeah
I'm and they were all upset about this pastor who was just
preaching Christianity who is in jail and they wouldn't here and didn't care
about the non-christians that are in jail they don't care about that
they didn't care about all the other non Christian player they don't care about
the
the atheist who are in jail in Pakistan for doing the exact same crime
%ah because they're very very meek centre berry berry Christian Center
so they will do things I'll when this to their advantage
and they will block it out unblock areas in la la la la la
when is not to their advantage it's fundamentally dishonest
and that's where we have to challenge them that's where we have to say hey you
know what
you totally being hypocritical here aren't we all here to benefit all humans
isn't this bad for everybody is not bad for
everybody to be put in jail because a blast you are not just Christians
and really push it and then when they come out and they say all right well
you're offending me
and I say well you know what that's exactly what the Muslim say to you
are what do you say to the muslims they don't even
like that analogy they don't even I acknowledge that analogy
because they will acknowledge they are actually behaving
like the muslims they have so much you mention the word offended and that still
the other thing I wanted to touch on with you which is this concept is being
offended around religion and I always think back to an interview I did a
couple years ago with the Christian homeschooler
and I was talking to him about how increasingly Christian home-schooled
students are not prepared when it comes to science and so many other areas
and I told him pretty plainly if you have curriculum based around the idea
that a man in the sky XYZ born to a virgin et cetera
doesn't follow logically that you may not be fully prepared to take on
science in the same way somebody who had it more traditional science education is
any said David I am deeply offended by your question
and by your your implications about my friend
Jesus Christ and allied in thread anyways
reitman so it so so the question I'm getting too is
why why is that has this issued being offended taken on almost like
kid a kid gloves mentality where when you're talking about whether it's Jesus
or Abraham or Mohammed or whatever if you question
anything there and you may be questioning it not out of a vindictive
place but simply out of good faith wanting to know because some of the
story doesn't add up
people get offended and to me that suggests we should be questioning in we
should be asking questions
but for some reason the offense claim seems to shut down debate
right and because in some countries he's most notably in
in Europe I and in England it does
in England but we don't have the freedom of speech they don't have a freedom
speech
you're not allowed to offend people they have a right not to be offended
in America they don't so as people are looking
not Europe they say okay well you can do that offensive
you see the out the muslims crime we can write this down you can't make this
cartoon
it offends us and therefore people go to jail for
are people in this country so it kinda forget about the whole back to wear a
different country
we have different laws here and we have freedom of speech and that you being
offended
doesn't matter you could always responds with well
I'm getting I get offended by religion all the time I get offended when
religion takes money out of my pocket
to fund itself buyout higher taxes I get offended when somebody
forces my politicians to talk about God but this isn't about
offense arm baby use the offensive
use the I'm offended as a defense against your question
they don't want to answer your question they know you're right
so they use the I'm offended you asked me that question and then they don't
avoid the question which is why
the correct answer to I'm offended is
so noted now please answer the question in
okay just okay you're offended great I get now answer the question
don't you think this is true don't you think your substandard education
is going to hurt you well that offends me I understand
don't you think it's true though I think you're right I think you're right that
is the way to focus on at the time being less experience I actually was scared
off by
I'm offended and I didn't follow up the way I should have last thing david
when you're sitting there after the segment with gretchen carlson you got
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
on your on your left I think it was it was it bill Donahue on your right
what happens after the cameras go off is a very awkward in that room
null no no no arm its it's alright we understand
what we're doing we understand what we're up what we're trying to do.
I the cameras go dark everybody smile he said I was a good show
I'll we got there around gretchen i love u if you watch questions Facebook page
I she posts pictures up herself where
the three of us standing there behind her that after the show not before
does schmale try to pull you back into Judaism knowing that you were you were
born I guess you know to it too I
a Jewish family does he try to bring you back in
no not yet I well and when he does
I will try and pull them out but alright david silverman president American
atheists thanks again for being on
game thanks for having me on your show I really appreciate it oh and one more
thing
our national conventions coming up on in Easter weekend in
are Salt Lake City we've got a fantastic roster and you can buy tickets at
atheists
not work