CNN Makes Fox News Look Like They Actually Are Fair and Balanced

Strap yourself in. This is going to be a long one.

I wasn't going to say anything about this. It's already been well covered at all the usual atheist blogs and news sites, so I was just going to let it go. Until I saw the video.

On the January 31, 2007 episode of Paula Zahn Now, on CNN, the final segment of the show was on the discrimination against atheists. The transcript is posted at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/31/pzn.01.html. It started out promising, with a pre-taped segment showing the results of an actual case of discrimination in a small Mississippi town that should have been enough to open anyone's eyes. Then, it took a turn.

After the commercial break, an open panel discussed the issue. This so called "open panel" was made up of three theists. No atheist anywhere in sight.

ZAHN: So do you think atheists should keep their religious beliefs secret? What's their beliefs period?

HUNTER: What does an atheist believe? Nothing. I think this is such a ridiculous story. Are we not going to take "In God We Trust" off of our dollars? Are we going to not say "one nation under God?" When does it end? We took prayer out of schools. What more do they want?

I believe in things. Everyone believes in things, I do not believe in the supernatural. How does that give anyone the right to infringe on my rights as an American? Remove "In God We Trust" from our money? Remove "one nation under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance? I say yes! "One nation under God" clearly has no historical basis, and "In God We Trust" is barely better.

When does it end? What do I want? Respect

ZAHN: Are any of you going to defend them here tonight?

SCHLUSSEL: No, I agree with her 100 percent. I think that the real discrimination is atheists against Americans who are religious. Listen, we are a Christian nation. I'm not a Christian. I'm Jewish, but I recognize we're a Christian country and freedom of religion doesn't mean freedom from religion. And the problem is that, you have these atheists selectively I believe attacking Christianity. You had a case in California where school children were forced to dress as Muslims and learn from the Koran. In Michigan they're saying high school (INAUDIBLE) in high school where they say Muslim prayers at the football games, public high school, (INAUDIBLE) in high school. You don't see atheists complaining about that. I really believe that they are the ones who are the intolerant ones against Christians.

It was only a matter of time before the Christian Nation myth surfaced, and it was sooner than I expected. I attack Christianity because it is Christianity that attacks me. It is Christians trying to impose their will on me, so it is Christians I fight.

I don't recall hearing about the case in California. Were they learning about it in a comparative religion context? I am all for that. I think comparative religion studies that cover all major religions, Christianity included, should be a required course in every public school in the nation. Forced to dress like Muslims? Something just doesn't sit right about that, especially considering that Muslim men don't dress any differently than anyone else. Muslim prayers at high school football games? I'm just as against that as I am Christian prayers at high school football games. Show me where any of this is happening, and I will be right beside you protesting.

HUNTER: They don't have a good - marketing. If they had hallmark cards, maybe they wouldn't feel so left out. We have Christmas cards. We have Kwanza cards now. Maybe they need to get some atheist cards and get that whole ball rolling so more people can get involved with what they're doing. I think they need to shut up and let people do what they do. No, I think they need to shut up about it.

I read this part three times and I still don't know what the hell she's talking about. Seriously. Can anyone explain this to me? Either I'm dense or she's just spewing hate for hate's sake.

SMITH: I don't think they need to shut up. The reason why I don't think they need to shut up is because there's a whole bunch of people in this world that we can look at and say they need to shut up and they certainly don't. You got everybody fighting for their own individual cause. This is their cause. We might not like it. I don't agree with it at all, but they do have a right.

I haven't put any of Mr. Smith's quotes in here yet because he wasn't making an asshat out of himself. There may not have been anyone to represent the atheist position, but he was respectful and well spoken the entire segment, so I did want to put at least one quote in
and give him my thanks and my respect.

HUNTER: I think they need to shut up about crying wolf all the time and saying that they're being imposed upon. I personally think that they should never have taken prayer out of schools. I would rather there be some morality in schools. But they did that because an atheist went to court and said their child -- don't pray (INAUDIBLE).

SCHLUSSEL: And what about this obnoxious Michael Newdow, who went all the way to the Supreme Court for his child, the child doesn't know what's going on, to try and get under God taken out of the pledge of allegiance. They are on the attack. It's obnoxious and they do need to shut up.

Here we go. The morality issue. Everyone knew it was coming. This issue has been covered in spades elsewhere and I will no doubt cover it in this blog in some detail at some point in the future. Suffice it to say that anyone who thinks the Bible provides good moral guidance in the modern world has either never read the Bible or has engaged in some substantial cherry picking.

ZAHN: Can you explain to me where you feel the assault? When 97 percent of the folks in this country claim to worship some kind of God, the 1 to 3 percent of this population that doesn't believe in God, who are they hurting?

HUNTER: Eight to 12 percent. (INAUDIBLE) They're not hurting anyone. I personally don't have a problem with an atheist. Believe or don't believe what you want. Don't impose upon my right to want to have prayer in schools, to want to say the pledge of allegiance, to want to honor my God. Don't infringe upon that right.

I will give Ms. Hunter credit on one point. She did correct the fallacious percentages that were being used by Paula Zahn. 1-3% is based on the narrowest of definitions of atheist. If you count all "non-believing Americans" the number takes a huge jump. The last number I saw was actually 9-15%, but I'll give her the 8-12%, and give her credit for the correction.

With that said, who does she think she is to impose prayer in school? That doesn't just affect atheists. It affects Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and anyone else of any other faith than Christianity. The same with the Pledge. I say the Pledge of Allegiance as well. I leave out "under God," but I am proud to pledge to the flag. Asking that there be no mention of a god in the pledge doesn't diminish her ability to honor her god. Who is she to demand that I honor her god? She is a hypocrite of the worst kind. "You have the right to do whatever you want as long as it's what I want you to do."

SMITH: When they want to take - when they want to take God out of the pledge of allegiance or whatever, this is what I'm saying. They're saying, OK, that's Christian. What if you're a Muslim? What if you're someone of a different belief?

SCHLUSSEL: This is a Christian country.

SMITH: I understand that, but what they're saying is how can -- if we're inclusionary, why can't we include all that and we're not. That's my point.

One again, I have to applaud Mr. Smith. He was the only voice of reason on the panel. Too bad he could barely get a word in edgewise.

SCHLUSSEL: (INAUDIBLE) Look where there are more atheists and where they've lost God, where the church is not that strong. Europe is becoming Islamist. It's fast falling and intolerance is increasing. That's the one reason our country has not become like Europe because we have strong Christians and because atheists are not strong. And I think that's a good thing.

So, becoming an atheist leads to Islam? That's news to me. Last I knew, we atheists were pretty evenly skeptical about all religions. It's like she's not even trying anymore.

I had given myself time to calm down before I wrote this post, but writing it has just gotten me worked up again. This is the most bigoted thing I've ever seen on television. If they were saying this about any other group besides atheists, they would have been fined, lost advertisers, and would have fired multiple people, but because it was about atheists, no one cares. If anyone needs an example of the discrimination against atheists, this is it.