I think many of you will agree that while TGA isn’t exactly the friendliest atheist site, I’ve never condoned acts of vandalism or violence against religion. I oppose it precisely because I think we need fewer religious martyrs, and there’s no better way to create sympathy for someone that to commit an egregious wrong. That’s why the news of a Church being vandalized in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster has me seeing red. Is this the fucking best we can do?

“Praise the FSM”: These are the words written, spray-painted and tagged across not one, but two churches on opposite sides of Bend Sunday night.

When Pastor John Bluebaugh of Christian Life Center got the news Monday morning, his first thought was, “Not again.”
“Really, what went through my mind was, about six months we were tagged as well,” said Bluebaugh. “It was the same kind of deal — different symbols, different sayings, but the exact same places.”

The Friendly Atheist is putting together a posse of generous donors to correct this injustice. Hey, if anyone pushes the boundary too far, it’s up to the rest of us to make it right. Yes, I know that technically we aren’t really a group, and the actions of a few shouldn’t represent the majority, but how often do we throw the immoral actions of believers in their faces? Let’s not add hypocrisy to the list of “sins”, shall we?

I’d like to send a little message to the “artists” who defaced the church: did you think that was a good fucking idea, morons? Did you really imagine your fellow non-believers would be impressed with such a juvenile stunt? We’re having enough of a hard time getting people to stop thinking we’re evil incarnate. This kind of bad press only strengthens people’s prejudice against us. Do we really need to fuel their misconceptions with vandalism? Does that accomplish our goals?

Next time you think about doing something this stupid, please, take a moment to check yourself. The last thing the movement needs is a bunch of idiots running around with spray paint thinking they’re hilarious. In times like these, we all look bad.