Atheist Park may have advantages

[rug]

09-03-2012 17:37
By Kang Hyun-kyung

Rep. Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party presidential candidate, sought to curry favor with religious leaders during courtesy calls on the heads of Buddhist, Protestant and Catholic church groups Monday.

Ven. Jaseung of the Jogye Order was one of the leaders Rep. Park met during her “tour.”

This stirred speculation on whether she will get along with Buddhists or not, as her ruling party predecessors had a hard time maintaining a good working relationship with them.

- snip -

Park describes herself as an atheist. Although she received a baptismal name while she attended Sogang University in Seoul several decades ago, her aides said she does not attend Sunday services.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2012/09/116_118974.html

Another election worth watching.

[cbayer]

1. I thought this was going to be about a park for atheists.

[rug]

2. Lol, I thought about changing the headline.

I wonder what an atheist park would look like.

[cleanhippie]

3. Probably just like every other one...

that doesn't have a religious theme.

[cbayer]

4. A lot like Woodstock, I would imagine.

[cleanhippie]

6. Woodstock? In what way do you mean?

[onager]

8. According to SOME people...cough...this would be an "atheist park..."

Memento Park (a/k/a Szobor Park or "Statue Park&quot , just outside Budapest, Hungary.

After the Hungarian Communist regime collapsed in 1989, all Commie statues/monuments were removed from the streets of Budapest.

The new capitalist Hungarians turned them into a tourist attraction. Later they added an original monument in honor of the 1956 Revolution - a massive pair of Stalin's empty boots. Empty because the citizens tore down Uncle Ioe's statue in the middle of Budapest, leaving only the boots.

I've been there and really enjoyed it. When you get tired of walking, you can sit down and view a nifty collection of secret police training films from the 1950s and 60s.

My tour guide was a woman who grew up under Communism, and shared her memories about stuff like "banana days" (i.e., when bananas were finally available in the market, if you had a few hours/days to stand in line for them.)

She said the locals joke that just in case Communism makes a comeback, they already have the statues, ready to go.

Here's the Bela Kun monument, a real case study in Soviet Realism Ugly:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_Park Szobor Park

[Walk away]

5. I was going to pack a lunch and gather the kiddies!

I am obviously not a "serious" Atheist! I have way too much fun with my rational thought!

[cbayer]

7. Lol, the kids would love it!

They are sure to enjoy the playground with the separation of church and state climbing wall!

[edhopper]

9. I went to an Atheist Park.

It was called the Museum Of Natural History.

[2ndAmForComputers]

10. You WIN this thread with extreme prejudice.

[cbayer]

11. So there was nothing about religion or religious practices of early people in that museum?

Because that would be odd.

[edhopper]

12. Sure

and it was treated as the anthropological viewpoint it should. No discussion of any of the veracity of their beliefs, just the social and cultural context to the displays. So basically the atheist's view of religion.

Like viewing the buildings of the anti-reformation in the societal framework without talking about what God thought of either the Protestants or the Catholic Church.

See the difference?

[cbayer]

13. That can be anybody's view of religion, particularly of religions that they aren't

a part of.

[edhopper]

14. But it's the atheist's view

of all religion.

[cbayer]

15. Ok.