This is incredible . . . well, interesting, at the very least. This is the first time since I've been quotemeister -- possibly the first time EVER -- that every single one of the AQOTM nominations for a given month has received at least one vote. I'm not sure what that says about the contest . . . any ideas? :o)

As is frequently the case, it was a close call this month! It is my honor to present the winner of the Atheist Quote of the Month contest for October, with ten votes . . .

CLOTHAIRE!!

"The elevation of PRIDE to the status of a sin was not a happenstance in Catholic theology, but rather a cold blooded calculated move that was necessary to enable the Church to control people. In order to bind them to Church authority, first it had to deprive them of their self respect."

Written by Clothaire

Nominated by Czar, seconded by John Popelish

I guess it's just one of those "trueisms" that is self-evident to anyone with a positive-value IQ. Eh? Coming in for a VERY close second was Charles Fitterman with nine votes. It was tough for me personally deciding between those two! JS Locust took third place with a still-impressive seven votes. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated this month! Here is the voting record:

--1--
(In response to:)
> Truth is required to obey the rules of mathematics. These are
>absolute, and not subject to the time constraints of humans.
>(and:)
>Religion deals with truth. Science deals with facts.
"It seems to me that if the facts don't equal the "truth" (of religion), then there is something wrong with the equation - like maybe religion has nothing to do with truth."

Written by Kristi Hansen

Nominated by Angelico, seconded by Stoney

VOTES 2
Kalle Helenius
Peter Gavin

* * * *
--2--
"What I am looking for here is motive, not argument. I want to know why you bother, not why I'm going to hell. I've heard it all, and guess what! I DON'T want your god; I DON'T want your faith; I DON'T want your pity; and I DON'T WANT YOUR FUCKING SALVATION!!!"

Written by Neville

Nominated by Decimal, seconded by Gerben

VOTES 3
Glenn MacEachern
MagyckMe
Nicolas Demers

* * * *
--3--
"Creationism is really a form of solipsism. All questions have one answer, God did it that way. They have no problems with reality because they don't live there."

Written by Charles Fitterman

Nominated by Scott Davidson, seconded by Jeff Heidman

VOTES 9
Elf Sternberg
John Hattan
Yang Hu
Carl Funk
DJ Nozem
Erikc
Xerxes
Decimal
Roy Thearle

* * * *
--4--
[In response to Medieval Kneival's bumper sticker being vandalized:]
"If they can justify the murder of tens of thousand of North and South American Indians to perpetuate the belief in their mythical triplets, I don't think the destruction of a bumper sticker will be a problem for them."

Written by LP

Nominated by Eric99gt, seconded by Medieval Kneival

VOTES 4
Therion Ware
Landis Ragon
Tukla Ratte
Alan Ferris

* * * *
--5--
"Christians are the bubble wrap of alt.atheism."

Written by Matthias Weiss

Nominated by Joe Zawadowski, seconded by Landis Ragon

VOTES 3
Joe Zawadowski
Al Klein
Tess

* * * *
--6--
"School boards in these three states [Kansas, Kentucky, and Kolorado - "The Modern KKK"] have chosen to set their burning cross of intolerance on school campuses, scorching and sterilizing the minds of helpless schoolchildren, and continuing the Klan's creed of bullying and utter disregard for individual rights and common sense. Covering themselves in the white sheets of ignorance, they want to blind us all the same way."

Written by Buddikha

Nominated by Chani, seconded by Alan Ferris

VOTES 2
raven1
Charles Ward

* * * *
--7--
"It is this typical self-abasement which characterizes the psychologically destructive nature of Christianity. "I am nothing but dirt" is hardly the opinion I want of myself. Every time the Christian "sins" he reminds himself that he is worthless. This de-humanization can only bring harmful results. It does not give one confidence, but instead shackles the individual with an inferiority complex. It doesn't offer anyone self-worth; it offers endless, and unjustified, self-criticism. It doesn't ask that you view others as human beings with intrinsic worth; it asks you to view them as the lowest of the low."

Written by JS Locust

Nominated by Mike Dahlke, seconded by Mark Gradwell

VOTES 7
Mike Colby
JT IceFire
Michelle Martin
The Jester
Paul Koeck
Mike Dahlke
Mark Gradwell

* * * *
--8--
"The elevation of PRIDE to the status of a sin was not a happenstance in Catholic theology, but rather a cold blooded calculated move that was necessary to enable the Church to control people. In order to bind them to Church authority, first it had to deprive them of their self respect."

Written by Clothaire

Nominated by Czar, seconded by John Popelish

VOTES 10
Michelle Malkin
Michael Moore
Tim Schulz
Keith Brannen
Czar
John Popelish
Dave Holloway
LP
David Trout
Angelico

* * * *
--9--
"Don't risk it. Don't even try. You're an atheist. A free thinker. You'd probably influence kids to read. To think for themselves. To question authority. And for that, you would be destroyed."

Written by Mark Bilbo

Nominated by JT IceFire, seconded by Frank Wustner

VOTES 4
Victor Danilchenko
Mike Smith
Peter Kelly
Darryl Pierce

* * * *
--10--
"For the fundamentalist, the strategy is not to decipher the message. It is also not to kill the messenger. The strategy for the die-hard fundamentalist is to kill the messenger, burn the message, and pretend that nothing ever happened. Only by sacrificing intellectual integrity has theism ever prevailed upon the rational mind."

Written by John Ashby

Nominated by Stoney, seconded by George Ricker

VOTES 6
Frank Wustner
Scott Davidson
George Ricker
Jeff Heidman
Stoney
Mark Bilbo

* * * *
--11--
"Yeah yeah yeah...I have more freedom than you ever will simply because I dare to question all that is put to me. If you had half the balls I do (and I ain't even a man), you might understand what I'm talking about. Instead, you sit in your little corner of life, licked the imaginary boots of your imaginary deity, hoping it will get you a ticket to the afterlife. Very sad."

Written by Julie Kale

Nominated by Tom Murray, seconded by YodelFish

VOTES 5
Tom Stoudt
YodelFish
Nemo
Roy Culley
Tom Murray

* * * *
--12--
"It's *religion that offers certainty. But it's a certainty of ad hoc explanations and self deception. A false certainty that enables people to bury their heads in the sand and ignore the hard reality that the only people around to care that we're here are us. Deal with it."

Written by Mark Bilbo

Nominated by Liz, seconded by Michelle Martin

VOTES 3
Liz
Ed Stoebenau
Diem Marshall

Quotemeister Dave

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