McBell
Resident Sourpuss
Yeah, i added it up again after I made that post and realized that I really should probably use a calculator when adding multiple numbers.
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American Atheists at it again?
- Thread starter Rakhel
- Start date
You're talking about a campaign (or more accurately, a group of campaigns taken together) that has run, on average, less than one ad per state per year. I disagree with your assessment; this campaign is a very small campaign.
rageoftyrael
Veritas
I personally find it distasteful when they put up these ads. Mainly because when atheists start putting up ads that does mean we are jamming our beliefs(or lack of beliefs) down other peoples throats, which is ironic, since don't atheists complain about that being done to them by the theists?
Not only that, but it does make us look like we are unified, which is another thing many atheists will claim we are not. I personally don't see anything wrong with like minded individuals getting together to talk and whatnot, but once you start actively trying to "recruit" you are heading down a slippery slope.
Not only that, but it does make us look like we are unified, which is another thing many atheists will claim we are not. I personally don't see anything wrong with like minded individuals getting together to talk and whatnot, but once you start actively trying to "recruit" you are heading down a slippery slope.
OK.
I still haven't seen one. I've driven through major metropolitan areas in St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL in the last few months alone.
Not one. Nada. None. Goose egg. It's not only "not everywhere" in my opinion, but as far as I'm concerned, they're nowhere to be seen.
Have you seen any in real life?
Apex
Somewhere Around Nothing
Just because your first hand experience may not match up with something doesn't make it false. I used to live in the south and while I know there are religious billboards all over down there, I only ever remember seeing one, ever.
Apex
Somewhere Around Nothing
And if you were to be a little more specific with your math you would see that 90% (117) of them went up in 2010. But feel free to disagree.
Oh, btw, another one just went up.
HerDotness
Lady Babbleon
Different strokes, I guess, but I see this as opportunistic but not that intrusive. I presume they intend to take advantage of the fact that Dawkins', Hitchens' and Harris' books have sold surprisingly well over the past several years, more so I think than the authors themselves probably expected but for perhaps Hitch who tended to think the world deserved the benefit of his wit and wisdom.
To me, shoving beliefs at people requires something more direct and incapable of being easily ignored such as the street corner preacher whom one cannot avoid hearing while stuck at a traffic light or the tract distributor who will NOT take a polite refusal and shoves the thing at you.
I was working in my yard one day when two JW's came up the driveway. I replied courteously to their greeting and was forced to interrupt their spiel with something like, "I'm trying to get some gardening done and am not interested. Please excuse me and go elsewhere." The older of the two lit into her script. I said calmly a few more times, "I'm not interested." Finally, she made some pithy comment about how the Bible ought to be of interest to everyone, and I turned away and went back to my work. THEN, she finally started back down the driveway practically yelling about how the devil abides in those uninterested in the Word of the Lord, etc. I thought for a moment I'd have to go indoors or make a pointed remark about their presence being trespassing when they'd been asked to leave.
THAT is intrusive. A billboard is not, because it's not going to keep haranguing you at a volume loud enough to rouse your neighbors.
I just don't see a billboard as anything but a source of information which can be used or ignored as desired.
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I didn't say it was false. I said my experience has shown me no atheist billboards.
I lived in NC, and saw a few religious billboards. I lived in Florida for a bit and saw more in the mainland than I ever did in the Keys. I lived in Indiana and saw no religious billboards. But they're numerous around these parts.
No atheist billboards yet. And you didn't answer my question - have you seen any?
Apex
Somewhere Around Nothing
No, but as I said, I used to live in an area with lots of religious billboards, but I only ever saw one of them. Also, I never pay attention to billboards while I am driving. The only time I noticed them is when I am a passenger, which is almost never.
Fair enough.
My point is quite similar to gnomon's. I find it interesting that only now there's a bit of a stink being raised about caustic atheist rhetoric on a few billboards when there's been caustic rhetoric coming from Christian signs and billboards for a long time and is far more numerous.
My question is, why the stink now and not before? Has the public come to expect that as the message and is resigned to it?
Several years ago I was riding with several of my girlfriends for a day out in St Louis. We passed by a billboard that read "Jesus - the best thing to come out of Judaism!"
One of my friends pointed to it and said, "That ticks me off!"
Another one said, "Why? It's true!" To which others agreed.
She answered with, "I just hate it when Christ's message is distorted like that."
And she was met with, "I think the truth needs to be shared wherever and however. If people are offended, it's because they're offended by Christ and are in more dire need of being saved."
And so went the conversation. Was it spirited? Yes. Was it offensive? I thought the billboard was ridiculous, but it certainly hit a nerve.
Nobody thought the billboard shouldn't be up, though. The tone of the conversation was that this kind of rhetoric is prevalent and common. Soooooo.......is it supposed to be?
HerDotness
Lady Babbleon
Since provocation/insult is the intent, most of us would likely say that we'd prefer that sort of rhetoric not be used; it's disrespectful of others' right to different beliefs. I think one would be hardpressed to claim that saying Jesus was the best thing to come out of Judaism represents goodwill toward all and fosters peace on Earth. Of course, one might argue as I've sometimes mused that the angel's "Peace on Earth, goodwill to men" referred to goodwill extending from heaven to humankind since it's such a rarity among them.
And the billboard to which you refer, placed in St. Louis which has a fairly substantial Jewish community, is clearly in the vein of the OP billboard's message although in a way more insulting since "the best thing to come out of" is often followed by "the ONLY good thing to come out of." If the latter isn't said, it's nevertheless the implication.
