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How is a giant billboard promoting atheism not proselytizing?

Exaltist Ethan

Bridging the Gap Between Believers and Skeptics
Imagine if the billboard said, instead, 'The Good Life With God!' That wouldn't be proselytizing any more so than using the words, 'Without'. Theism, or the lack thereof, is simply a concept. Concepts are not religions. If this billboard said 'The Good Life With Christ!' then you would be getting somewhere.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Something I'm curious about: is there any way an atheist group could call attention to its existence that you wouldn't call "proselytizing"?
I think it helps certain people, who have Faith that atheism is a religion, to support their worldviews when they can describe anything said by a nontheist as "proselytizing" .
Tom
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
I think it helps certain people, who have Faith that atheism is a religion, to support their worldviews when they can describe anything said by a nontheist as "proselytizing" .
Tom
I remember when another ad was rejected for being "too controversial" - it was a bus ad (in PA, IIRC) that just said "atheists." It was funny it got rejected, because it was specifically designed to be the least objectionable atheist ad possible.

I get the sense that for some people, even the mere existence of atheists is offensive. I don't think these people will be satisfied by anything less than complete silencing and erasure of atheists... which means we don't need to waste our time trying to satisfy them.
 

1137

Here until I storm off again
Premium Member
Something I'm curious about: is there any way an atheist group could call attention to its existence that you wouldn't call "proselytizing"?

I'm not sure where the line is drawn. I think any big billboard screaming for you to look into a specific ideal is probably proselytizing, even if it were some Setian billboard. I didn't even say there was necessarily wrong with proselytizing, I think all Metaphysical positions do it.
 

robocop (actually)

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
An ad about atheism can refer to a specific for-profit group and be advertising or be a general ad and then I'd say probably not because most atheists don't pay anyone to be atheist.
 

NewGuyOnTheBlock

Cult Survivor/Fundamentalist Pentecostal Apostate
I'd call it trolling, not proselytizing.

Then any sign demonstrating any belief is also trolling. Its all trolling. "Jesus Saves" is trolling. "Come to our Buddhist Meditation Seminar" is trolling.

Atheism is not a religion, or a Belief. it's a lack thereof

As an atheist, I disagree and I wish more hard atheists would come to their senses and realize that while one can not prove God, one can not disprove God either; thus, to be intellectually honest, holding the belief in "no god" is belief.

Majority rules. That's America.

That's not the way its supposed to be. The constitution was designed to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. We are not a democracy; we are a representative/federal government.

That atheists are "without God" is a basic statement of fact. Nowhere does it say "Stop believing in God!"

Splitting hairs. Its proselytizing.

Read the article. It isn't about bringing new people into the fold, it's about reaching out to other atheist and giving them a sense of community.

Splitting hairs. Its proselytizing.

It's not proselytizing because they aren't trying to change your belief from believing there is a God to believing there isn't, they just want you to choose to live without God, and call that the "good life".

As a typical theist, the meaning of the message has been completely twisted by you. A life of goodness is possible without belief in deities. That is the meaning of the message; and you know this to be true.

Then why did the sign come down? Because the majority wanted it down.

Nope. Its a matter of economics. If the sign were offensive to enough people, then enough people stop coming by spending their money

Hardly. The interpretations of your evidence has been debunked by every Creation scientist out there.

This discussion is about a billboard. Please try not to hijack the thread in your religioius fervor. Thank you.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Splitting hairs. Its proselytizing.
How is it proselytizing when it's not even trying to persuade anyone, but rather asserting it is possible to have a good life without god? The proselytizing was when others came around and said you have to have god for a good this. The billboard was saying "no, we don't."
Nope. Its a matter of economics. If the sign were offensive to enough people, then enough people stop coming by spending their money
That's one of the issues surrounding this story. Those Christians who complained did threaten to "stop coming by" and cease business with a company that had nothing to do with the billboard. They were so offended that they showed themselves willing to do collateral damage.
 

Underhill

Well-Known Member
Underhill said:
Splitting hairs. Its proselytizing.

No, it isn't. Proselytizing is about bringing new people in. Converting them. I know exactly what it is as my parents are missionaries who do it for a living. I engaged in it myself as a youth.

It's the difference between putting a cross on your lawn and going door to door, bible in hand, telling your neighbors that they need Jesus.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
The billboard I'm taking about can be found in the article below. I don't care so much about it being taken down or not, but rather I'm curious how such a billboard is not proselytizing?

Nebraska Atheist Billboard Promoting “The Good Life Without God” Comes Down Following Complaints
Who cares if it's proselytizing or not?
It's the right of the property owner to
say what messages are on the property.
I see no problem.
And it's OK if some are offended by the message.
 

A Vestigial Mote

Well-Known Member
Splitting hairs. Its proselytizing.
The only leg you have to stand on here is that it is proselytizing in the same way that advertising for ANYTHING is "proselytizing". Trying to get you to "convert" to using service or product "X,Y,Z." Except that it is still all too easily argued that the sign does not actively try to get anyone to relinquish belief in God. It's an invitation to join a community. Do you really see more? Just because the word "atheist" is used? What if it was a billboard inviting people who like to dress up for comic conventions to all get together and show off their outfits? Is that reaching out and trying to "convert" people into comic-convention-costume-wearers? What if it actually used the word "cosplayers?" Would that be a blatant attempt to "recruit"/"inspire"/"create" more cosplaying individuals?

One final question to ponder - and I do not believe you will have a good answer given your mindset - how would an atheist organization EVER produce an advertisement of any kind that would meet your standards of what does or doesn't count as "proselytizing?"
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
If that's what you think proselytizing is, then I could only hope that's the shape proselytizing takes in the future. It's much nicer than all those awful, graphic "turn or burn" billboards, or hateful anti-LGBT billboards or stupid anti-science billboards that are up around the nation with nary a squeak of protest.
 
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