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Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17646
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
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 Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:11 am Post subject: |
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More on the atheist bus ad campaign ...
| Quote: | The advertisement on the bus was fairly mild, just a passage from the Bible and the address of a Christian Web site. But when Ariane Sherine, a comedy writer, looked on the Web site in June, she was startled to learn that she and her nonbelieving friends were headed straight to hell, to “spend all eternity in torment.”
... And then she thought, how about putting some atheist messages on the bus, as a corrective to the religious ones?
And so were planted the seeds of the Atheist Bus Campaign, an effort to disseminate a godless message to the greater public. When the organizers announced the effort in October, they said they hoped to raise a modest $8,000 or so.
But something seized people’s imagination. Supported by the scientist and author Richard Dawkins, the philosopher A. C. Grayling and the British Humanist Association, among others, the campaign raised nearly $150,000 in four days. Now it has more than $200,000, and on Tuesday it unveiled its advertisements on 800 buses across Britain.
... Not always positively. “I think it’s dreadful,” said Sandra Lafaire, 76, a tourist from Los Angeles, who said she believed in God and still enjoyed her life, thank you very much. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don’t like it in my face.”
... Inspired by the London campaign, the American Humanist Association started running bus advertisements in Washington in November, with a more muted message. “Why believe in a god?” the ads read, over a picture of a man in a Santa suit. “Just be good for goodness’ sake.” |
NY Times.
Here's one of the buses:
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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The Religious Find a Friend in the Law
| Quote: | There's surely something very strange about asking the Advertising Standards Authority whether there is a God or not. Under the direction of Lord (Chris) Smith, the former publishing director of Hello! magazine, the managing director of Boots Opticians, the Poet Laureate and other members of the ASA council are being asked to rule on a question which has occupied philosophers for centuries. The only member of the board who, I think, has any claim of expertise in the area is one Gareth Jones, the professor of Christian Theology at Canterbury Christ Church University. He must feel that his day has finally arrived.
To recapitulate: some months ago, a humanist comedian, Ariane Sherine, proposed an advertising campaign promoting atheism. Some influential supporters, including Richard Dawkins and the British Humanist Association, took her up on it. A proposed advert was submitted to the ASA: it insisted, reportedly, on a qualifying adverb. And the following sentiment went up on the sides of London buses: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
It's absurd of the ASA to have insisted on the word "probably". Imagine the uproar if it became a legal requirement to insert qualifications in religious statements – "God Probably Loves You." We accept statements of faith for what they are. Only the most pointless sophistry would say that scepticism about religion needs to be treated differently. Intellectual atheists may say that they are merely awaiting the proof which would overturn their assumptions, but few of us are actively holding our breath here. "There Is No God" would have done perfectly well.
Enter one of this column's favourite comic characters, Mr Stephen Green of the extremist group Christian Voice. Even the revised version of the slogan is not acceptable to him, and he has complained to the ASA. "I believe," Mr Green said, "the ad breaks the Advertising Code anyway, unless the advertisers hold evidence that God probably does not exist." Brilliant!
The ASA is thus being placed in the unlikely position of ruling on the existence of God, or where the probabilities lie. I look forward to a bold advertiser submitting a slogan reading "Brightateeth Toothpaste Does Absolutely Nothing For Your Teeth And Gums" and seeing if the ASA requires the addition of the word "probably". |
bit more @ link...
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:25 pm Post subject: |
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BC Almanac (CBC Radio noon show) just reported that Vancouver Transit has refused to carry the "atheist bus" ads -- they are apparently "too controversial"...
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Cartman
Beyond cuddly
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8641
Location: OMG! They killed Jason Kenney!
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Hephaestion wrote: | BC Almanac (CBC Radio noon show) just reported that Vancouver Transit has refused to carry the "atheist bus" ads -- they are apparently "too controversial"...
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Funny how they were allowed to run in some parts of the country and not others. I would have thought they would be acceptable in Vancouver. Next time someone shows evidence of being religious (prays, has a cross etc.), I am gonna ask them if they feel such advertizing is "too controversial". |
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Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17646
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| I'll bet Vancouver Transit runs ads for "Crisis Pregnancy Centres" though. |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, the religious. Such is their faith in God and the everlasting life in Heaven that it can be totally fucked over by a simple bus ad that merely suggests that maybe they're wrong about the whole invisible-superhero-living-in-space thing.
I do love when their own intolerance gets exposed, though. Helps fight the persistent image of them as Grammy and Grampy putting a dollar bill in the church collection plate and singing a happy Sunday School hymn.
The reality is that they'll fight, tooth and nail, for their little superstitions to be validated in law and the public sphere. Evidently, their own faith isn't enough... they need yours and mine too.
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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It's shameful that Vancouver Transit wouldn't run these ads.
And yes, Magoo, before you ask, I see a qualitative difference between these ads and the Mohammed cartoons.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 9:05 pm Post subject: |
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I had no intention of asking. I can't see how this has a whole lot to do with the other discussion(s).
Always nice to be reminded, though, that even as I'm to show a modicum of respect for those of faith, they're free to act as though their faith was The One True Truth. I'm also loving the new thread detailing an inter-faith cooperative initiative to have being gay declared criminal in the constitution. I love it when faiths can put their differences aside to focus on who they really hate.
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Admiral Awesome
still stirring, not shaken
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 1030
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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I've never seen religiously themed ads on Translink (the name for Vancouver's transit system) properties and vehicles. This includes the "crisis pregnancy centre" ads, which again, I've never seen on their properties or vehicles. Translink's ads tend to be purely commercial, for non-profit organizations or related to what Translink is doing to "improve service."
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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Someone should try to buy a bus ad that says "Talking dogs probably do not exist" and see if they'd run it.
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cco
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 04 May 2006
Posts: 717
Location: love of one's country is a terrible thing
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 2:49 am Post subject: |
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| But what about offending the critically important Son of Sam constituency? |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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Good point. They don't just write letters when they're upset. 
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like this issue is too hot for Halifax Transit, too...
| Quote: | ... On Feb 2, Halifax Metro Transit rejected an atheism ad on the grounds that it was "too controversial." The ad read "You can be good without God." Metro Transit spokesperson Lori Patterson told the CBC, "If anytime we feel there's a message that could be controversial and upsetting to people, we don't necessarily sell the ads."
Supporters of the ad are vowing to fight the decision — they've organized on Facebook and at Atheistbus.ca. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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Oh Halifax. There's no point complaining to my city councillor either, she she is right winger.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17646
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:03 am Post subject: |
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Looks like the United Church is fighting back with print ad saying "There probably is a God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Do we have a yawning smiley?
This opinion piece in the Toronto Star says that the second part of the message, for both, is more worrisome as there is lots to worry about. Downer.
| Quote: | ... To prepare clergy and members of Canada's largest mainline Protestant denomination for the campaign, its moderator, the Right Reverend David Giuliano, posted a pastoral letter on the church's website in which he writes, "Clearly, as Christians, we most definitely believe there is a God." I disagree.
... But it is the second sentence in both ads that concerns me at a much deeper level than does the age-old bickering over the term created by humans, defined by humans, elaborated upon by humans, reinforced, defended and killed for by humans. Both the atheist and the theist ads suggest that once the question of belief has been answered, one is simply to stop worrying and enjoy life.
God or no God, there are many things worth our concern, such as poverty, disease and environmental problems. Is a God going to take care of these things for us, so we need not worry? Or does the absence of a God quell our concerns?
... The relevant question has been missed. It is no longer about the existence of a God. The relevant question is about how we live together, fragile life forms that we are, as we seek to coexist on an equally fragile planet. Belief in a supernatural God has only ever managed to get in the way of addressing that question as fully and deeply as we need to. |
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Cartman
Beyond cuddly
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8641
Location: OMG! They killed Jason Kenney!
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| Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:14 am Post subject: |
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Ha! I wonder if this will be too controversial for Vancouver's transit system?
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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ZOMG!!! Montreal Simon made me laff my arse off with this one!
A sampling:
| Quote: | Golly. I'm so excited. I just heard that Kathy Shaidle is going to be on TV !!!!! Oh I know that some progressive bloggers are understandably upset. But you know the last time I saw Shittle on TV she was so unintentionally hilarious I practically shittled myself. So WTF?
8:01 pm: OMG it's started ....and there she is....*gasp*..... all tarted up like a drag version of Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond. With a hooker's dress, a tacky pearl necklace....and a Daffy Duck delivery. I'm weady for my close-up Mr Pwaikin....
8:04 pm: She's SPEAKING !!!! Something about somebody being dismembered by a chainsaw. Oh boy this could be EXCELLENT !!!!!
[...]
8:20 pm She said something again.... and managed to work the "Islamic Threat" into her answer !!!! It was so short and my dog farted so loudly as she said it, I couldn't figure out what she was blabbing about. But it must have been REALLY bad because they're cleaning the camera lens.
Geezus. I should have warned them she spits like a cobra.
8:30 pm Oh this is bad.....I mean good. Now she's fixing her beady eyes on the progressive Christian...I think it's the Islamic-green dress she's wearing. Maybe she thinks she's a Muslim !!! Gosh I hate to get my hopes up. But Five Feet of Fecal Matter is looking awfully DANGEROUS...
8:31 pm Oh no. Steve Paikin got between her and the poor Christian....before she could strangle her with her pearl necklace. Or just bite her. Damn.
[...]
Oh yeah....as for the atheist bus. If the Christianists don't like it.....TOUGH.
Because after my horrible night with La Cucaracha...Our Lady of the Cockroaches... and all that religious horseshit.
This is MY bus......
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LOLZ
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:48 am Post subject: |
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Arkansas: a symbolic move for atheism
| Quote: | Although the Supreme Court ruled it as unconstitutional in 1961, several states' constitutions still contain (now unenforceable) laws that ban atheists from holding public office. A proposed voter referendum may repeal that archaic law in Arkansas.
| Quote: | | Amendment 19 of the Arkansas Constitution says "No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this state, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court." Green Party Representative Richard Carroll, a Roman Catholic, has filed a proposal that would let voters strike that language from the Constitution. Carroll's proposed amendment is supported by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which says atheists should have the same civic rights as religious believers. |
The state constitutions of Texas and Tennessee also bar atheists from holding public office. Other states have laws that imply that public office is reserved for Christians only. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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cco
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 04 May 2006
Posts: 717
Location: love of one's country is a terrible thing
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 1:55 am Post subject: |
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| Our little Tennessee atheists' group kept talking about getting someone together to run for office and challenge the state constitution -- and America does have a LOT of elected offices, relatively speaking (judges, prosecutors, city council, county clerk, tax assessor, dog catcher) -- but nobody really felt like s/he could be elected running openly as an atheist. Oh well. |
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RP.
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 513
Location: Ft. McMurray
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 4:42 am Post subject: |
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| I was under the impression that the point of atheism was to be dispassionate. |
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Rufus Polson
Purple Library Guy
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3483
Location: SFU and/or the college of Riddlemastery at Caithnard
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:54 am Post subject: |
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Huh? Atheism doesn't have a point. It's a designation of a kind of belief about how the universe is. How people react to their beliefs is another question entirely.
Back in the day, a lot of people were actually quite upset about coming to that belief, e.g. arguably some of the existentialists, Matthew Arnold, Nietzsche in some of his moods.
In the poem "Dover Beach", Matthew Arnold appears to conclude that the result of lacking faith is that
"the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night."
Kind of depressing.
Other atheists invented secular humanism; some became quite passionate about it.
Bertrand Russell, far from being upset about his belief there was no deity, seems to have been quite cheerful about it, and quite passionate both about atheism and about life in general. My impression is that there are quite a few who think like him.
There's quite a range of responses to the conclusion that atheism is correct. Dispassion doesn't actually strike me as a major one among them, and I say that even though actually there's a fair bit of it in my personal attitude. Although I'm perhaps less dispassionate than blase. |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I was under the impression that the point of atheism was to be dispassionate. |
I guess it depends. What I call "Big A" atheists, the ones out to insist that God cannot and does not exist, full stop, get pretty hot under the collar at times.
But "little a" atheists, who aren't out to insist that God doesn't exist any more than they're out to insist that talking purple dogs don't exist, generally just want to go about their business, free from God-botherers and their nonsense. So I suppose they're mostly dispassionate, except when the God-botherers just can't or won't go about their business too.
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RP.
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 513
Location: Ft. McMurray
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm trying to think of a dry way to suggest that atheists don't get jokes, in a way that will be understood absolutely to be a joke, is not something I actually believe, not offend anyone, and as a bonuse, be really, really funny. I'll let you know if I think of something. |
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fork
Utensil
Joined: 26 Apr 2006
Posts: 1283
Location: Left . . . of the plate
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| RP. wrote: | | I'm trying to think of a dry way to suggest that atheists don't get jokes. . . |
There's a good start. |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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USA: number of people with no religion grows
| Quote: | A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.
Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state.
“No other religious bloc has kept such a pace in every state,” the study’s authors said.
[...]
Evangelical or born-again Americans make up 34 percent of all American adults and 45 percent of all Christians and Catholics, the study found. Researchers found that 18 percent of Catholics consider themselves born-again or evangelical, and nearly 39 percent of mainline Protestants prefer those labels. Many mainline Protestant groups are riven by conflict over how they should interpret what the Bible says about gay relationships, salvation and other issues.
The percentage of Pentecostals remained mostly steady since 1990 at 3.5 percent, a surprising finding considering the dramatic spread of the tradition worldwide. Pentecostals are known for a spirited form of Christianity that includes speaking in tongues and a belief in modern-day miracles.
Mormon numbers also held steady over the period at 1.4 percent of the population, while the number of Jews who described themselves as religiously observant continued to drop, from 1.8 percent in 1990 to 1.2 percent, or 2.7 million people, last year. Researchers plan a broader survey on people who consider themselves culturally Jewish but aren’t religious.
The study found that the percentage of Americans who identified themselves as Muslim grew to 0.6 percent of the population, while growth in Eastern religions such as Buddhism slightly slowed. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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No Yards
Glutton for Punishment
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 2944
Location: Toronto Ontario
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| Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks calls for more recognition of the countries largest minority
| Quote: | The Silent Minority
There is a minority group in America that is a bigger percentage of the country than blacks or Hispanics. But they are often ignored or derided in public. Almost no politician would ever admit to being one. And they are given no voice in the public arena.
They are the non-religious. A new comprehensive study by The Program on Public Values at Trinity College shows that this group is now a whopping 15% of the country. Mormons by comparison are a puny 1.4% of the population, and people can't shut up about the Mormons. The Senate Majority Leader is a Mormon, one of the top Republican presidential candidates was Mormon and even HBO has a whole show devoted to them.
Even though the non-religious are more than ten times larger, other than Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA), not one member of Congress would even admit to being in the dreaded minority of non-believers. They are almost never accounted for in any political discussion of religion in the country. The devout view them as amoral at best and destined for eternal damnation at worst. Yet, this kind of abuse and scorn is widely accepted and expected.
And, if God forbid, they should ever fight back and forcefully present their opinions, they are often considered rude and offensive.
... more at link above ...
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Youtube video from Young Turks show discussing this issue.
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I follow, but more importantly, respect the Golden Rule. I fully and completely respect your right to be 'done on to' as you would 'do on to' others. |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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Evangelical Christianity going the way of the dodo?
| Quote: | According to a recent poll published in the Washington Post, the number of Americans who identify themselves as Christians has fallen in recent years. And in an opinion piece in the Christian Science Monitor, Michael Spencer, who describes himself as "a postevangelical reformation Christian in search of a Jesus-shaped spirituality," predicts that evangelical Christianity is going the way of the passenger pigeon: once overwhelmingly plentiful but now bound for extinction.
| Quote: | We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.
Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants. (Between 25 and 35 percent of Americans today are Evangelicals.) In the "Protestant" 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.
This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.
Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close. |
The number one reason for this, Mr. Spencer explains, is because evangelicals aligned themselves with politics rather than faith.
| Quote: | This will prove to be a very costly mistake. Evangelicals will increasingly be seen as a threat to cultural progress. Public leaders will consider us bad for America, bad for education, bad for children, and bad for society.
The evangelical investment in moral, social, and political issues has depleted our resources and exposed our weaknesses. Being against gay marriage and being rhetorically pro-life will not make up for the fact that massive majorities of Evangelicals can't articulate the Gospel with any coherence. We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith. [Emphasis in original.] |
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More @ link
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Chester
not crazy about trees
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 2521
Location: Saskatoon
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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| that is indeed Good News. |
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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Please let it be so.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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Wow. I've been suggesting this as the perfect compromise between the excessively superstitious and the rest of us.
Get your Saviour out of politics.
Go home.
Go to the basement.
Draw the curtains.
Pray all you want, and shut the hell up about it.
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RP.
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Posts: 513
Location: Ft. McMurray
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| Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you, Elsie Wayne.  |
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DSquared
aka Aristotleded24
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 5570
Location: Winnipeg
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2009 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Tehanu wrote: | | More on the atheist bus ad campaign |
I don't see what the problem here is, honestly. Do we not live in a free country? Most people here know that I don't agree with what the ad claims, but that's not a valid reason to say it shouldn't run.
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This is pre-eminently the time, to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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De-baptise me...
| Quote: | Some atheists are trying have their baptism records expunged from official church records. From the UK:
| Quote: | | The National Secular Society would like the Church of England to devise a formal procedure for cancelling baptisms, with a change in the baptismal roll as part of it. In the face of resistance from the Church, the society has come up with a document of its own. The "Certificate of Debaptism" has a deliberately home-made look, with its mock-official decoration and quasi-official language. Sitting on a bench in the grounds of St Jude's Church, John Hunt intoned the opening lines. "I, John Jeffrey Hunt, having been subjected to the rite of Christian baptism in infancy... hereby publicly revoke any implications of that rite. I reject all its creeds and other such superstitions in particular the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed of original sin." The society's president, Terry Sanderson, says the certificate is not designed to be taken too seriously, and he suggests displaying it in the loo. However, he says, it has now been downloaded more that 60,000 times, and has taken on a life of its own. "The debaptism certificate started out as a kind of satirical comment on the idea that you could be enrolled in a church before you could talk, but it seems to have taken off from there. People are beginning to take it seriously." |
According to the story, British churches will not remove your name from the rolls of the baptized, because "you can't remove something from the record that actually happened." Therefore, the names of those who wish to renounce their baptisms will forever bloat the official count of church members. Hmm, I once registered as an Independent. That actually happened and I undid it without a problem. |
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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Hephaestion
Deeply Shallow
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 24243
Location: Where the Wild Things Are...
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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If Atheists Ruled the World
(some smart-alecky college kids reading actual transcripts from Christian fundamentalist website forums)
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"The dignity of an animal is measured by his capacity to revolt in the face of oppression." -- Mikhail Bakunin |
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sparqui
Dog tired
Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 5154
Location: Winnipeg
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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^^^ love that video. Those were actors portraying smart-ass fundie teens.
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“If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a tractor.”
-- Gilles Duceppe |
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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What a fantastic video. The number of people who didn't realize it was a joke on the hypochristians was amusing.
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Raos
volatilis vir
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 5472
Location: Petropolis
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:55 am Post subject: |
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fstdt has some seriously unbelievable quotes. My all-time favorite for the sheer ludicrousness of it:
| Quote: | | One of the most basic laws in the universe is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This states that as time goes by, entropy in an environment will increase. Evolution argues differently against a law that is accepted EVERYWHERE BY EVERYONE. Evolution says that we started out simple, and over time became more complex. That just isn't possible: UNLESS there is a giant outside source of energy supplying the Earth with huge amounts of energy. If there were such a source, scientists would certainly know about it. |
The obviousness of it is blinding like...the sun...  |
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Feral
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 890
Location: In a tree... very high up.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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Wow.
Well... there goes what was left of my charitable impulse for the day. |
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TS.
Delicious schadenfreude
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 14585
Location: Toronto, ON
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Raos wrote: | fstdt has some seriously unbelievable quotes. My all-time favorite for the sheer ludicrousness of it:
| Quote: | | One of the most basic laws in the universe is the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This states that as time goes by, entropy in an environment will increase. Evolution argues differently against a law that is accepted EVERYWHERE BY EVERYONE. Evolution says that we started out simple, and over time became more complex. That just isn't possible: UNLESS there is a giant outside source of energy supplying the Earth with huge amounts of energy. If there were such a source, scientists would certainly know about it. |
The obviousness of it is blinding like...the sun... |
Oh. My. Gawd. How stupid do people get?
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"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear." - Thomas Jefferson |
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Feral
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 890
Location: In a tree... very high up.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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| TS. wrote: | | Oh. My. Gawd. How stupid do people get? |
And still be able to type complete sentences... about that much.
Mind you, I'm using the "in a state of stupor" definition. It's astonishing, really. I may marvel over it (in a completely uncharitable fashion) all day long. |
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DSquared
aka Aristotleded24
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 5570
Location: Winnipeg
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| Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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God can be found on Calgary Transit buses:
| Quote: | A group calling itself "God Exists" has purchased its own bus ads to counter the message of an atheist campaign currently running on Calgary buses.
The ads will be running on eight buses and two C-Trains for a month, starting Monday. They will carry the message: "God cares for everyone … even for those who say He doesn't exist!"
The campaign is a response to the Freethought Association of Canada's ads, currently running on Calgary Transit, that say: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." |
Free speech at its finest! Gotta love it! 
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This is pre-eminently the time, to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
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Cartman
Beyond cuddly
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8641
Location: OMG! They killed Jason Kenney!
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:13 am Post subject: |
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| I think that this is great myself. Far better than the situation in duct-tape Vancouver where they won't touch this with a ten foot pole. Everyone, including the ad agencies, wins big time. What they should do now is have a set of public debates on the matter. Invite Richard Dawkins to speak. |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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I predict that by 2025, most discussion of current affairs and social issues will take place on the sides of vehicles.
| Quote: | | They will carry the message: "God cares for everyone … even for those who say He doesn't exist!" |
I can see the rebuttal already: "If God cares regardless, why are you grovelling?"
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Tehanu
More or less, more or less
Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 17646
Location: Seceded from the Ford Nation
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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Excellent point.
Rebuttal:
God cares, but like any angry authority figure, she might swat you unless you exhibit the appropriate servility.  |
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F.
Fulltime enMasse Member
Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 2578
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Ah Magoo, it's times like this that I can't help but think there's a little Voltaire lurking in you. |
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No Yards
Glutton for Punishment
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 2944
Location: Toronto Ontario
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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As an agnostic I would also like to take out an ad on the side of a bus, but I don't know what to say!
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I follow, but more importantly, respect the Golden Rule. I fully and completely respect your right to be 'done on to' as you would 'do on to' others. |
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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May I suggest: "This is a bus; of that much I'm certain".
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Rufus Polson
Purple Library Guy
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3483
Location: SFU and/or the college of Riddlemastery at Caithnard
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Senor Magoo wrote: | I predict that by 2025, most discussion of current affairs and social issues will take place on the sides of vehicles.
| Quote: | | They will carry the message: "God cares for everyone … even for those who say He doesn't exist!" |
I can see the rebuttal already: "If God cares regardless, why are you grovelling?" |
Reminds me of the scene from The Meaning of Life where the chaplain leads them in praising God:
Oh Lord,
Ooh, you are so big
So absolutely huge.
Gosh, we're all really impressed down here, I can tell You. |
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Norse of 60
Kokanee Kid
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 3711
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Senor Magoo
He's got a big one
Joined: 11 Apr 2006
Posts: 8700
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| Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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It's cribbed from the Secular Atavists, but it reframes things in a way that I think makes sense to non-believers.
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