Of Festive Billboards and Atheism

[Dean]

NJ Side of the Lincoln tunnel ...

Atheist Billboard Goes Up in Time For the Holidays

[ ... ] For a second year in a row, American Atheists is posting seasonal billboards. One of the billboards is located on the New Jersey side, upper left, just before entering the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan. The Lincoln Tunnel carries almost 120,000 vehicles per day, making it one of the busiest vehicular tunnels in the world and a prime location for a billboard. [ ... ]

Here is the CNN Story: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-706810?hpt=hp_bn2

Some people will likely react to this as too egotistical, provocative, arrogant, or confrontational, etc. Just ask yourself one question: How is this exercise of free speech qualitatively different from those of Christian organizations who dot the U.S. landscape with their "Jesus is Lord", "God is Truth", and "Repent Your Sins" messages? Some statements are more coherently defensible and intelligible than others, after all.

 

[Prolescum]

Pah, it's funnier to be provocative in person.

I prefer the sentiment from the one Richard Dawkins backed a couple of years ago; there probably isn't a god, now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

 

[Dean]

Pah, it's funnier to be provocative in person.

I prefer the sentiment from the one Richard Dawkins backed a couple of years ago; there probably isn't a god, now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

Yaar. In my opinion, it's okay...ish. When you drive past it you will probably only see "What myths do you see?". In order for it to be truly effective, you would have to take the time to stop and read (comprehend) all of the text and images.

On a minor note, in response to the American Atheists' posting of the new billboard, orthodoxical rabbi Moshe Averick wrote this little gem purporting to "expose" the "myths of atheism", which incidentally he happened to equate to Methodological Naturalism -- one of the subjects of my first blog post when it is submitted -- as well as the findings of modern science ....

• Atheist, Heal Thyself: The Myths of Atheism

And most gratuitously and unconscionably of all, Averick claims that "Within several decades of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species', by Charles Darwin, the zealously atheistic ideology of Communism emerged as a force to be reckoned with."

LOL

:facepalm:

 

[Laurens]

Am I the only one who thinks that carrying out a debate of this kind on billboards is a pointless waste of money?

I don't know anyone who became an atheist because of a billboard, in fact I don't really know anyone who gives much of a shit about billboards in general. Is it an American thing?

 

[WarK]

Am I the only one who thinks that carrying out a debate of this kind on billboards is a pointless waste of money?

I don't know anyone who became an atheist because of a billboard, in fact I don't really know anyone who gives much of a shit about billboards in general. Is it an American thing?

Oh but fox news does give a shit about this kind of things. Besides, how else people who only watch fox news will know that atheism even exists? It doesn't have to be about deconverting people, only saying "we're here, and we have the same rights as you do. Deal with it." There's no place to pick up a conversation about it if the other side is oblivious or think atheism is some kind of fringe or a tiny minority.

 

[Lame Name Dame]

I see yet another reason for any type of advertisement... same as the work done by LGBT rights associations. Imagine thinking you are the only one with a LGBT (atheist) mindset: you'd start wondering if you are going crazy. Imagine only having access to counsellors for whom "straight" (theist) is the sane, default condition, and LGBT (atheist) is a deviant, sinful, abnormal, pathological condition... these billboards basically say, "there are a lot of others like you".

For this same reason, however, the billboards are useless: they lack in the places where they would be most sorely needed. When there's enough freedom of expression that one can put up a billboard like that one, the hardest part is done. In Italy the "there's no God, enjoy your life" billboards were paid for and put on buses, but then the drivers went on strike, refusing to drive until the "offensive" advertisement had been removed.

 

[Balstrome]

I read the title of the thread as Offensive Billboards and Atheism.