Just in time for Christmas, a group of atheists are renting space on the sides of buses to convince people not to believe in God. Merry Christmas!
According to the Associated Press:
You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.
Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.
In lifting lyrics from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas
Now, of course, if we would ask them to define “good,” these “humanists” would likely come up with a thousand different answers. They don’t seem to realize that without God, “good” has as many definitions as there are individuals.
This effort by the “humanists” was preceded by a similar campaign by the British Humanist Association, adorning London buses with the message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
Never mind that every religious person I know is much much happier than any agnostics or atheists I know. What I don’t understand is why atheists feel such a strong need to evangelize. They don’t only believe in nothing. They celebrate a belief in nothingness. They evangelize their emptiness. I just don’t know what motivates them other than the adage that misery loves company.
Well, all we can do, I guess, is pray that they one day become former atheists. And I guess that these cuddly as a cactus Grinches enjoy their three decker saurkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce.
November 13, 2008 at 4:45 am
I guess sending them Christmas cards won’t make them feel any better?
November 13, 2008 at 5:39 am
Is that Milli or Vanilli in the Santa Suit?
November 13, 2008 at 7:17 am
and I suppose we can now start placing pro-life nativity ads on busses…?
(the cricket chirping is deafening)
November 13, 2008 at 10:25 am
Looks like the ad was really designed to be more naughty than nice. They should add– Yes, Virginia, if you don’t believe in nothing, you can believe in anything.
November 13, 2008 at 11:38 am
Oh…I don’t know… how about Descartes’ Wager? Is that one easy enough for these bozos?
November 13, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Pascal’s wager, Christian, Pascal’s wager. 😉
November 13, 2008 at 12:14 pm
John C. Wright has a great post up about this event: http://johncwright.livejournal.com/203492.html#cutid1
November 13, 2008 at 2:11 pm
This ad could be helpful by making people think of God and yep, asking if He exists. And it would be a good thing if a lot of non-practicing (secular?) Catholics and Christians ask themselves “Why believe in God?” and… got off of the fence!
November 13, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I always thought that goodness in the phrase “be good for goodness’ sake” was a reference to God. Kind of like when people use the word providence, it’s a figurative way of using one attribute of God (like his goodness or his intervention in our lives) to refer to God as a whole.
November 13, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Language is the first victim with these folks. Ask Orwell.
November 13, 2008 at 3:12 pm
There’s no God – so merry Christ’s Mass!
….oh.
November 13, 2008 at 7:51 pm
God receives praise even from the lips of those who choose to be his enemies:
1) Atheism posits: God = Nothing
2) Therefore, atheists say such things as: “adore nothing, worship nothing, nothing is great, nothing created the universe, hold nothing sacred,” etc…
3) It is logically valid to substitute one expression of value for another equal expression of value, then:
4) Nothing = God
5) So Aheists sayings =
adore God, worship God, God is great, God created the universe, hold God sacred, etc…
So the next time you encounter an anti-theist masquerading as an atheist, or a genuine atheist, feel free to smirk smugly knowing that God has already won.
Feel the Joy. Merry Christmas.
November 13, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I don’t know if this is more or less offensive than the current Metro bus ads picturing gay couples with the caption, “show how much you love each other, get (HIV)tested together.”
November 14, 2008 at 4:12 am
“Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”
In technical terms, this is what is called a “lie.” If they’re trying to reach the poor disenfranchised atheists, why is it targeted at believers?
Also, was that spokesman able to make that statement with a straight face? Ah, yes, you just can’t go anywhere these days without having the association between Christmas and Jesus Christ put right in your face.
Honestly, I’d like for these humanists to share with me their list of all the places that are doing all this traditional associating the holidays with religion stuff. I’d like to hang out there.