Atheist banner on rt.3 outside the Lincoln Tunnel

[donnie_baseball]

If you've read about this....

1. Disgraceful display of small-mindedness and pettiness. Mocking the Nativity, and calling the Christmas story a "myth." Qualifies for hate speech, as far as I'm concerned.

2. I'm agog at the inferred intellectual superiority of these people. 92% of Americans believe in some kind of God; so everyone is an idiot, except for them? I'd expect better for such smart people; now parents have to explain this to kids as they head in to Radio City.

3. It's ironic that the atheists, who feel the need to buy advertising space on a gigantic billboard, are responding to Christians, who are supposedly getting their message "in their face." These prosyletizing atheists are every bit as bad as the most fundamentalist religious. Atheism is as much an evangelical cult as Branch Davidism.

 

[SHUMAN]

Does seem petty but doesnt really bother me. I am quite surprised that there is an association for atheists- how empty must your life be to want to join such a group? I look forward to their next billboard insulting Muhammad and the Muslims (or is it ok to only take on the religions that won't declare a fatwa and kill you). Bunch of whining wusses. I'm sure they're working on something particularly insightful to anger the Jewish community around passover.

 

[SPK145]

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
Atheism is as much an evangelical cult as Branch Davidism.

All organized religion is a cult.

Why is it OK for you to mock their religious beliefs or lack thereof but not OK for them to do the same?

 

[shu09]

Originally posted by SPK145:

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
Atheism is as much an evangelical cult as Branch Davidism.

All organized religion is a cult.

Why is it OK for you to mock their religious beliefs or lack thereof but not OK for them to do the same?

+1

 

[donnie_baseball]

Originally posted by SPK145:

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
Atheism is as much an evangelical cult as Branch Davidism.

All organized religion is a cult.

Why is it OK for you to mock their religious beliefs or lack thereof but not OK for them to do the same?

You missed my point. The American Atheists condemn religion for it's lack of reason, and state that the evangelicals and fundamentalists force their beliefs on people. But they have proved be be as zealous and dogmatic as the religions they criticize.

As far as all organized religions being a cult, you obviously don't know the definition of a cult. I haven't been to a Catholic Church yet that hasn't let me leave. Somewhere on one of these boards you stated that $$ was your religion, and for that I am truly sorry for you.
This post was edited on 11/30 10:48 AM by donnie_baseball

 

[donnie_baseball]

09:
+1? If you think organized religion is a cult, why did you go to a religious institution for college? Could you not get into anywhere better, and saved mommy and daddy a few bucks in the process?

 

[SPK145]

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:

Originally posted by SPK145:

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
Atheism is as much an evangelical cult as Branch Davidism.

All organized religion is a cult.

Why is it OK for you to mock their religious beliefs or lack thereof but not OK for them to do the same?

You missed my point. The American Atheists condemn religion for it's lack of reason, and state that the evangelicals and fundamentalists force their beliefs on people. But they have proved be be as zealous and dogmatic as the religions they criticize.

As far as all organized religions being a cult, you obviously don't know the definition of a cult. I haven't been to a Catholic Church yet that hasn't let me leave. Somewhere on one of these boards you stated that $$ was your religion, and for that I am truly sorry for you.
This post was edited on 11/30 10:48 AM by donnie_baseball

I know of no definition of cult that includes the provision that one can not leave. If you are truly a catholic and not a "cafeteria catholic" (and I think you are one of the few that is NOT a cafeteria catholic) mustn't you believe in everything the catholic church tells you to believe in? That seems cultish to me.

As for the question you ask of shu09 below, same should apply to me. I'd never go to a religious university if I had to do it over again. They're a hypocritical disgrace. Unfortunately when I was was 18 (probably before you were born, LOL), SHU was my third choice of school but Daddy wanted me to go to Seton Hall. He's not catholic, didn't go to SHU, but always liked it for some reason. SHU has served me well but I would not choose to go there if I had to do it over again.

And yes, $$ is my religion. Free markets and free minds. That has also served me well and I learned that at SHU.

 

[SPK145]

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:

Originally posted by SPK145:

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
Atheism is as much an evangelical cult as Branch Davidism.

All organized religion is a cult.

Why is it OK for you to mock their religious beliefs or lack thereof but not OK for them to do the same?

You missed my point. The American Atheists condemn religion for it's lack of reason, and state that the evangelicals and fundamentalists force their beliefs on people. But they have proved be be as zealous and dogmatic as the religions they criticize.
This post was edited on 11/30 10:48 AM by donnie_baseball

I didn't miss the point, there is no point. All are equal. None is better than the other. They don't like you and you don't like them. Who cares?

 

[donnie_baseball]

So you would disagree that this billboard is in poor taste?

And yeah, cults don't let you leave. That's pretty much the sine qua non of cults. Jonestown, Branch Davidians. Fr. DeBold at SHU was a pretty famous cult de-programmer. They're brainwashed. I have free will, I can choose to leave the Church at any time, or deviate from it's teachings. Do I? Yes, I'm not perfect, and don't hold anyone to the standard of perfection. So I'll recant my original statement that atheism is a cult. However, the atheists who put up this billboard are as bad as any of the fanatical religious that they despise.
This post was edited on 11/30 12:00 PM by donnie_baseball

 

[SPK145]

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
So you would disagree that this billboard is in poor taste?

No, it's in as poor a taste as any other religious edict.

We'll have to agree to disagree on what the definition of a cult is.

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
However, the atheists who put up this billboard are as bad as any of the fanatical religious that they despise.

Absolutely and vice-versa, the fanatical religious are as bad as any atheists they so despise.

 

[donnie_baseball]

Originally posted by SPK145:

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
However, the atheists who put up this billboard are as bad as any of the fanatical religious that they despise.

Absolutely and vice-versa, the fanatical religious are as bad as any atheists they so despise.

Agreed! And, for the record, I do not consider Catholics, or most mainstream Christians, to be "fanatical," "evangelical," or "the religious right." This billboard simply mocks the Nativity, which is hardly a fundamentalist concept.

What's funny about these zealots, at least the atheists, is that they don't see their dogma as clearly as that of those whom they are criticizing. They should just go about their business. The fundamentalist Christians (with whom, unfortunately, we Catholics get lumped in to serve the left's agenda) are an embarrassment to any thinking religious person.

 

[SPK145]

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:

Originally posted by SPK145:

Originally posted by donnie_baseball:
However, the atheists who put up this billboard are as bad as any of the fanatical religious that they despise.

Absolutely and vice-versa, the fanatical religious are as bad as any atheists they so despise.

Agreed! And, for the record, I do not consider Catholics, or most mainstream Christians, to be "fanatical," "evangelical," or "the religious right." This billboard simply mocks the Nativity, which is hardly a fundamentalist concept.

What's funny about these zealots, at least the atheists, is that they don't see their dogma as clearly as that of those whom they are criticizing. They should just go about their business. The fundamentalist Christians (with whom, unfortunately, we Catholics get lumped in to serve the left's agenda) are an embarrassment to any thinking religious person.

See I disagree, Catholics are as fanatical and fundamentalist as any other. Maybe more so.

 

[donnie_baseball]

Again, it's a matter of defining terms. Fundamentalism means interpreting the Bible literally, denying evolution and life on Earth before humans, etc. I have a friend who is a Southern Baptist with these beliefs. The Vatican recognizes evolution, and denounces creationism.

As far as "fanaticism" goes, I guess that varies case-to-case. All Christians are called to "go out and spread the Good News." I've never seen Catholics knock on my door, hand me literature, televangelizing.

To say that Catholics are as fundamentalist as any religion really shows an ignorance of the Catholic faith -- and I don't mean that as a shot -- what do you know about it, you're not Catholic? Either that, or we define terms very differently.

 

[SnakeTom]

Is the billboard in bad taste. YES, most definitely. But we do have freedom of speech in this country which is a more important value. Is the billboard really harming anyone? I think not.

TK