Meredith Hodge
Blog #2
1/29/09
8:36 PM
There has been religious conflict brewing on the buses of Washington D.C. and London concerning the advertisements they display. The advertisements include statements such as "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," ( DC Ads sponsored by the American Humanist Association) and many other statements that question the existence of God. Several atheist groups that aim to discourage to Christian evangelical efforts are responsible for these advertisements. Not only have they created tension and arguments among the passengers on the buses of which they are on, they have also managed to generate a large number of responses from other Christian organizations. These responses include retaliation statements such as "Why Believe? Because I created you and I love you, for goodness' sake. —God," (ads from the local Center for Family Development.)
The atheists claim that unlike the Christian evangelists, they are not preaching to people or trying to convince people that they are right. They are simply reminding people that they are there. The argument here is whether or not these ads really can persuade one to change their beliefs or are they only open doors to arguments and religious conflict? These advertisements may encourage contemplation and discussion but they are more likely to encourage people who share the same views as the advertisements themselves rather than changing people’s mind s who don’t agree. Christians believe that these false statements made for marketing purposes provides God with the perfect chance to prove himself and persuade atheists that he really does exist.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/february/7.16.html
1 comment:
This is infuriating! I am agnostic and not a day goes by that I don't have religion shoved in my face through some medium or another. Even watching the inauguration, (which is an event for all CITIZENS, not all CHRISTIANS) I had to listen to someone praying or thanking God every five minutes. This doesn't bother me until I read something like this article that shows religious evangelicals throwing a hissy fit over an ad on the side of a bus.
One of the main goals of religion is the "spreading of the word". Missionaries are sent out all over the globe just to recruit people to their religion (which, by the way, had led to a worldwide loss of culture). They have experienced the freedom to spread their faith and speak their word, so why is it that they are so intolerant of beliefs different from their own? Why can't they live and let live?
I understand that religion is something that is deeply ingrained into every society, and I am totally ok with that. The problem I have with religion is the way people use it (in the passing of Prop 8 for example). I'm not anti-religion, but I do believe that there is something entirely wrong with a society that allows religion to step on the toes of our basic rights to freedom of speech and separation of church and state.
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