Atheistic Bus Ads

[Anton P. Nym]

The CBC Radio One news said that Halifax had just turned down the ads themselves.

I don't object, but I do think the ads are something of an overreaction here. Now, in the UK they were appropriate as they were indeed responding to a "hellfire and damnation" ad campaign from a particularly frothy-mouthed lot... not much different from Scientology or the Moonies, in my opinion, so a rebuttal telling people that they likely have better things to worry about than worrying about arbitrary dogma was reasonable.

Here in Canada, though, we really don't have that sort of public campaign. Indeed, in recent elections here anyone banging on the God drum too hard (like John Tory) tended to get punished instead of rewarded in the polls. (Sadly, I think this is more from nativist/anti-American sentiment reacting to the US's theology-driven politics than it is from sober thought.) So this campaign is less a rebuttal and more of a "poke it with a stick and see what happens" thing. That, or just a lame copy-cat.

Still, I think anyone getting upset over this is overreacting themselves. It's a difference of opinion on an unprovable premise, not an attempt to rip people off or get them to abandon their families or anything like that.

-- Steve

 

[OuroborosChoked]

Here in Canada, though, we really don't have that sort of public campaign. Indeed, in recent elections here anyone banging on the God drum too hard (like John Tory) tended to get punished instead of rewarded in the polls. (Sadly, I think this is more from nativist/anti-American sentiment reacting to the US's theology-driven politics than it is from sober thought.) So this campaign is less a rebuttal and more of a "poke it with a stick and see what happens" thing. That, or just a lame copy-cat.

Canada: Hating America as a method of self-betterment since 1867.

 

[JWAN]

I honestly think neither Christians nor atheists need to advertise.
Seriously, who will see an ad and say, "Holy fuck, it's so right. I need to stop believing RIGHT GODDAMN NOW/WOW I MUST GO BOW AND SCRAPE BEFORE GOD"
Nobody.
On a similar note, missionaries are stupid. Everyone has heard about God. Everyone. Now stop annoying people.

Missionaries are stupid? do you know what you even do as a Missionary? Ive built houses, painted houses and my friends helped fix road beds in 3rd world countries so vital supplies could get through, my priest lived in Japan for 8 years on the street and helped the homeless find places to sleep and for that he received beatings by the local gangs because he was removing all of the easy targets from the street. If that's stupid, then I don't know whats right anymore.

The UN needs 6 countries/5 months of debate/ and extra force from the USA to move 150 people, the Church can send 150 willing individuals anywhere on the planet where they are needed, face it, they get in contact with the local church (usually its a town hall as well) and they get their stuff lined up and within a few weeks they can roll out. The difference is that the UN has guns and never use them and know they never will, and the missionaries wont use guns because they know where they go they offer supplies, the difference is that the UN is in denial about their mission.

Get an education, apparently you write enough.

 

[Spazticated]

The reason for the adds was a bus advert from a Christian organisation which had a URL for a website which said all non believers would burn in hell for all eternity on it.

I personaly like the adverts, Christians have been advertising for years so why not atheists?

I don't argue that Atheism shouldn't have its own ads but here in Calgary Christians mostly extend the hand of salvation, Atheists just threw down the gauntlet.

It's the approach that has me worried, I think it'll make more enemies for atheism than friends.

Wasn't it not that long ago when christians were burning us heretics alive? Torturing us untill we confessed our heressy and killing us anyway? And you call an athiest campain that is telling people "Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" "Throwing down the gauntlet"?

 

[Pimppeter2]

erased

 

[vede]

In my experience, the only thing that would actually convert a person to atheism, or even make them consider it, is long-term positive relations with an atheist. That, or one of the most epic debate showdowns you'll ever see.

So I actually doubt that this campaign is meant to directly convert people to atheism. Now, indirectly, it very well might. It's aimed at those weird people who devote their entire lives to pleasing a deity at their own expense, because they've been scared into the concept of Hellfire. So if some of these people see the ad, have some epiphany, decide that they've been serving a force that might not even exist for their entire lives, and decide they should lighten up. Then they start to doubt their religion, and eventually they decide, "I'm a hellbound atheist! Whoo!"

Either way, this ad isn't even meant to interact with the small-time religious folk (who really don't believe because any of it makes sense. Most believe because they were pushed into it as a child and they had a good time so they stick with it and don't really care all that much what other people think.). It's aimed at the over-achievers.

 

[beddo]

Ironically the message seems Pro-Chrisitan.

I'd rather no group advertised their opinions. However, as other religions do I have no problem with aetheists doing the same. In the UK it's not really a big deal. In the US it seems like a very big thing, it's almost like aethiests are seen as dangerous in America, in Europe they're just seen as average people.

 

[Gooble]

I think they're awesome-but I am an atheist. Admittedly they are kind of a waste of money, but who cares, it's their money they're wasting. And they're no different from religious ads, because they're just expressing a belief, so all these people who are complaining about them don't really have a right to do so.

 

[Wolvaroo]

I can think of better ways to use a format like that.

Spoiler: clicky for pic

Source: http://www.b3ta.com/board/9124192

Epic Win. I like the Atheist ads myself though.

 

[SecretTacoNinja]

I see nothing wrong with it and I'm glad it doesn't bug the Christians too much.

I can already hear the battle cries of the Evangelical Christians, I just know they're going to attack them for this.

I quite like this new idea of Atheism Advertising to be honest.

 

[NXMT]

You don't ask questions. You just sit down and shut up. Who are you to challenge the divine one?

That's how it appears to be. Just like that Turkish writer who campaigned to get Darwinsm's website banned, whenever a "threat" presents itself, the religious masses will jump on it or cry about how their freedom of worship is being intruded upon.

If you ask me though, religion and atheism have no place in "advertising". It's not a fucking club.

 

[Uncompetative]

I think that there is a signal-to-noise ratio operating here. After all, 99% of all adverts support a selfish, narcissistic, consumerist, godless life-style. The ad agency probably felt they had to "up the ante" to stand out from this crowd.

 

[Fronken]

I dont see whats wrong with that statement nor that advertisement, its needed, there are to many people out there who are religious only cause they are "supposed" to be, thanks to parents invoking their own beliefs on their children and condemning them if they dont believe in god.

So advertising atheism is a great thing, cause it makes those who havent chosen for themselfs aware that there is nothing wrong with not believing in supernatural things.

And dont get me wrong, i have nothing against christians, i know this is a cliché to say but some of my best friends are christian, it sounds korny but its true...so i have nothing against people no matter what belief they have, they might as well praise jesus, satan, buddha or even spongebob for all i care, as long as they dont try to impose their beliefs onto others, which is why i hate most religious groups cause all some of them do is impose their belief onto others and try to force people into religion, take Jehova's Wittnesses (not sure if they are around in the US, but they sure are here in sweden), all they do is walk around door to door and annoy people by trying to quote the bible and getting people to buy the bible, their basicly missionaires only they go to civilized communities and destroy their freedom instead of going to some 3rd world nation .

 

[MindBullets]

Atheism is not a church or a corporation and shouldn't be paraded around. It should be an individual's logical conclusion, not something they learned off a bus.

I agree with you on this. Atheist ads could work, though, if they encourage logic and reasoning, rather than outright dismissing theism. Once you get someone questioning things, they'll work out their own logical conclusions.

 

[cuddly_tomato]

Atheism is not a church or a corporation and shouldn't be paraded around. It should be an individual's logical conclusion, not something they learned off a bus.

I agree with you on this. Atheist ads could work, though, if they encourage logic and reasoning, rather than outright dismissing theism. Once you get someone questioning things, they'll work out their own logical conclusions.

Which might well lead to the conclusion that "there is a god". This is the problem with these kinds of evangelical atheists, they can't accept that other people have good reasons for believing in god, just as others have good reasons to not believe in god. There is an air of arrogance about the whole thing.... "I have come to the logical conclusion there is no god. My logic is the only one which is valid, therefore anyone who disagrees is wrong". This pisses off normal atheists just as much as it does theists.

 

[corporate_gamer]

I don't really find them aggressive at all. They are saying there PROBABLY isn't god, so don't worry. It seems far more relaxed and laid back than some of those alpha course poster i have seen (Whats the point) which i always though latched onto people feeling depressed and tries to draw them to god through misery and doubt than happiness. If the atheist posters had said, God is a fallacy; you are wasting your life. I might of taken offense but the message they put out is quite a hopeful uplifting one.