Spreading Atheism

[DukeDev]

Well I have been surfing around these hallowed forums for many months and I really like the community and the objective points of view of many members here so I have a question for you. On campus we have an old war cannon which is cemented to the ground in the center of campus and it is tradition for the various clubs and organizations on campus to paint it to advertise what their group is all about, and one day the Atheist society on campus decided they wanted to paint it. So one morning we woke up to see the following message on the cannon, "There is probably no God".

This seems fine to me but apparently the school did not think so and while there are no official rules regarding what can be painted on the cannon they were made to paint over it which is almost never done. What I do not understand is that we have an organization on campus called "Campus for Christ" and they are allowed to advertise with posters, give out free bibles and brochures and even conduct Christianity-based surveys during lectures but the Atheist society is not allowed to broadcast their message for one day?

I think that this is a double-standard on the part of the university and that the Atheists should be allowed to spread the word about their "religion" or lack thereof, depending on your point of view. So I ask you two things, is Atheism a religion, and should they be allowed to spread their message in any manner they please?

(Edited in paragraph form)

 

[grimsprice]

Spoiler

Well I have been surfing around these hallowed forums for many months and I really like the community and the objective points of view of many members here so I have a question for you. On campus we have an old war cannon which is cemented to the ground in the center of campus and it is tradition for the various clubs and organizations on campus to paint it to advertise what their group is all about, and one day the Atheist society on campus decided they wanted to paint it. So one morning we woke up to see the following message on the cannon, "There is probably no God". This seems fine to me but apparently the school did not think so and while there are no official rules regarding what can be painted on the cannon they were made to paint over it which is almost never done. What I do not understand is that we have an organization on campus called "Campus for Christ" and they are allowed to advertise with posters, give out free bibles and brochures and even conduct Christianity-based surveys during lectures but the Atheist society is not allowed to broadcast their message for one day? I think that this is a double-standard on the part of the university and that the Atheists should be allowed to spread the word about their "religion" or lack thereof, depending on your point of view. So I ask you two things, is Atheism a religion, and should they be allowed to spread their message in any manner they please?

Welcome to the escapist! Use the quote button, not the reply button, and have fun!!!

Just a word of advice. Break up big paragraphs into smaller ones. Its good for the eyes.

OT: The double standard comes from most peoples inability to remain neutral. Especially with religion. When 90% of the people in charge are Religious, you're going to get biased treatment.

 

[Worgen]

well ppl are afraid of atheism from a combination of missimformation and that they like to portray it as attacking the foundation of america.... oh wait I just repeated myself. Anyway they should fight that the campus bs of trying to make them be quiet or make it so that the christians have to shut up too

 

[katsa5]

I think what I'm hearing is just one perspective and I would like to read more about it. Where can I go?
In the meantime, there's a statue of a Bison at my College as well. Same practice. And that bison got covered with every message imaginable, including the Athiest Message as well. No problem. So I'm thinking what happened at that school is more of a political thing, not a religion thing.

 

[randomsix]

tufts?

OT: I think to constitute a religion atheism needs more than a belief. The M-W definition that I think most conforms to your question says that a religion needs to be institutionalized with set practices, beliefs, etc. I've always thought of religion as dealing with matters of faith as well.

As far as your double standard goes, it probably is one, and I'll not presume enough knowledge about the situation to guess why it occurred.

 

[Chicago Ted]

Yes, it's a double standard.

No, it's not fair.

No, it's probably not going to change for a while.

 

[Kollega]

Atheism is not perfect point of view. Agnosticism is. I,personally,do not believe there is a "classic" God to whom religions are dedicated. But there could be some things out in the universe that could be very much like him. Even if there is "classic" God,and if he would come down from the skies in all his glory,i couldn't care less.

But yeah,atheism is kind of feared. It's for the same reason console wars are fought - sheer dumb dedication of both sides to a particular concept.

 

[DukeDev]

As far as I know, no big fuss was made about this so there was no news story. It just stuck in my mind and wanted to hear some opinions.

 

[Souplex]

Atheists worship Athe the god of nothing and must be stopped. If Athe is allowed to run rampant it will eat all the other gods and eventually the universe.

 

[Worgen]

atheism isnt a religion but its protected by freedom of religion, the courts have always included it in the same protections, freedom of religion means freedom from religion

 

[guardian001]

First off, paragraphs are your friend. Walls of text are not.

is Atheism a religion, and should they be allowed to spread their message in any manner they please?

1) By definition, probably not. A true religion involves a divine being or higher power, generally (though not necessarily) one who created the universe. Atheism, by contrast, denies the existence of a higher power, and is thus probably not a religion.
(bonus note: Buddha never intended his teachings to be a religion, nor for himself to be a deity. True Buddhism is probably not a religion either).

2)No, in the same way that Religions should not be able to advertise however the hell they want. Both need some regulation on how they can spread their message. I'd say the cannon is fair game though.

 

[Cliff_m85]

Atheism is not perfect point of view. Agnosticism is. I,personally,do not believe there is a "classic" God to whom religions are dedicated. But there could be some things out in the universe that could be very much like him. Even if there is "classic" God,and if he would come down from the skies in all his glory,i couldn't care less.

But yeah,atheism is kind of feared. It's for the same reason console wars are fought - sheer dumb dedication of both sides to a particular concept.

Atheism = statement on if a person believes a god to exist. (Do you believe?)
Agnosticism = statement on if a person knows if a god exists. (Do you know?)

Two complete different questions, really. Both are correct in their format.

 

[Necrofudge]

So I ask you two things, is Atheism a religion, and should they be allowed to spread their message in any manner they please?

Why the hell do people think atheism is a religion? Are people so dense that they cannot fathom the possibility that someone simply DOESN'T have a poorly explained belief in an invisible sky dwelling dictator or any other thing based on worship? If atheism is a religion, what is there to worship? The supreme nothingness that collided with more nothingness to form dinosaurs?

And if that Christian society is allowed to spread their message, I don't see why there is any problem in making one small statement involving atheism in a sea of religious propaganda.

 

[geldonyetich]

You're about 200 years too late if you're thinking propagating atheism as a movement is a new thing. According to this chart [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html] Athiesm is about #3 world religion right now - and this is not counting all of the Atheists who call themselves Christians or Muslims but it's all lip service.

 

[ottenni]

If there is a large religions body in the campus then the head of campus may have been worried about getting complaints. I could see that happening.

 

[j0frenzy]

From what it sounds like, your campus is a private school, so say goodbye to your civil rights. No. Seriously. Private institutions do not have to protect you freedom to advertise your points of view and can punish you for saying anything they don't agree with. Don't agree with it? Too bad. Switch schools. Sure, it is a double standard, but it is their choice to provide that double standard and they don't have to be fair or balanced.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Atheism is kinda demonised in most areas with great religious influence, from what I can tell.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

If the Christians can, of course the Atheists should be able to. "There's probably no god" isn't even that strong or inflammatory. I'd be willing to bet the pamphlets and brochures the Christians hand out are much more forward and imposing than that.

 

[Spaghetti]

I think they got their idea from this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/atheist-bus-campaign-nationwide

Back in january, an Atheist group in Britain paid to have "There's Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Life" stuck on a load of buses and underground stations.

I think it's alright for them to say "There's PROBABLY no God," because it leaves room for debate. If they whacked up a load of posters without the "PROBABLY", then it would be another story.

OT: I would argue that if religions can't advertise (and they shouldn't in my opinion), then atheists shouldn't either because It's still a religious theory. I'm gonna take the argument that religion should be a private and personal thing, we'd all be better off if it was