Ads for Atheism Appear on Manhattan Buses

[moobu2]

An Atheist Bus Campaign has arrived in New York. The ads, which say “You don’t have to believe in God to be a moral and ethical person,” underscored by the URL for the New York City Atheists Inc. Web site, will appear on about 20 city buses.

Ken Bronstein, the president of New York City Atheists, a New York affiliate of American Atheists, planned the commercials. He said the posters will only run on Manhattan bus lines, and some members of his organization had already noticed them.

The ads will remain on buses for about a month and will be officially introduced at a news conference on Saturday at Columbus Circle in front of the Time Warner Center at 1 p.m.

“This was a test campaign,” Mr. Bronstein said, adding that he hoped to expand the commercials to the other boroughs in two to three months.

The New York commercials were inspired by the first Atheist Bus Campaign in London last January. They were put on 800 buses in response to a campaign by a Christian group whose relatively innocuous messages contained a URL for a Web site that warned that nonbelievers would “spend all eternity in torment.”

New York Times

Edited to change photo to a better one

[Eric J in MN]

1. Cool. Time for the most disliked minority to speak out. NT

NT

[LeftinOH]

2. A similar sentiment was seen on London busses; more descriptive, less blunt:

[Buzz Clik]

4. Dabbling in a bit of intolerance at the same time. Very nice.

[trotsky]

7. It's generally not hard to pick out a Photoshop job.

Just look at the fonts carefully next time before you leap to conclusions.

[Buzz Clik]

8. That sign exists, even if just in that picture.

My comment stands.

[trotsky]

9. As do all sorts of nasty things by religionists.

Some of them even get broadcast on TVs weekly. Some are said by former Presidents.

But you save your outrage for silly atheists who use Photoshop. Well done!

[Buzz Clik]

10. Pettiness and vindictiveness of "religionists" is to be answered by that behavior in atheists?

Before I came to DU, I had a vision (based on personal interaction) that all atheists were secure in their non-belief. The many atheists I know have no desire to organize or fight endless battles against people who believe in invisible friends.

I now realize that many atheists are paranoid, noisy, have an undying need to organize, embrace messiahs, and are convinced that every person of faith is out to convert them.

I like my friends in real life a lot better.

[trotsky]

12. Aw, you poor thing.

Such an obsession to get in as many digs against atheists as you can. Hopefully you find the peace you so desperately need.

[Buzz Clik]

13. Just the evangelical atheists. They're the ones who deserve no respect.

[trotsky]

17. Ah, I see.

So you whine about an atheist who made a Photoshop picking on some of the worst "evangelical" religionists (the 9/11 extremists), but you reserve the right to be as nasty as you wanna be toward atheists YOU deem to be "evangelical."

Got it.

[Buzz Clik]

18. My only complaint is with complete assholes. I don't care what they believe or don't believe.

Where do you fit?

[trotsky]

19. Awwwww....

I love you too! :hug:

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trotsky]

21. I'll overlook your nasty, petty personal attack, since I know it arises from your frustration.

Because I am none of the names you have called me.

nothing in Islam EVER suggests killing thousands of people for any cause

Millions of Muslims agree with you. Millions don't.

Millions of Christians don't believe killing is ever justified. Millions of Christians think Scott Roeder's actions were justified and holy.

I am amused by the blanket statements you make while condemning supposed blanket statements by others.

[Buzz Clik]

22. You just destroyed your argument. I couldn't have done it alone.

And back to your original, silly charge: that photoshopped sign on the side of the bus was made by someone "dabbling in intolerance." That was my comment. It was specific and direct. Not general, not blanket.

You get the last word. I won't be reading it.

[trotsky]

23. Can't blame you for giving up.

You had the first word, attacking a large group of atheists for the work of one guy doing a humorous photoshop. To save face, and as you continued to see your arguments torn to shreds, you resorted to personal attacks and then condemning people who (according to you) make blanket statements against another group. Totally forgetting, of course, that it was your blanket statement that started this whole subthread. Fun times. Take care!

[rrneck]

25. Transcript flight 93

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12286423/

Transcript from cockpit voice recorder, United Airlines Flight 93 September 11, 2001.

09:45:57 -- In the name of Allah. In the name of Allah. I bear witness that there is no other God, but Allah.

09:47:40 -- Allah knows.

09:58:33 -- Unintelligible. Let's go guys. Allah is Greatest. Allah is Greatest. Oh guys. Allah is Greatest

09:58:44 -- Oh Allah. Oh Allah. Oh the most Gracious.

09:59:42 -- Trust in Allah, and in him.

10:00:22 -- Oh Allah. Oh Allah. Oh Gracious.

10:00:59 -- Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest

10:03:02 -- Allah is the Greatest.

10:03:03 -- Allah is the Greatest

10:03:04 -- Allah is the Greatest.

10:03:06 -- Allah is the Greatest.

10:03:06 -- Allah is the Greatest.

10:03:07 -- No.

10:03:09 -- Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest.

10:03:09 -- Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest

[Buzz Clik]

30. Right. And George Bush claims that God talked to him about his hard decisions.

Bush was effing nuts. These guys on 9/11 were murderous bastards. Their chanting about Allah did not make their mission a religious one, because their religion does not condone murder.

I cannot believe that I'm having this discussion at DU. This is a replay of the bullshit I went through with knuckledraggers here and here.

[trotsky]

33. "because their religion does not condone murder"

What the hell are you doing wasting your time lecturing others on DU?

F'ing A man, we need to get you on the next flight to the Middle East so you can bring peace to the entire region by telling Muslims that their religion does not condone murder. (Remind the Jews of that too!)

You are so upset with people who (you believe) make absolute claims about a religion, and then you go around and drop that bomb yourself. Hilarious.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

36. I've read the Qu'ran

and it is shockingly violent. If it doesn't condone death, then nothing does. It nearly matches the bible in its level of viciousness, especially when preaching about the required treatment of "infidels" or "unbelievers".

How is a Muslim to interpret this scriptural gem:
“When you meet the unbelievers, strike off their heads; then when you have made wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives” - Sura 47-4

Don't try to say that the 9/11 attackers weren't on a religious mission because "their religion does not condone murder." That's bullshit - it is very easy for a Muslim (or a Christian or Jew) to justify violence from a scriptural base.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

37. That's funny.

I bet if you had asked them they would have said differently.

[rrneck]

42. Both Bush and Bin Laden

are effing nuts. Both didn't mind using religion to get credulous people to do their dirty work for them. Osama was not at the controls of an airplane on 9/11, but a religious extremist was. Who knows what goes through Bin Laden's mind; whether what he is doing is political or religious. Probably both. But there's not much chance of getting somebody like Karl Rove to fly an airplane on a suicide mission. That takes a religious nut.

I can't reply any more fully to your post since it seems to have been deleted and I can't remember exactly what you said.

[Taitertots]

32. Mohamed personally killed people

The whole foundation of Islam was based on killing thousands of people for the cause. Mohamed personally killed people, raised a religious army, and created Islam at the point of a sword.

So there is nothing in Islam, unless you count the actions of Mohamed and the actions of billions of muslims throughout history.

[Silent3]

24. Is putting "You don't have to believe in God...

...to be a moral or ethical person" on the side of a bus is all it takes to classify someone as an asshole who deserves no respect in your book?

If so, do you consider all public statements on the subject of religion the same way? Do you consider statements which say or imply that a person needs gods or religion (like a "No Jesus, no peace / Know Jesus, know peace" bumper sticker, or just plain "Jesus Saves") less asshole-y than statements about not needing gods or religion?

Is your standard for non-asshole-y conduct that one should quietly keep all of one's opinions to oneself unless asked for them or among like-minded friends? Do you apply the same standard to politics and other areas of discussion or debate, or do you only expect atheists to carve out a special area for respectful, kid-gloves treatment of religion?

My standards are consistent: I do not fault religious people for promoting their beliefs to other people, and I reserve the same right to promote my belief (or lack thereof). The idea that everyone should skirt carefully around the subject of religion is ridiculous to me, and both ridiculous and unfair when it's only the atheists who are expected to stay quiet.

You've certainly got a knee-jerk reaction to this stuff when it's atheists having the temerity to speak out rather than quietly not believe to themselves. I don't see you respond in this forum with anywhere near as much fervor over any other supposed offense.

[Buzz Clik]

29. No. I made a similar statement in this sub-thread.

Claiming that religion was responsible for 9/11 is amazingly ignorant. That's where this began.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

38. Then why did they keep chanting religious slogans?

Don't you think that indicates that their religious beliefs were in some way connected to the endeavor in which they were currently engaged? Or did they just feel like having a sing-along, and that's the only one everybody knew?

[DeSwiss]

40. I don't think the sign is Photoshopped....

http://richarddawkins.net/article,3567,n,n

- Even if it were, it's still great!!!

[EvolveOrConvolve]

14. Yes, how dare he!

How dare he point out that religion played a big part in 9/11 and that science has done a lot of good things. How DARE he point out some scary truths.

[Buzz Clik]

15. William Shockley (Nobel laureate) was completely convinced of the inferiority of the Negro race.

He gave lectures across the country concerning his ideas. His concept of some "scary truths." You okay with that?

[Silent3]

26. One big problem of equating race and religion...

...is that religion is a choice, race is not. Religions come with sets of beliefs and principles and practices which may or may not be worthy of automatic respect while race has no such associations.

There of course can be religious prejudice which is just as ugly and unfounded as racial prejudice. People need to be granted basic tolerance and respect in just the same degree that they leave other people room for the same. To the extent that religion is about ideas however, I see absolutely no good reason that those ideas themselves deserve special privileged treatment or respect. Calling an idea "religious" or "spiritual" should create no more of a hands-off safe zone than calling an idea "political".

Can you come up with a consistent rationale for treating religious ideas with greater deference and diplomatic caution than one treats political ideas? A consistent rationale which is fair to atheists, which doesn't put atheists in an automatically weaker position in the marketplace of ideas, where atheists are expected to act in way that helps promote a special aura of respectability for religion that their own lack of belief does not receive?

[Buzz Clik]

31. Your post is pretty rational. However,

...the outright hate of all things religious hardly falls into the category of "treating religious ideas with caution."

I find that many atheists at DU tend to equate espousing supposedly flawed ideas with stupidity, gullibility, or intolerance. That's bullshit. Too many brilliant people are highly religious to have that attitude make any sense at all.

[Silent3]

34. Your example of William Shockley is a good example...

...of how a smart man can have dumb ideas. Many religious ideas are downright stupid, such as literal belief in the story of Noah's Ark, yet somehow even among people with otherwise brilliant minds a few will manage to shut out a roar of cognitive dissonance and swallow that kind of thing.

While believing such a thing doesn't necessarily make one an idiot, being an idiot certainly makes believing such things easier. I won't always feel the need to be exceedingly delicate and careful when criticizing (if not outright mocking) that kind of absurdity to affirm the possibility that someone might otherwise be intelligent, any more than if I were criticizing a stupid Republican idea (like tax cuts for the rich and big spending cuts being done right now as a "solution" to the recession) that I'd be careful to reassure anyone who might take my criticism personally that I do acknowledge that it's (somehow!) possible to be Republican and smart.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

35. That's a bad analogy

The idea that the "negro race" was inferior wasn't the truth, no matter how much Mr. Shockley may have lectured on the idea.

But:

1. The violent acts of 9/11 had a religious element to them
2. Science has done a lot of good in the world

Do you dispute either of those?

[moobu2]

5. "There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

was actually what the London sign said. The photo you posted was a photo shopped spoof, Though I did like the idea.


http://richarddawkins.net/article,3567,n,n

[Buzz Clik]

11. On my nephew's front door:

"If there is a God, he probably likes you." Poetry for the agnostic.

[laconicsax]

16. Not a real sign

Made with the bus slogan generator



http://ruletheweb.co.uk/b3ta/bus/

[JerseygirlCT]

28. Totally different, IMO

This is insulting - gratuitously so - of other's beliefs. No point to it - just to piss people off.

The NYC ad was just affirming what all sensible people ought to know anyway. Supportive of atheism, without being insulting or worse toward believers.

[DeSwiss]

41. Yeah, I alway thought....

...that was a http://richarddawkins.net/article,3567,n,n">great sign

[Buzz Clik]

3. "You don't have to believe in God to belong to a religion."

www.nyc-atheists.org

[ZombieHorde]

39. Buddhists and Taoists come to mind. nt

[rd_kent]

6. I like it! XL T-shirt please!

I hope they run the ads that were on the london buses too!

[JerseygirlCT]

27. I like this one

And as a believer, I totally subscribe to the sentiment.

You don't need to put down another's beliefs in order to affirm your own.