Atheist bus ads are desecrated

[safeinOhio]

Three Detroit buses with advertisements promoting atheism appear to have been vandalized over the past week, an advocacy group said Monday.


The buses featured advertisements earlier this month that read: "Don't believe in God? You are not alone." The signage was paid for by a coalition of atheist and agnostic groups. In one ad, the word "Don't" is torn off, according to photographs provided by the group. On another, the word "Don't" is scratched over several times.
The SMART bus system is replacing the ads for free per its policies, SMART spokeswoman Beth Dryden said. She would not confirm that the advertisements were vandalized, saying only that they were damaged. Dryden said they have not filed a police report.


http://freep.com/article/20100316/NEWS01/3160307/1320/Atheist-bus-ads-are-desecrated

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. 'desecrated' is an odd word for them to choose for the headline

I doubt people would call vandalism of a pro-religious ad 'desecration'. It's an ad, not a holy object. And the people who paid for the ad surely don't regard it as 'sacred'.

[Fumesucker]

3. I agree, "descrated" seems to be a deliberate attempt to make atheism a religion..

A great many theists want atheism to be just another religion, I think this word choice is either consciously or unconsciously a part of that.

[Ian David]

7. Atheism is a Religion the same way Abstinence is a sexual position. n/t

[Fumesucker]

8. And the same way that not collecting stamps is a hobby.. n/t

[pokerfan]

9. or baldness is a hair color... (nt)

[Festivito]

17. Pink! /nt

[Festivito]

16. If your hobby was avoid collecting stamps, your hobby would be:

Yes, your hobby would be not collecting stamps.

[darkstar3]

23. Your Kung-Fu is weak.

Know anyone whose specific hobby is NOT collecting stamps, do ya'? Heard about it? Read about it? Didn't think so...because it's an absolutely ridiculous claim that such a hobby even exists.

[Festivito]

24. Maybe, someday, someone will try to put it on the side of a bus.

You never know. Jus' say'n

[darkstar3]

27. And maybe someday monkeys will fly out of your ass.

You never know. Jus' say'n.

[Festivito]

29. Oh! My! Oh my goodness! That sounds so ...

... per per per personal. Oh!

[Festivito]

15. It actually is a position on the topic of sex, or a sexual position. /nt

[darkstar3]

22. .

B



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S



T



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E



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[Festivito]

25. Not really. Abstinence as a sexual position.

The position of not having sex.

(not one I'd recommend)

[darkstar3]

26. Of course you know you're stretching the phrase "sexual position" to such an extent

as to make it nearly meaningless?

[Festivito]

30. Actually, to a point of making it more replete with meaning.

What more, closer to your original meaning, and as an example to refute your original quip, mutual masturbation could be seen as a sexual position of abstinence in the physical realm as opposed to a "position" in the realm of ideas having stayed resolve.

I'm sure you're a nice person, and if we were discussing politics across from each other, we'd be the best of friends for those moments.

But, let me warn you if you would allow, the group of self-described atheists on DU are a clique and they are becoming more and more locked inside their own echo chamber and they are becoming angrier and meaner. You're free to be so. But, another but, that cliquishness is not so good for building a more perfect union.

[darkstar3]

31. Again, you are distorting the phrase "sexual position."

You are attempting to conflate two meanings of the word "position". One is mental, and one is physical. The term "sexual position" is based entirely in the physical definitions of both words.

The usage that you are trying to go for would be "position on sex." If the phrase "sexual position" could be used daily in the way that you describe, the question "What is your sexual position?" would never be seen as offensive. (And BTW: If you think that question is innocuous, I suggest you use it as an icebreaker at a social function and see what happens.)

[Festivito]

32. Do you even bother to read the post you respond to?

You say I conflate the two meanings when I clearly state both in order to segregate them? Hello! Anybody home?

You say one meaning is mental, one is physical. Having described the mental one and you didn't like it, I describe a physical one and you, what? Ignored it? Hello, hello, hello! Anyone there?

Politics, religion and sex don't work well at social gatherings no matter how well worded. And, even where acceptable as subject matter, ones world should not be limited to ice-breaking introductions.

[darkstar3]

33. Do you?

Do you even read what you've written yourself?

[Festivito]

37. Must be really dark by the third star. /nt

[darkstar3]

47. Please tell me you don't mistake

this incredibly lame attempt at a weak pun for humor.

[Festivito]

51. Lame? How about puny N punny. /nt

[iris27]

36. Neither abstinence nor masturbation are sexual positions, just like intercourse is not a sexual

position. Now, there are plenty of different sexual positions one can use to engage in either masturbation or intercourse, but they are not themselves positions. You are deliberately playing nonsense word games to avoid the obvious point that several different people have made, that atheism is a lack of supernatural beliefs, not a different set of such beliefs.

[Festivito]

38. You must believe that pretty strongly.

Well, you said so. That'll keep anyone from using names for positions that might be named that. Oh my. I'm so intimidated... wait, no I'm not.

I especially love the sentence"

"Now, there are plenty of different sexual positions one can use to engage in either masturbation or intercourse, but they are not themselves positions."

Hmm. Plenty of positions that are not themselves positions. Hmm.

Is having a lack of beliefs in the supernatural helpful to you. Or, do you even lack belief in what you are saying?

[darkstar3]

40. Reading is fundamental.

The word "they" in the sentence you are mocking obviously refers to "masturbation" and "intercourse". Masturbation and intercourse are not themselves sexual positions, which of course you already knew, but chose to ignore for your lame attempt at a rhetorical point.

[Festivito]

43. Oh. Shed your darkness behind your own posts. /nt

[darkstar3]

45. No refutation?

No more word games? Are you finally finished with this ridiculous and pathetic attempt to paint atheism as its complete opposite?

[Festivito]

49. Oh! Had I realized sooner that you can string words together like that...

"ridiculous and pathetic attempt to paint"

Oh, the humanity!

Not ridiculous AND pathetic, but, wait, there's more: I don't express, I, I, I, ... I paint. Oh, woe. And the final blow that I only achieve the inlofty goal of (Oh, it's so sad) ... attempt. Devastating.

So much strung together. I don't know how I shall pull myself back together. But, wait...

I feel okay

Never mind.

[iris27]

46. Masturbation and intercourse are not themselves positions.

A lack of belief in the supernatural isn't "helpful" or "not helpful". It just is. Is it helpful to you to lack belief in werewolves?

I do not say things that I do not believe. I save that for disingenuous folks who think "NOT!" is the highest form of wit.

[Festivito]

50. Oh dear. That's just pathetic.

"I do not say things that I do not believe. I save that for disingenuous folks who think "NOT!" is the highest form of wit."

You save saying things that you do not believe for disingenuous folks while saying you don't say things you don't believe which, well, makes you disingenuous, so I guess it follows.

Well, that was rich.

In any case I'm glad you believe in something, or that you believe that you believe in something.

[iris27]

53. How does it make me disingenuous to assert that I do not

say things I don't believe?

[Festivito]

54. Not quite what those two sentences I quoted say together. /nt

[iris27]

58. You really don't understand the concept of referential pronouns, do you?

I do not need to say things I do not believe. Those who think "NOT!" is the highest form of wit are all too happy to say things THEY do not believe.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

34. Word games are the only way to make

atheism seem even REMOTELY like a religion.

[Festivito]

39. ...and to make as though it is not, I imagine. /nt

[darkstar3]

42. You have an overactive imagination. n/t

[Festivito]

44. Well. Actually. Thank you! How kind of you. Thanks. /nt

[EvolveOrConvolve]

52. I'm confused...

Do you imagine atheism to be a religion. Or do you have to use your imagination to consider it NOT a religion?

[Festivito]

55. Are you playing word games? /nt

[EvolveOrConvolve]

56. No, I'm genuinely confused as to your intent

[Festivito]

57. It's just that you form a sentence where atheism is remotely imagined a religion.

And, you say that "Word games are the only way to make atheism seem even REMOTELY like a religion."

Just trying to work this according the rules the other person, their self, would set as much as possible.

But, off to class tomorrow, and bed for now.

[Silent3]

6. +1 n/t

[Festivito]

14. Doesn't apply at all, does it. I thought it over the top funny. /nt

[Warpy]

2. Belief requires consensus

and believers are incredibly threatened by any reminder that the rest of us are out there.

[Festivito]

18. You can't honestly believe that all by yourself. /nt

[rfranklin]

4. That sort of behavior is based on doubt, not faith...

People who are secure in their beliefs do not need to attack those who disagree.

[Festivito]

20. I agree with you. /nt

[no_hypocrisy]

5. It's interesting to me that a substantial effort is "dedicated" to attack and destruction

of opposing viewpoints contrasted to promoting their beliefs.

[DeSwiss]

10. As a child in grade school in the 1950s.....

...I was taught (quite erroneously I might add) that America was founded to insure freedom of worship and religious tolerance for all.


- Well, so much for that experiment......

[darkstar3]

11. Reminds me of Greg Proops

"And even as a kid you're like...'Um...Bullshit!'"

[DeSwiss]

12. Well, almost.....

...see, I had daily reinforcements of the brainwashing in the form of my father -- the preacher. So tearing myself away from the mind-control wasn't quite that easy.


- But I made it and that's what's important. Anyone can do it -- they just have to love the truth.

[iris27]

48. Wow, a preacher father. Ouch.

Took me 20 years and a brief flirtation with wanting to be a minister to tear myself away. (Ironically, mostly done by wanting to find The Truth so I could be a super-effective witness to atheists!) :)

[Festivito]

21. I think the attempt was to ensure it.

The love of money can destroy just about anything, even a first rate idea. I'd like to see it work.

[DeSwiss]

13. Someone at the bus company, no doubt. K&R n/t

[Festivito]

19. It is not right to destroy other's property.

I may find the reasoning of some of the above posters as ridiculous, but I do not condone this destruction.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

35. Do you find the message in the ads to be ridiculous?

[Festivito]

41. No. It's quite simple. Straightforward. I imagine, honestly held.

Not worthy of ridicule.

You?

[iris27]

28. I don't understand the petty mindset that drives

actions like this. It's like the jerks who tear off the "bring them home" half of people's "support the troops - bring them home" magnets. ??? Must destroy anything that hints at the idea of people having different opinions than mine?