A Judge Has Ruled Against Atheists Trying to Put Up the Least Offensive Ad Ever

[trotsky]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/07/10/a-judge-has-ruled-against-atheists-trying-to-put-up-the-least-offensive-ad-ever/

A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that a government agency had every right to reject an atheist advertisement, putting a temporary end to a saga that’s dragged on for more than six years.

In 2012, atheist Justin Vacula and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Freethought Society attempted to place the following ad on buses in the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS).



...Maybe everyone was making too big a deal about this. As long as COLTS banned all religious/political/advocacy advertising equally, then there wasn’t much atheists could do about it.

But that’s not what they were doing. In fact, since the time Justin’s first ad was rejected, COLTS allowed advertising from the following groups:

a. St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church
b. St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church;
c. Christian Women’s Devotional Alliance;
d. Hope Church;
e. a School Board candidate; and
f. Brewer’s Outlet, a beer distributor; and
g. Old Forge Times, an online blog that contained links to anti-Semitic websites, holocaust denial websites, and white supremacist websites.

[rzemanfl]

1. God made me rec this post.

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. While I am not surprised, as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg would say...

I AM VERY DISAPOINTED!!!

[green917]

9. Great reference!

One could also use,

"DISSAPOINTED!" -Otto

[Ferrets are Cool]

11. I like. nt

[Pendrench]

3. Hi trotsky - thank you for posting this.

I think that this is not only ridiculous, but it also sets a very dangerous precedent (i.e. allowing religious groups to advertise, but not atheist groups).

And (as you correctly point out) this appears to be the least offensive ad imaginable.

It makes no sense to me.

Wishing you well and peace.

Tim

[Act_of_Reparation]

4. Remember that time an atheist judge struck down Christian billboards?

Neither do I. But you know, both sides... or something.

[mountain grammy]

5. I'd say unbelievable, but I can't

I do think it's terrifying, especially since I think this radical right wing SC would let this stand..Bye, bye First Amendment.

[Mc Mike]

6. Go, athiests, freethinkers, and ACLU.

COLT is a public utility, essentially. Mannion is a lying dominionist, he should be kicked off the bench.

[Honeycombe8]

7. Well, it has a written policy that there can't be ads about politics or religion.

That list about ad-placers that are religions...what matters is the content of the ads, not who places them.

So I guess they were seeking to declare the rule unconstitutional, which I guess was a longshot.

The article I read didn't mention that other religious ads were accepted. But if they did, this decision doesn't make sense. And I don't understand that last one about anti-Semitic sites. That seems clearly political or controversial.

Ads about beer and such aren't political or religious, so don't apply.

Maybe they'll appeal.

[neohippie]

8. Atheism isn't a religion

Atheism isn't a religion, nor does this ad appear to be political and what would it be advocating? Free Thought?

[PatrickforO]

10. Gosh, Trotsky, I recommended this OP because I like your handle.

This judge seems to have missed the point of the first amendment and what that implies in terms of separation of church and state. If COLTS is even quasi-public, then they have no business running ANY church ads, including atheist ads.

[Wounded Bear]

12. And the USSC will support this travesty...

[firstwife]

13. Easy peasy

Start a Church called something like Holy Saints of the Supreme Worship of Atheism, (we reserve the right to pray or not to pray 👍🙏🏻🤲 ), get a tax exemption, and collect donations for new bus billboards. How can they refuse?

[thucythucy]

14. Can't see how this ruling makes any sense whatsoever,

which means it'll be upheld by the USSC in a 5-4 decision.

[NastyRiffraff]

15. Apparently, even the word "Atheist" is banned

Unlike typical religious advertising, it urges no one to join anything, it threatens no one (except Christians determined to be victims). I guess merely LOOKING at the word "Atheists" might make you one?

[Iggo]

18. "I guess merely LOOKING at the word "Atheists" might make you one?"

I wish.

[Cartoonist]

16. I can see this.

it could “potentially affect its revenue or ridership.”
_

I can see crazy theists calling for a boycott. I can see privileged theists refusing to get on a bus because it has the word atheist on it. I can also see the Supreme Court upholding this.

[edhopper]

17. They should apppeal to SCOTUS

unfortunately, once Kavanaugh is there, they will rule for religion over free speech.

[Act_of_Reparation]

19. Theists are offended by the existence of atheists.

As we are continually reminded.

[uriel1972]

20. It's because we are all arogantty and stuff..

and hurt their precious feelings by existing.

[Act_of_Reparation]

21. Everything would be great if we'd just pretend to believe.

But barring that, keeping our mouths shut will do.

[Heddi]

22. Remember the posters HMSJustin or whatever and Rug

used to have absolute HEMORRHAGIC STROKES at the ideas of those banners that would say "Don't believe in God? It's okay."

THey felt those were SO OFFENSIVE because .... just because

And because they were carried at CHRISTMAS PARADES of all things.

And the same for those Atheist displays next to Christmas trees. THE NERVE.

it was just offensive. The most inoffensive messages were offensive just for being. Not the "hey fuck you Christians''--not those. The "it's okay to not believe" or "good without God" was offensive.

And that, my friends, exemplifies that we offend by existing. We offend by reminding others that we exist.

[NeoGreen]

23. It goes something like this...

...

[Act_of_Reparation]

24. I remember that dog-and-pony show all too well.

And it is a stock response I see echoed from others here. They ostensibly come to talk about their beliefs and then take umbrage when atheists talk about theirs. The hypocrisy plays no small part in the often vicious counters deployed in response to their pleas for "tolerance". It's tough to take their message of inclusiveness seriously when that message is, distilled to its basic meaning, is "We want atheists to sit in the corner, shut the fuck up, and otherwise be invisible. Now let's talk about how Jesus was a Democrat..."