Wednesday, September 8, 2010
News 'Imagine No Religion' billboards to debut in Atlanta
Posted by Alexandria Jud on Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 1:24 PM
Fifty new billboards will go up around the metro Atlanta area this week, and their controversial messages are likely to turn a few heads.
The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation will sponsor billboards throughout the city promoting separation of church and state and shunning religion. The billboards will display messages like 'Imagine No Religion,' 'God and Government: A Dangerous Mix,' 'Sleep In On Sunday,' and 'In Reason We Trust' during the month-long campaign.
- Marty Stone
It's part of a larger movement by the foundation to "reach out to free thinkers in the South," according to co-president Dan Barker. The group has ongoing billboard campaigns in Tampa, Trenton and New Orleans. Barker said: "Just as there are indeed atheists in foxholes, there are many nonbelievers in the so-called Bible Belt."
The foundation is hoping its efforts will enhance the group's visibility. Its 16,000 members nationwide include atheists, agnostics and freethinkers. 270 Georgians are currently part of the organization.
Comments (43)
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What's this supposed to accomplish? It's one thing to say, "I'm not going to join your religion." I've been saying that my whole life, seeing as how there's no Jedi church. It's a whole different thing to put up a billboard that pokes you in your rhetorical eye. It's a waste of money that will create animosity needlessly. How about militant atheists putting up a billboard condemning stoning or beheadings by Islamic Supremacists? That would be better than this list of brainless platitudes.
Two wrongs certainly do not make a right. But at the same time it is nice to feel mildly vindicated after seeing so many of those creepy God billboards that 85 and 75 are littered with. That said it is probably better to attack certain issues of the seperation of church and state directly. A great billboard would be one advocating alcohol sales on Sunday.
I'm biased because I hate billboards located near trees since it means despite the law trees obstructing the sign in the middle of the night will be trimmed or poisoned or if on private land openly removed.
But yea the saying "Imagine No Religion" I kind of think opens the door for the counter statement "Imagine Total Religion" And why poke someone in the eye, and yes total waste of money. I agree more direct statements like Imagine Chick Fil A open on Sundays are far more useful.
Or even factual statements educating people about the the founding principles of this country regarding the removal of religion as a basis for law making - or the fact that it wasn't until the 20th century that god got added to our currency - I mean yea some churches are all about the money but i don't think God was asking for us to pay homage to him on something that's become so abused by our I gotta have that society.
Separation of Church and State meant not having a State Religion, like the Anglican Church in England. It wasn't meant to make people cry if they see a church taking a moral stand on some issue. On the other hand, .....it will be kind of fun to see pastors argue against the value of sleeping in on Sundays. ; )
Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults practice *love bombing* a tactic to indoctrinate new recruits into believing the wackiest absurdity,like JW with their 1914 'invisible return for Jesus' dogma.
Jeannie Mills, survivor of the Jonestown Massacre, said, "When you meet the friendliest people you have ever known, who introduce you to the most loving group of people you've ever encountered, and you find the leader to be the most inspired, caring, compassionate and understanding person you've ever met, and then you learn that the cause of the group is something you never dared hope could be accomplished, and all of this sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true!"
Don't be lured into an apocalyptic cult!
--
Danny Haszard www.dannyhaszard.com
[Regarding-Above Posted by Racer X ]
HEY! The Jehovah's Witnesses troll just had to go and post a long winded preachy esoteric Watchtower cult indoctrination rant on a 'no religion' topic'.
Amazing!
This has nothing to do with JW. This is in your bible. Time will tell! Only trying to help. Matthew 24:21
Racer x --You just did a total cut & paste spam from a watchtower Jehovah's Witnesses text.
How can you lie lie that?
Never said it wasn't. What is wrong with that. Maybe you should read it and gain some knowledge, it is still the truth like it or not. we all have a choice! Make yours and let the rest make ours! Love you!
I used to care about religion and would have thought these billboards are awesome.
Now I just wish it would all go away and be forgotten.
Doesn't Danny Haszard, (The Hazard), have anything else to do than tear Jehovah's Witnesses down? If everyone instantly became one of J.W.'s in the world, there would be an immediate end to war, intolerance, crimes, lying, stealing, hating and many other crimes, including bigotry! Can you say that about "your" religion? I think not !!!
Just like Scientology the Jehovah's Witnesses sock puppet defender trolls haul out the ole 'hate' word to lob against any critics.
You cannot defend your HARMFUL twisted practices and you will defend mother Watchtower to the end.
The Watchtower cult is "Jones town without the kool-aid'.
The Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Society cult is of the worst sort. Some of the other well known cults (branch dividians, jim jones, heavens gate,etc...) ended quickly with the death of some members. This cult has been responsible for the deaths of THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS.
These guys in Brooklyn N.Y....well I hate to tell you this...but they are directly led by Satan.
http://www.jwfiles.com
Greetings!
Thanks for the photo credit! I took the photo above when the FFRF put them up in Alabama (on I-20 heading east, between B'ham and Talladega) - for a month - around the July 4th holiday, 2009.
The FFRF is a great organization. Please consider joining. Help protect the 1st Amendment. Why? Because the 1st Amendment protects everyone!
I'm all for no religion. I prefer a relationship with the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings... Jesus Christ.
Thanks Bob Warburton
It's about time! That's a great organization to stand up to these religious zealots who're folding their reign of terror. Ride'em all outta' town on a rail!
VERY COOL..
Christianity is America's #1 Hate Group.
It would nice if there was just one Christian group that would POLICE the Crazy Christian groups
During the last election Church groups were allowed to ship people to voting areas and they had signs attached on their vans as to who to vote for.. ANY other candidate and or organization is prohibited from being closer than 100 yards from a polling place..If Religious Organizations are allowed this kind of freedom then they should be TAXED as anyone else... If they are going to act like a special interest group then they should be treated as such
Religious Freedom allows one to their belief system.. It does not allow Religions to CONTROL those of us who do not believe as they do ..NOR want to.
I am all for it! We have come a long way accepting others ideas here in the south the billboards themselves prove that point. However, as I get older, and hopefully wiser, I see some of the same characteristics in this billboard as those recruiting, preaching and condemning in religion.
John Lenon did this in a much more eloquent and inclusive way 30 years ago in a wonderful song that many more people will hear than will ever read this billboard ....he was shot....but I digress.
We as atheists are not sinners and we bare no burden of proof. We don't need to recruit followers...we simply need to be and allow people the chance to see that good and love exists without a God.....and in our case most times...in spite of God. Atheist are good for goodness sake.....
So happy to see the billboards!
If I walked around stating that I was having a relationship with some person who died 2000 years ago everyone would say that I was insane. But the Jesus lovers get a free pass.........even though they are delusional and down right scary!
The only people who should be allowed to be bused into rallys, peoples lawns, and election polls are; on the clock Union People and armed Black Panther associates. They pay their taxes and are not treated preferentially in any way.
There is so much hatred with Christians; Red Cross, Mother Teresa, MUST Ministries, how dare Christians help people in Afghanastan, China, and around the world. Who do they think they are providing food and medical relief and countless unpaid hours of their time!
Atheists and other groups who don't beleive in a God are far more charitable and much more willing to help those in need.
Just as an aside, Mother Theresa refused to administer pain medication to the terminally ill, because she believed that "suffering brings one closer to God." She was, in many ways, a lunatic.
You can scratch her off your list of "Christians to immortalize" any time, Peter.
Good point about Mother Theresa ! She also encouraged impoverished people to have chldren and not use birth control! Such an ignorant woman who did much more damage than good with her delusional belief system.
Jehovah's Witnesses don't go to war but still cause death.
Actually at least 200,000 JW men women and children have been sacrificed (died) to the Watchtower policy over the blood transfusion ban. Thousands and thousands more have died 'premature' death for neglecting their long term health care believing in the Watchtower apocalyptic promise of an imminent 'new system' paradise gonna fix it all up.
[Personally I love God hate religion]
Free Minds http://www.freeminds.com
Yes Mother Theresa was a real loon! She won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 (for what? She was no Obama!) and India's Bharat Ratna. She helped Missionaries of Charity form and expand and at the time of her death was operating 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counselling programs, orphanages, and schools.
Please...Atheists do more with a lot less people...Look at all the good Atheism has brought us!
Mother Theresa has been praised and she also faced criticism for stances against contraception and abortion.
We all know how much good these two things bring to humanity!
It's truly amazing to me how biased some folks can be of things they've never truly experienced for themselves. I very much believe in Jehovah and his most loving son, Jesus, and that they both continue to love each one of us so intensely, no matter how "good" or "bad" we may be. They love the "sinner," but hate the "sin."
"in reason we trust" - hard to argue with that, but i'm sure plenty of people will.
Imagine No Religion. you think things are bad now, and there is religion(GOD or Jehovah,etc). Imagine what it will be like without him.Imagine your worst nightmare and mutiply that by 10000. READ YOUR BIBLE AND THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!!! GOD is a good GOD, even to dummies. John 3:16 tell it all
@Tree you state " I very much believe in Jehovah and his most loving son, Jesus, and that they both continue to love each one of us so intensely,".
I don't mean this to be rude, but that kind of thinking is CRAZY! You have been BRAINWASHED into imagining that these gods/ DEAD PEOPLE love you. You are part of a cult and everything you believe about it is imaginary.
@Love god, I would love to imagine a world where people weren't delusional and weren't brainwashed into being followers for fear of some imaginary puppet master! There would still be plenty of things to fight over, but at least we wouldn't have suicide bombers thinking that they will be rewarded with 77 virgins! You state god is good ? Huh, what exactly does that mean ? It's like me saying Santa Claus is good, or the Tooth Fairy is good. It's just your little imaginary friend.
Ya know, some of you guys are the most manipulative people...Why would you impose your so called wisdom, or should I say lack of it, on anyone and sound so smart, but be so stupid? Why would you call any group of over 7 mil a cult, or say there is no God, or tell a person their spiritual life and beliefs are all imaginary? I think there are "many a brain cell" missing here...Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it's not there and/or never was. Your enlarged ego probably makes up for...well I think you get the picture little guy. Hellooo I think you should know there are others in this world much higher than you that deserve praise and honor. And, what is wrong with a person having so much love...the most loving people you've ever met? It's better than what other religions have done throughout the centuries. Need I mention the Catholics?
You want to talk about blood transfusions and loss of life? Let's talk about how many lives were saved because of their refusal, forcing medical know-how to have to come up with an alternative way of doing things, and look what's happened. It's spreading like wildfire and millions are choosing non blood surgeries and doctors are calling blood transfussions "stone age" stuff.
What was that mess you up there were talking about when you said, "Thousands and thousands more have died 'premature' death for neglecting their long term health care believing in the Watchtower apocalyptic promise of an imminent 'new system' paradise gonna fix it all up"? Hmmm, so where did you get this information from Mr. Smart guy? Duhhh, that in itself is "stupid" and you know it. I think you are a "little" confused, but then again, sad to say, most people are. Sorry for you!
RE: Jehovah's Witnesses don't go to war but still cause death.
Soooooooo Mr. "thinks he knows a lot". Wonder how many MILLIONS of deaths of sons and daughters were caused because parents sent their kids off to war for the sake of the country? Isn't that crazy? Yeah, that's "extremest" behavior. Maybe they are CULTS? No, maybe they "SACRIFICED their kids" for the sake of their country? THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID AND WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DID, yet I don't see anyone saying anything about that. They could have stayed firm, gone to prison by saying, "NO". JW's say "NO" to blood, but YES to alternative methods. But, they will stand firm because of LAW, Gods law. Yet, look what human law has done? Millions of deaths and several wars later.....Need I say more? No, not right now, but I'm sure you will.
Interesting that this casual article expressing right to no religious coercions brings out mostly the obnoxious ranting Jehovah Witness.
THINK! Bible thumpers if there is a God how much Jehovah's Witnesses do blaspheme her.
Isn't the First Amendment designed to allow people to express themselves and to foster debate among them, sometimes via a billboard and sometimes on a blog? Why does that debate so often devolve into name-calling and mean-spirited comments?
Here are the first 5 definations of CULT:
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
In other words cult is another word for RELIGION! Just because a cult take off, doesn't mean it's not a cult! All religions are cults! Someone starts them and then simple minded weak people follow them.
Think: Did you inadvertently leave out the below definitions 6 and 7, which are more common usages of "cult" in today's parlance?
"6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect. "
No I left them off on purpose because the first 5 apply to the larger cults and are the most commonly used definations, that is why they are 1-5. Just because a cult has large numbers doesn't make it any less a cult. Brainwashing spreads like a cancer from generation to generation. Every cult whether they be Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Baptist, etc. all think that their cult and their cult rituals are the correct ones to honor their mythical god. Take a set of twins and raise one in a devout Catholic family and one in a secular family and they will have completely different views on god, because only one will have been brainwashed since early childhood.
Adults believing in god is the equilant of childrent believing in Santa, it's just a nice story to make them feel better about life.
Eh, any religious statement will turn into an arguement, but as someone who doesn't believe, I stand up for the right to advertise the non-belief just as much as religious groups have the right to advertise their churches and their god. It's a surprising thing to see in the bible belt, but it's a good thing. I expected to see a bit more of an uproar in these comments than I have seen, and that means that there are a lot more Atlanta residents that these billboards are for than we may have thought.
Strange that nobody's mentioned one very salient feature of all religions: $$$$$:MONEY! They're all businesses whose goal is making money. None admit it but consider this: how many Elmer Gantry-type preachers have ever been seen in unemployment lines? But so long as non-thinking follower-sheep keep supporting the Joel Osteens,
Billy & Franklin Graham, sickening Pat Robertson and a host of other theophonies, B.T. Barnum's attribution about a sucker being born every day - and sometimes they're twins - remains true.
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