Atheist billboard removed: Why is Atheism so offensive?

Word.

NIcely put.

"It doesn't matter if you are right if no one listens."

Excellent point!!

If your God is within in you how is that not worshiping yourself?

Atheism: a disbelief in the existence of deity b: the doctrine that there is no deity.

I find it funny when people like you find arguments against your own to be a matter of education.

Your entire belief system is no belief. If you were an artist, which chances are you believe yourself to be, you would be a dadaist. Atheism is not offensive, it's silly.

Don't make accusations when you yourself don't like it done to you. That's my problem with you. You do things to others you don't like done to yourself.

No one bothers me with their thinking.

I don't complain about people's thinking no matter what board I post on. People complain about me.

Don't you ever get tired of thinking you're always right.

You can't even confess that you could be wrong here. SO you're no different than what you just complained about.

LOL. I'm not wrong about the type of things I post, nor about the laundry list of complaints I waged against you considering I've seen more than enough people call you out on the same crap on numerous posts.

With tongue gently pressed against cheek, I will quote Kanye -"You say I think I'm never wrong- you know what? Maybe you're right."

I'm not wrong in what I post.

So calling out means nothing coming from you.

Oh you get that they believe religion is ok?

It must be the "no" that is causing confusion.

That religion is "ok?" They are not making a sentiment on right or wrong, on "ok" or not. Imagine no religion does not assert a viewpoint, it's asking you to question your world for a minute and see it in a different way. Some people would imagine no religion and be scared or angry, some would be happy. The message doesn't imply which way you are supposed to feel.

Yes it does. Hiding behind what they lyrics means doesn't mean that's what they intended.

If they are as smart as you think they are...then they would have thought this out better....meaning the billboard would have been so good that it wouldn't be able to be questioned as to what it means. Because being subtle and rude tends to be an Atheist MO...I'm not surprised.

And when was the last time you thought about what you believed and actually questioned if God were real?

I don't know what you mean by "hiding" behind the lyrics, I don't think anyone is hiding anything. I never claimed anyone was "smart" like you said, but I disagree with you assumption that people wouldn't question what it means, people get offended easily at religious subjects.

Why do you think being subtle and rude is an Atheist MO? When do you encounter this?

As far as what I believe, I engage the subject pretty regularly, with friends, family and of course, the internet. I read frequently and I'm a fan of philosophy and science so I guess you could say I question what I believe everyday.

Yes, but not in the way in which I questioned....as in thinking God exists...or you would have said you have done that.

So why is it okay for Atheist to insist that those who believe in God are being closed minded to continue to do so without questioning it when they don't question in their thoughts in the same manner?

And they could have chosen any lyric in the entire song and had the same point you think they are trying to promote, but instead they chose this one. Why? They knew exactly the response they would get.

And I stated MO because that's how it happens. Read Atheist comments on this site or any statement against religion, even from you, and it's subtle dislike and hate...it's disgusting.

Yes, god falls under the category of thinking about what I believe in (or don't.) I didn't realize I needed to specify that for you. I don't think that all people who believe in god are closed minded, only the ones afraid of a different view point. I think most atheists have questioned and explored god's existence quite a bit.

What you said about the lyric doesn't make sense- how could they have picked any other lyric?"Imagine No Religion" IS the message they are promoting...

I can't believe your bullshit about subtle hate, you think everyone has some kind of agenda or evil motive, it's ridiculous. I'm sorry you can't believe that some people are actually good, or just like conversation, or can be polite even if they don't believe in god. Not to mention that not liking religion doesn't mean you don't like people who believe in god. I have plenty of god believing friends who are able to have intelligent conversations about god's existence without asserting that atheists are hateful. Frankly, when I read posts on Current, you are more pretentious and trouble making that any atheist I've seen.

That could be because you would back any Atheist even if I were right. You are one of those kinds of people.

And if you were so even handed as you suggest then you wouldn't post the kind of articles you do that puts religion in such a distasteful light. I have yet to see you post something that would actually suggest you think fairly of those that like religion other than you stating you do. Of course actions do speak louder than words.

And they could have not picked the lyric at all and said something totally different. What they decided to do was insight anger not thinking. Because if thinking were part of the agenda they had then they would have thought better than this.

Back any atheist on what? Not believing in god? That's because I don't either, so I agree with them- If they were arguing some other point I did not agree with, why would I back them? When have I given you reason to believe that is the type of person I am?

Religion puts itself in a distasteful light all the time. I don't have to go out of my way to make it so, and I don't twist or manipulate the stories that I post.

"I have yet to see you post something that would actually suggest you think fairly of those that like religion other than you stating you do." Do you pay attention to everything I post?. Are you telling me that you've looked through all 798 stories I've posted? What cross section of those postings complies what YOU have seen? Ridiculous.

I'm sick of people thinking that all Atheists ever do is plot ways to piss people off. As if the group who put up this billboard have no other motivation than to anger religious people. How utterly arrogant.

Why is there agenda then? Other than to point out that their way of thinking is right?

If you state that they are not doing that....then they are stating their way of thinking is wrong?

Either one way or the other. There is no gray area with this. They either think their way of thinking is the best way or they think that they are not the best thinkers.

The reason that is important is because it makes me right that they used this to wrong people subtly and then fall back on Oh it's just a lyric. Please.

And if you did post something that was positive towards religion you'd had linked it. SO I guess pointing out how many you've posted is to do what? Make it seem like somewhere in there you had something good to state? Probability isn't on your side, not when all those stories that are from you that get on the tv are not kind towards those with different views on if there is God (if such a story is based on religion because not all of what you post centers on that).

I don't care what Atheist or what Religious people do. I do care when one side decides to state that the other is bad when they do the exact same thing they are complaining about. There are religious people that are just awful, no doubt. I know some.

But I'm not talking about them. Don't deter the conversation when it centers on a group you're affiliated with. Pointing out flaws in someone else doesn't make your flaws disappear.

"Either one way or the other. There is no gray area with this. They either think their way of thinking is the best way or they think that they are not the best thinkers." That's very silly. Society is never black and white like that, you assume far too much.

I never said it's 'just a lyric', I said it did not make an claim to anything being "wrong" or "right".

You go onto say I would have posted something positive about religion if I had anything. If you look on the main page you will see "Can Science and Religion be friends?", a post by me that has been on the homepage for about a day now from the point of view of a religious Dr. Excerpt: "He said a dialogue between them is "a way to keep the peace." Also, the last story I got on TV was the United Nations coming together and saying that religion should not be an excuse for violence. I think that is very positive towards all religions/philosophies.

When did I deter the conversation? What flaws are you talking about?

When talking about Atheist and how they can be mean you point out how religious people are mean. That is deterring the conversation.

I saw the science one on the front page. That's a good start. Hopefully these are not flukes.

agreed!

Yes it is....it's just hidden in lyrics or really hidden behind lyrics.

Someone stating you're going to an imagery place should make you laugh. Being offended by that is retarded.

"You are going to hell" isn't just saying you are going to imaginary place, it's a social statement on your lifestyle. They are saying if you are not following their rules of conduct, you are a bad person.

And you feeling that way means you believe them.

It's not a matter of whether or not you believe them, it's about a religious organization judging people in such an extreme way. I personally don't believe I am going to hell considering I don't believe in hell in the first place.

Right. But it's ok to insinuate that no religion is ok.

And lets not pretend they were using the lyrics as they were intended. You know better than that.

I think you are plainly wrong. I think they used the lyrics as intended very much so, as John Lennon's Imagine paints a world in which there is no heaven, hell, religion or possessions. In what way did they misuse the lyric?

If their intentions was to be informative and thought provoking...they should have picked a different lyric. If they want to make people mad they pick the one they settled on above.

"Imagine no religion" IS thought provoking, whether or not people are mad about it.

No it's not. Just because you think it is in no way means it is.

All it does is, as you see, make people think you're attacking them. If it were to be thought provoking people wouldn't feel that way, now would they?

And if it's the people the are talking to instead of the choir then they should have known better....and I bet they did.

Of course they would feel that way! Have you no sense of history or reality whatsoever? Thought provoking things are frequently controversial! I can give you a million examples, but do you seriously need them? Even today on Current was a post of top ten controversial books- all of them banned and deemed offensive, all of them thought provoking as well!

Controversial, also, does not equal thought provoking.

This was done in poor judgment and based on your arguments you think so too.

I guess you really aren't listening to my arguments very well if that is the conclusion you have come to.

Your arguments for this billboard are flawed and bias. Saying No Religion and think about that isn't playing off the goodness of the lyric and only playing off the assumption that that's what it is when it's not.

The only people that would like the billboard are people that think like it and that's just stating they are preaching to the choir.

I, personally, think all billboards professing an opinion on this or anything else are pointless and stupid. No religion billboards, no fake thought provoking billboards....just business. NO one needs to read such and get annoyed. No need to make some drivers angrier than they already are at driving in traffic.

They should have been going for positive and uplifting than negative and attacking. And you can state they aren't but if they are being removed then it was attacking. Whether they meant to or not does not matter.....it matters how it was taken not how it was intended...in this situation.

I think "Imagine no Religion" is a positive, uplifting message. So did John Lennon. That's why he wrote those lyrics and that's why this organization used them.

For him they are positive.

For them they are negative. Why can't you think of that possibility? She who states Atheist do that better.

You have given me no reason to think this organization used these lyrics in an intentionally negative way. People getting upset about it doesn't mean that they are correct to assume that was the intention of the board.

You wouldn't change your mind even, so really you stating that there's no good reason is pointless to state.

When was the last time you thought an organization you agreed with (such as this one) was wrong?

If you have pride you won't answer this.

Man's oldest invention is also the cause of the vast majority of the world's wars and tragedies. More folks died in the name of said 'invention' than any other reason in human history, more than plagues and epidemics.