Monday, November 9, 2009
Daily Diversion / Silverman Secular Life Billboard Brings Out the Kooks
Posted by Jack Silverman on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 7:11 AM
The organization Secular Life has been making waves over the last couple of weeks with its Green Hills billboard advertisement featuring the following: "Not Religious? You're not alone." The brainchild of Nashvillian Thaddeus Schwartz, the group seeks to provide community for folks who are nonreligious. Secular Life's credo can be summed up in this one sentence from its website: "We embrace a life free of superstition and full of inquiry." Inquiry? (Gasp!) No superstition? (Gadzooks!)
The above YouTube video, posted last Thursday, features sample voicemail messages from angry Nashvillians. As the video makes hilariously clear, some folks don't take kindly to free thinkers here in the buckle of the Bible Belt. Among the highlights:
"I think that it's ridiculous that you need to post a sign in the Nashville area that you're not religious. Christians don't post signs saying 'You're going to burn in hell,' do we?" (Um, actually, yes they do.)Just as amusing is a Channel 2 news report, which seems like it could have run on the Christian Broadcasting Network. (You can see it here.) In the teaser, Bob Mueller says, "A sign meant to drum up attention raises a few eyebrows--the advertisement against religion expected to spark a conversation among the faithful." Well the advertisement is no more against religion than a sign for a church is against Judaism. But let's not confuse the situation with facts."Boy, I can't believe you people. Yeah, in this town we are religious, and you need to take that billboard down and get out of this town."
"They're gonna be running you bitches out of town. And when they do I hope they run you bitches to hell."
"Yes, I'm just a concerned citizen. I've seen your sign and we really don't appreciate it, and we're gonna push and shove and demand that that sign comes down. Maybe it looks like your corporation or your business or whatever who is responsible for putting that sign up there, maybe it's you people who don't believe." (Bingo!)
Later in the report, Channel 2 reporter Jamey Tucker says, "But Sunday morning, someone's going to flip a switch, and this sign is going to advertise the belief, "There is no God." Actually, Jamey, you're wrong. Nowhere does it say, "There is no God"--it merely provides contact info for people who aren't religious and would like to meet other like-minded folks. Besides, some nonreligious people believe in God.
Perhaps most entertaining is this bit near the end:
Mueller: Recent surveys show the number of nonreligious people in America is growing faster than every religious group and denomination. LifeWay researcher Scott McConnell says the numbers are growing rapidly even in the Bible Belt.LifeWay researcher? Mueller introduces McConnell like he's an impartial observer from the Pew Research Center, for, um, God's sake. It's kind of like seeking comment on health-care reform from researcher Glenn Beck. And aren't Christians and other religious groups just as proactive in trying to get nonbelievers to share their beliefs?McConnell: Some folks are going to be proactive in those beliefs and they're going to try to get others to share that belief with them and they're going to be proactive in trying to have their beliefs respected, as we've heard from this group.
From the sound of it, you'd think religious people were an embattled minority under attack by nonbelievers. If anything, it's the other way around. If you don't believe that, just imagine what would happen if a nonreligious person, particularly an avowed atheist, tried to run for president.
Comments (25)
Showing 1-25 of 25
Religious zealots suck. "We're calling all our congressmen [to tell them we don't believe in freedom of speech]." G-d forbid we allow freedom of religion in this country (not to mention free will in choosing to believe or not).
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The thing is, nice, normal people really don't care what others do or do not believe. I find that most people tend to belong to the religion of "Don't Be A Jerk" and they are Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist, and Mormon and whatever.
These people? Jerks. Frightened little busybody jerks. They should try going to church of feeding the homeless or teaching kids to read if they have so much spare time on their hands, seriously.
Of course, the state constitution requires that office holders believe in a supreme being, and also in heaven and hell (or "a system of rewards and punishments" in the afterlife).
Ashley,
"They should try going to church of feeding the homeless or teaching kids to read if they have so much spare time on their hands, seriously."
They do. I would bet that a larger percentage of Conservative Christians help feed the homeless and teach children to read than the elitists who spend so much time making broad generalizations about them.
Of course, it is so much easier to just support raising taxes so that government will feed the poor and teach chilldren to read.
Mark,
Elitist?!? Raising taxes vs. feeding poor? I'm inspired by the conclusions you're jumping to. Let me know if my translation is correct.
christians = salt of the earth
non-believers = elitist, commie bastards
Why are you affirming our conservative stereotypes?
Ryan,
The Scene has a delightful tradition of characterizing any Conservative Christians that they dislike as cast extras from 'Elmer Gantry' and 'Inherit the Wind.' Conservative Christians are a far more diverse group. I would never suggest that there are not some in this group who totally miss the message of Christ and who are more Elmer than true disciple.
Ashley's comment suggested that the people in the story did not do these things, which may well not be true. I juist object to the stereotyping.
Mark, why are you capitalizing "conservative?" And I don't recall anywhere in the Bible referring to "conservative Christians," only Christians. And so-called "Conservative Christians" have only themselves to blame for the way they get portrayed in the media, Mark. They're strong support for Sarah Palin is example number one.
Like this fellow, who was a lot closer to me before he knew my belief system - let's call him Ted. Back in late July I mentioned to Ted that an acquaintance was going to Vanderbilt's divinity school. Oh and she is non-religious. To this day, whenever I see him, he still has the "special" collection of DVD's he want to give to her. She needs to be converted. Whatta dick.
Mark? Where exactly do you see or know about the Conservative-Christians-help-kids-to-learn-to-read? Not in this illiterate town based on academic scores lately.
OH WAIT! I know, they volunteer at the *private* christian schools~! Silly me.
Ashley Spurgeon - "The thing is, nice, normal people really don't care what others do or do not believe. I find that most people tend to belong to the religion of "Don't Be A Jerk" and they are Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist, and Mormon and whatever.
These people? Jerks. Frightened little busybody jerks. They should try going to church of feeding the homeless or teaching kids to read if they have so much spare time on their hands, seriously."
I think you have failed to recognize the motive and meaning behind the billboard to start with. The point was to reach out to other people in this city who may feel "alone" having been surrounded by the constant barrage of Christianity. If we want to call ourselves a progressive city we need to drop this stranglehold that Christianity has over our government akin to a Fascist Dictatorship. Besides, if you take a short drive in any direction from Nashville, it doesn't take long for you to see billboards by the score that threaten hellfire and damnation to any non-Christians.
@Chris,
I'm an atheist; I meant that the jerks were the people getting their boxers in a bunch over a billboard.
@Mark,
Did you read my first paragraph? I said most people are good. I really do believe that. People that leave harrassing voice mails tend to be jerks.
WWJD? Let me say that again, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
Probably call these folks and say hurtful things like a good christian. No you say? Well the next logical step is to open an atheist "church" in Nashville. And make it a huge public event. Put signs up everywhere. Just like every church in Nashville does. Billboards everywhere, radio, tv, etc. Wonder how that would go over? I bet it would get burned down, the atheist church I mean. Not much different than shooting an abortion doctor because killing...is...wrong? Cause that's what Jesus would do, right? He wouldn't love everyone no matter what they believed, he would probably try to run them out of town cause "they ain't like us". I think I just heard a banjo start playing in the background, how strange.
I just want everyone that is reading this to know that I love them very much and I hope they have a wonderful day full of puppy dogs and fairy tales.
Freedom of religion is a great thing in this country. Amen.
"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Thaddeus Schwartz is facing the same problems that early Christians faced. It is hard to believe in something when most of the people around you hate you for being different.
So thank you Thaddeus Schwartz for doing something good for our community, even if it isn't popular at the moment. I was being a smart ass in my first post, but freedom of religion is an important part of this country and I am glad to see someone in Nashville exercising that freedom for the good of the community.
Stay strong Mr. Schwartz, you are not alone.
Thank you Thaddeus,
A Case for Atheism
“If people were a little more ignorant,
astrology would flourish ...
If a little more enlightened,
religion would perish.”
Robert Ingersoll
There is little if any debate today about validating the existence of Zeus, Thor, Ra, Jove, Quetzalcoatl, Baal, or a host of other deities of the past. In these cases we would all be called ‘atheists’, if we were dropped back into their societies! The powerful gods of those eras have passed, as their cultures and armies lost power and influence. In the West, god has appeared to shrink as more questions of nature and science are answered. Mental illness is not an actual demon to be cast into pigs, adolescent rebellion is no longer the presence of witchcraft in Salem Mass. Earthquakes, thunder, lightening, eclipses and tsunamis are not examples of the anger of the gods in heaven. Earth is no longer the center of the universe with the sun circling us as heaven resides above and hell below a flat earth.
Archeological discoveries and the Hubble telescope have made a strong case for dinosaurs older than 6000+ years [Biblical record of creation sin 4004 B.C.] , galaxies whose light has traveled for billions of years to reach earth, and stars forming before our eyes as we live today.
Rivers, oceans, and mountains no longer isolate cultures. This allows the Roman Catholic to live with a Baptist, Jew, Church of Christ, Muslin, Hindu, Buddhist, Calvinist, and atheist. This interaction allows people to question whether all the others are going to eternal damnation. If god commands his followers to “love one’s enemies” and “forgive 70 times 7 times”, one must now ask, how can god condemn all people but the individual’s sect to eternal torture as god’s enemy and not forgive?
As Einstein said, “I can not imagine a God who rewards and punishes objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own - a God in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty.”
People may have forgotten the facts - here are a few to stir peoples' memories:
Perhaps it is time to offer a modern version of Jonathan Swift’s ‘Modest Proposal’
I recently heard of a book titled something like “Parenting God’s Way”. It sounded good, until I paused and thought about it. The first time my child does something wrong, am I to kick him off the property, consign him to a lifetime of hard labor and then let him die? [Genesis 3]. If their off spring do not obey me and are ‘irreverent’ toward me and what I demand, am I to pick the one who is the ‘best’ and drown the rest? This would include my descendents who are babies or their pregnant mothers, my disabled and infirmed children’s children? [Genesis 6]. Then if they still don’t recognize my love and obediently worship me only, kill them [Exodus 32]. If my neighbors rebel against me, must they be punished by my children and the pregnant women ripped open with the babies dashed against the ground? [Hosea 13:16]. If I must go to war against my neighbors, then am I to kill all the men, women and children, but keep the young virgins as spoils of victory for my sons [Numbers 31 & Deuteronomy 21]. If all else fails, should I then choose a virgin, school age girl and rape her (or at least have consensual celestial sex with a minor) [Luke 1:35]. Do I then claim the off spring as my child and have him killed as a sacrifice and expression of my love [John 3:16]. If the descendents still don’t believe and worship me properly, then do I kill them and send them to an eternal torture chamber [Mark 9:44; Luke 12:5 & 2 Peter 2]? This punishment seems apparently worse than Hitler’s or Sadaam Hussein’s since it is eternal. How can this be viewed as glory in the highest? ... But remember what God commanded: “Love your enemies and forgive them an infinite [at least 70 X 7] number of times!” [Matthew 5:44 & 18:22]. Wouldn’t a god adhere to his own values? As I have heard it said, “I suspect that I can safely assume that I make god in my image when he hates all the same people that I do!” It appears to me that the commandment to ‘love my enemies’ leads to having no enemies.
If there were a god, and he was immutable (unchanging), omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and perfectly holy, it appears that the above actions and results are inconsistent.
I pray one day these poor non-believers will come to accept the Truth about the FSM, the one true God.
been there,
You have not looked.
Ashley,
I think people that make those sorts of calls out to be prosecuted for misdmeanors and flogged on the Court House lawn before the weekly concerts.
I just don't remember you or the Scene getting so exorcised when worshipers at the Belle Meade Shrine to Al Gore were phoning in death threats to Drew Johnson's staffers.
On the issue, you are correct. You and the Scene just don't want to alienate your base by calling out the bad elements of the Left.
related: Freedom From Religion Foundation -
Bus Signs & Billboards
http://www.ffrf.org/busbillboard/
WARNING! This website is run by censors who are only posting negative remarks about religion!!!
Free movie (at download link): "ZEITGEIST: THE MOVIE"
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/dloads.htm
Zeitgeist [Religion] The Greatest Story Ever Sold (1of 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNf-P_5u_Hw
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