How long would the opposite of this exist? Oh yeah, two days.

[quade 3]

So, every week I make a trip from my home to UCLA. Because of traffic conditions I take any one of a number of routes. Last week I took the 105 and saw a billboard I wasn't entirely certain I read correctly, so this week when I drove by I whipped out on camera and snapped a picture of it just to make certain. (Don't worry, traffic was jammed and it's not like I was going more than a walking pace at the time.)

The photo I took was pretty bad, but I was able to make out the web site address and looked it up. After clicking around for a few seconds I saw that they had a MUCH better photo of the same billboard.

http://pulltheplugonatheism.com/00billboard.shtml

This reminds me of something.

Imagine if this guy hadn't come out against atheists, but instead Muslims or Jews. I wonder how long that billboard would be allowed to stand?

What really irks me about this is I would like to defend the guy's right to have the billboard. First Amendment and all that, but at the same time he's only able to do this because he's going after a belief system that isn't protected like all the others are.

I dunno. Just bugs me.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[rehmwa 2]

As far as free speech - both billboards got put up - so we're pretty good there.

The fact that you're bugged? meh. Is it because of your beliefs, or some assumption that this board will get a different set of attention.

I don't see an issue with either billboard, nor do I see an issue with people of opposing views making a stink about either billboard.

I'd only see an issue if the government, any level, takes action to restrict any billboard that's rented by a private group

It would pretty much also depends on the location of the billboard - does the demographics appeal to the locals, or confront the locals. If they aren't in the same neighborhood, you can't even compare the responses fairly......



Let me ask this -

If both billboards were put up in, say, Jakee's neighborhood, would he protest or accept both equally?

Same question, only Chuteless......

and how would your answers really matter in terms of government not interfering in free speech?

So I guess I don't care about it irking you, unless you tried to get a law passed to resolve you irk-adicity.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[shropshire 0]

Personally, I hate billboards [full stop]. They are a blot on the landscape and I'd like to see them all removed.

As the the message on this one - I couldn't care less. It won't change my mind.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[rehmwa 2]

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Personally, ...billboards...they are a blot...I couldn't care less.

thanks, that's pretty much where I sit

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[quade 3]

Well, there are two issues there;

1) In the case of the "Imagine" billboard by the atheist guys, it was taken down two days after it went up with the "help" of the local government. It attacked no specific set of beliefs.

2) This "Pull the Plug on Atheism" billboard does, in fact, attack a very specific group of people and their beliefs. Had it been ANY other group of people with an organized belief, the billboard simply would not be tolerated. Again, imagine such a billboard saying "Pull the Plug on Muslims" or "Pull the Plug on Jews".

To me this isn't even about government tolerance but tolerance by the public. In the first case they could not stand to even "imagine" a world without religion, but in this second they seem to be more than accepting of outright intolerance against another group.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Andrewwhyte 1]

The Ottawa public bus company has rejected Atheist signs recently but out here in Jesusland North they have been approved for Calgary buses. They haven't been put in yet, but I expect the outcry will be entertaining when they do.

[Andy9o8 0]

You are correct about this. And all the nitpickers who are masturbating with semantics and other quibbling are full of it (as well as insulting our intelligence).

[quade 3]

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It would pretty much also depends on the location of the billboard - does the demographics appeal to the locals, or confront the locals. If they aren't in the same neighborhood, you can't even compare the responses fairly......

I think this is another issue I have with the concept and why I think it's sort of a cheap tactic.

If you put up an anti-religious billboard anywhere in southern California there's bound to be a church nearby. I know that a lot of parts of the country think of California being completely godless, but the truth is we have a very high density of churches. In fact a couple of the biggest churches on the planet are located in SoCal.

However, on the flip side of this . . . where exactly does the atheist "group" meet? Well, obviously the answer is, it doesn't. It simply is about 10% of the population.

So, to me it's kind of unfair to compare the two based on proximity to any particular building. In fact, because the "Pull the Plug on Atheism" one is located next to a major freeway, it probably gets far more exposure than the other one ever could have hoped for and has the opportunity to offend 10% of everyone on that freeway.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[frequentfaller 0]

Its the different belief systems of people.

religious are organized and believe it is their duty to fight against sacrolige and blasphemy. their god would want them to.

non-religious aren't organized (or at least not to the extent the religious are) and usually ignore or are just used to the religious crap thats everywhere.

Born ok 1st time.

[SpeedRacer 1]

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2) This "Pull the Plug on Atheism" billboard does, in fact, attack a very specific group of people and their beliefs. Had it been ANY other group of people with an organized belief, the billboard simply would not be tolerated. Again, imagine such a billboard saying "Pull the Plug on Muslims" or "Pull the Plug on Jews".

Not the same thing. The billboard says to pull the plug on a belief system, not on a certain group of people.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[quade 3]

Quote

Quote

2) This "Pull the Plug on Atheism" billboard does, in fact, attack a very specific group of people and their beliefs. Had it been ANY other group of people with an organized belief, the billboard simply would not be tolerated. Again, imagine such a billboard saying "Pull the Plug on Muslims" or "Pull the Plug on Jews".

Not the same thing. The billboard says to pull the plug on a belief system, not on a certain group of people.

So, then, you're ok with the verbiage of "Pull the Plug on Judaism"?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[jakee 1,279]

Quote

If both billboards were put up in, say, Jakee's neighborhood, would he protest or accept both equally?

I'd be pissed off that any billboards were put up (we don't really do them on highways in the UK, and I'd rather it stayed that way) but apart from that I don't give a shit. Once they're there people can put up whatever they want. You think I go around protesting signs? Shit dude, you trippin'.

(Actually, after looking at the billboard Quade's talking about I'd be more than happy to have it up. I it's great that these people want to pay good money to advertise their own stupidity.)

Quote

Same question, only Chuteless......

Hey, fuck you!

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[Nightingale 0]

I don't see the point of protesting...

Now, on the other hand, the billboard company is private. Nothing wrong with a private individual or group offering them more cash to replace it with something they find tolerable. If you don't want to look at it, put your money where your mouth is, just like the Jesus people did.

[yourmomma 0]

Funny. That billboard could just as easily have said. (Any religion) believes nothing(god) created everything. As an atheist though I'm strongly opposed to the misguided notion that everything was created from nothing. The something is, however, not a omniscient spaghetti monster.

[SpeedRacer 1]

yes it is.

The imprints of His Noodly Appendages are a matter of paleontological record.

Look at the Precambrian fossil record. Some of the earliest animal fossils are distinctly noodle-shaped.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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So, then, you're ok with the verbiage of "Pull the Plug on Judaism"?

How 'bout, "Crucify Christianity?"

[lawrocket 3]

The opposite would be something along the lines of suing to ensure that any mention of a religious conept is not to be spoken or written in a pu lic setting.

Oh wait...

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[jakee 1,279]

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If you don't want to look at it, put your money where your mouth is, just like the Jesus people did.

No, the Jesus people complained to the city, who told the billboard company to take it down.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[pilotsR4pimps 0]

Another reason for living in Hawaii. NO BILLBOARDS!!!!! No stupid propaganda, people attacking other belief systems on the side of the road. It's awesome. How can so many people around the world make such a big deal about an idea. If you think about religion, faith, etc. the founding principles are great. love, honesty, respect, etc. It's when you add all the "magical, fairy-tale shit" that for some odd reason, people start really believing. It's lunacy, 100% unrealistic and not logical. We created religion out of necessity. We question death, what happens after, we saw what society had created and needed more help and along the way different prophets came along and showed us peaceful paths. I guess you could call them the fist activist hippies. But again people added make believe shit to spice it up and close minded, drones believed every word. And now you got guys strapping bombs to themselves and blowing up weddings of their own kind. It's lunacy. All in the name of a God that if you dont believe in him, and his son (Christianity), then you are cast into eternal damnation of fire and brimstone, where you'll suffer for ever and ever. But he loves you!!!!!!!! Their should definitely be no BILLBOARDS about religion. Any of it. Or Atheism. Nothing. Everyone disagrees one way or another. Which leads me to my second point: If there really was one god, and one way to "heaven", which is psychotic and silly, then there would be one way. Globally agreed upon. Not 10,000 different faiths and worship practices, those of which, like Christianity, have 35,000 different sects and denominations. COME ON PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!! THINK!!!! Stop following an absurd and modernly irrelevant way because it's the way "we have always done it". I am sorry for that rant. That is all.

[shropshire 0]

Gizus a job and I'd be there in a shot

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[pilotsR4pimps 0]

ahhh. You dont need a job right away. Sell all of your crap, except your rig and stuff you NEED to survive and just move out. Live on the beach until you find a "job". Shorts, t-shirt and barefoot jumping all year long. 7 DAYS A WEEK!!!!

[Ion01 1]

Quote

Funny. That billboard could just as easily have said. (Any religion) believes nothing(god) created everything. As an atheist though I'm strongly opposed to the misguided notion that everything was created from nothing. The something is, however, not a omniscient spaghetti monster.

And otheres are just as strongly opposed to the misguided and unscientific notion that everything just happened without a cause.....that chaos resulted in order....etc. Besides if you don't beleive that something created the universe then the only result is that something came from nothing...which is inescapable when even big bang scientist believe and show that the universe has a finite existance...a beginning.
The real issue here is freedom of speech and the reality is that atheists are organized and fight against religion as well yet that is deamed acceptable. Ever heard of these organizations: American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, Council for Secular Humanism, the Humanist Institute, Institute for Humanist Studies, Internet Infidels, National Secular Society, Minnisota Atheist, New Humanist, Secular Coalition for America....there is even an organization that simply calls themselves NO GOD. When you get right down to it the school system is in as much a fight against religion as this guy is with atheisism. Ever heard of the National Center for Science Education. The moto is defending the teaching of evolution in public schools. If someone wants to teach the scientific problems with evolution just give them a call and they will stamp them out!
Oh...sorry..I thought atheist weren't organized.
And so what if they are this is supposed to be a free country, athiest can speak out against non-atheist and visa versa! But to completely remove one or the other or restrict one or the other on any basis of belief is wrong and unconstitutional!
And guess what...you have the right to be offended....and I have to right to offend you. This whole idea that if something offends someone or some group then they must not be allowed to speek is wrong and unconstitutional. I have to right to offend anyone I want no matter how wrong it is...thats freedom. The moment we start resticting freedom based on how people FEEL about one thing or another then we are no longer free. The reality is that we have already lost that freedom long ago in the united states and we continue to loose what little we have left.

[Hausse 0]

Things like this make me like religion! Without it there would be significantly less ignorant morons I could laugh about!

[pilotsR4pimps 0]

i hate religion. It creates division and social classes. Doesn't allow true freedom. Same with governments. Spirituality unites people. Who are you calling the ignorant morons?

[jakee 1,279]

You poor misguided person.

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And otheres are just as strongly opposed to the misguided and unscientific notion that everything just happened without a cause.....that chaos resulted in order....etc.

How is this unscientific?

Quote

Besides if you don't beleive that something created the universe then the only result is that something came from nothing...which is inescapable when even big bang scientist believe and show that the universe has a finite existance...a beginning.

Why does big bang theory mean that the observable universe came from nothing?

Quote

The real issue here is freedom of speech and the reality is that atheists are organized and fight against religion as well yet that is deamed acceptable.

Religion fighting against atheism is far more widely accepted than the reverse.

Quote

Ever heard of these organizations: American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, Council for Secular Humanism, the Humanist Institute, Institute for Humanist Studies, Internet Infidels, National Secular Society, Minnisota Atheist, New Humanist, Secular Coalition for America....there is even an organization that simply calls themselves NO GOD.

So what? I would list all the churches and religious denominations active in the US but we really can't spare the bandwidth.

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When you get right down to it the school system is in as much a fight against religion as this guy is with atheisism. Ever heard of the National Center for Science Education. The moto is defending the teaching of evolution in public schools. If someone wants to teach the scientific problems with evolution just give them a call and they will stamp them out!

No, they stamp out the teaching of the unscientific creation in sheep's clothing nonsense that is intelligent design. Religion has no place in a science class.

Quote

Oh...sorry..I thought atheist weren't organized.
And so what if they are this is supposed to be a free country, athiest can speak out against non-atheist and visa versa! But to completely remove one or the other or restrict one or the other on any basis of belief is wrong and unconstitutional!

Good. I'm sure that you strongly disapprove of the City's actions in the other thread that Quade links to.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?