athiest bus backlash
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- mikotondria30
Obviously we cannot establish a position based on the absolute irrefutable proof of a negative, namely that 'there is no god'..
In the same way that we can only only in all intellectual honesty be agnostic, taking that position does not indicate that the existence of god has anything like the equal chance of being true.
Bertrand Russel postulated that there could be a teapot in orbit around Mars, and noone can ultimately prove that there isn't, so we must therefore all be teapot-agnostics about this. Technically then we must for the sake of technical argument stop short of Dawkins fundamental a-fairyism, and a-theism, and recognise that the majority of the theists, although they claim to have certain knowledge of the existence of god, are in fact as secularised in their behavior and lifestyles as the rest of us. If you really honestly truly believed in the god of the bible, and of the resurrection and salvation of jesus christ, you really couldn't live a secular life in the western world, it would if truly believed, every waking second be the only topic of conversation, and naturally predispose one to militantism and war-like evangalism. There is no safe middle ground - either the god of the bible is entirely as it's written, or becomes meaningless when reinterpreted as 'love', 'nature', or 'the laws of physics'. At which point the fundamental need for the omnipotent god the father has been abandoned, and the huddled masses that comprise the majority of the 'christian world', are left with only the legacy of history and culture and ancestry to protect.
It is the protection of this living history that is seen in the reactions against the atheist bus advertisements, and against the humanist and atheist schools of thought in general. Atheism is seen as the harbinger of moral relativism, and the destroyer of the conservative basis of western culture, as a set of ideas and ideals based on destroying people's sense of intellectual heritage and establishment. When the teaching of history and moral philosophy becomes a part of the curriculum and we raise children to value both their intellectual curiosity, judgment AND encourage a sense of aesthetic appreciation and a need to preserve our cultural heritage for its own sake rather than feel a need to reconcile and modernize every aspect of the religious establishment, then we will be able to transcend the whole debate and not be bound by labels such as a-this, or pro-that.
Egyptology is not a discipline with one side believing in the goddess Nut, and another group putting aNutist adverts on Cairo buses.
- TheBlueOne0
I've decided to start calling myself "post-Christian"...I like to sit on fences and mock both sides.
- Suppose you don't take a position on Thor either ?
I keel you!mikotondria3 - I'm more pro-Loki than anti-ThorTheBlueOne
- Thor would kick Loki's ass and you know it. Repent ! Take this leaflet and ask for forgiveness. I keel you.mikotondria3
- Suppose you don't take a position on Thor either ?
- Fariska0
http://ruletheweb.co.uk/b3ta/bus….
(via emecs)
- Fariska0
As a pastafarian integralist i'm above these silly disputes.
- kelpie0
from the comments:
"I think this is all rather good really and in these dark economic times glad to see that there is some money around for the good attractive folk of the advertising industry."
hahaha
- Fariska0
And, btw it clearly hit a nerve, which i think it was the whole point of the campaign. Honestly is pretty funny to see religion advertised and sold like a Gillette Disposable razor.
And, sadly, in Italy the ASA equivalent ruled that those messages weren't ok, and had to be redone. So Enjoy your freedom of speech and freedom of advertisement.
- Hoax0
I find atheists these days more over-baring than Christians. I don't care whether you believe in anything or not. Notice they didn't have the balls to mention Allah in their posters...
- ah yes, whereas you theists have the balls to 'crusade', 'fatwa' and suicide bomb the other side and explicitly..mikotondria3
- ..mention their names, yeah great point, sir. Allah was not the son of god, nor was jesus, nor any of them, There.mikotondria3
- I like how you illustrate my point perfectly. "If you're not with us you're against logic".Hoax
- By the way, I'm technically an atheist too, tho hate the term. Get off your high horse, it's a long way down.Hoax
- in the us the theists are becoming increasingly politicised and powerful and wealthy, its not like we're allmikotondria3
- flashbender0
I knew that bendy buses were going to be harbingers of doom. This is the beginning of the end of days
- jevad0
"There definitely is a God."
Fucking prove it.
- Morning_star0
I think one of the issues is the slippery nature of atheists and atheism. Talking to atheist friends most of them think that the advertising runs contrary to the essence of atheism. Atheism is, at it's core a reactionary position. It has no creed, dogma, belief, tenet - whatever you want to call it - so it becomes very difficult to debate as there is no opposing view. Essentially atheism would not and does not exist until some says 'i beleive in god' .
- hmmm ... chicken or the egg dilemma here?pizzafire
- Not really. Atheism is entirely dependant on the existence of god.Morning_star
- I think you mean "dependent on the *idea* of existence of God"ribit
- Not really. If the theists were spouting about the *idea* of existence of God" the atheists would have very little to get all high and mighty about.Morning_star
- ...high and mighty about.Morning_star
- But the aethiests are spouting about the fact other people think there is a God...ribit
- kelpie0
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/codes/…
SUBSTANTIATION
3.1
Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation.
Relevant evidence should be sent without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP. The adequacy of evidence will be judged on whether it supports both the detailed claims and the overall impression created by the marketing communication. The full name and geographical business address of marketers should be provided without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP.
- kelpie0
"the slippery nature of atheists and atheism"
hahahaa
- I read that as 'slippery nipple'...jevad
- care to expand?Morning_star
- jaylarson0
- It's the other way around these days. Personally hope Richard Dawkins is struck by lightning.Hoax
- bullshit, Dawkins is awesome, I can only surmise that you don't actually understand what it is he says.mikotondria3
- lolHoax
- GeorgesII0
As a god loving/fearing zealot,
I complained fist in the air against the "God doesn't exist" campaign we did,
God listened and I got a raise.
thanx God :)
- powertoni0
I worship Goser
- http://lfm.mit.edu/b…jaylarson
- are you the keymaster?powertoni