Atheist ads to adorn New York subway stations
A coalition of eight atheist organizations purchased a month-long advertisement campaign that will place their posters in a dozen busy subway stations throughout Manhattan.
The advertisements ask the question, written simply over an image of a blue sky with wispy white clouds:
"A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?"
Silly question. I take the question to mean: Would you be rather be good without God, or good with God? If that advertisement had any sense in its snarky intent, then why do these atheists need to mention the word "God" in relation to being "good"? I was under the impression that these atheists laid superior claim to reason. A saner and more consistent statement for them would be - "A million New Yorkers are good, period. Are you?". But then, good at what? Posting advertisements that make sense? Nahh, I can't buy that and neither can the rest of the eight million New Yorkers.
The atheists further said they were not "forcing issues, they're just getting ideas out there,". Hmm, by spending $25,000 just to get the ideas out there? Man, there's still an economic crisis out there! Haven't these good atheists considered that the good thing to do at this time is to spend all that money to lend aid for the severely afflicted people in New York?
Now they go on to say that their ads are "not poking fun at religion and not being outright nasty".
Aw c'mon. A more credible statement would be - "our ads are poking fun at ourselves and we're just being outright crazy".
/
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Adorn?? Excuse me
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6 comments:
Naku, ayan na naman sila. They seem so insecure about their stand on this whole matter that they feel they have to spend a mint on announcing it and making themselves feel... hmm "legitimate" or something.
Some atheists can be so unconcerned about the needs of others. Sana they donated it na lang to some cause.
if they don't believe in God, why do they care about whether or not other people do?
Meanwhile, the good people are silently helping the Ondoy, Indonesia quake, and Samoa tsunami victims.
As a theist would expect from an atheist, the sentence contradicts itself, it’s like saying “A million New Yorkers are doing God’s work without God’s doing .” because in order to be good, God is working in you.
We cannot do anything good without God, in fact even to get the good thought that starts the process is God’s doing, for 2 Cor. 3:5 says, "Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God."
So we, Christians would just simply read between the lines:
“A million New Yorkers are good without (knowing it is because of) God. Are you?”
and would answer “You betcha!”
Could it be that...
The atheists in New York have been suffering from their self-imposed separation from God. They noticed that the Christians seem to live more contented lives. Being atheists, a lot of them haven't experienced what St. Paul described in Romans 8:38-39. The isolation causes them to react in different ways. Those of them whose need to be right is high wanted to prove the Christians wrong (the righteous-a's). Those of them who feel isolated and alone wanted to de-evangelize the Christians and increase the number of atheists (the evangelizer-a's)- there is, after all, safety in numbers. Some of them felt that atheism is the principle and way of life that everyone should follow and wanted to embark on their own brand of evangelization (the fundamentalist-a's). The problem is: what does an atheist offer people? How will proving that God doesn't exist help people? What good will redound to you if you don't believe in God?
The atheists necessarily have to be strong believers in their individual powers. Unfortunately, no human being can possibly know it all. The atheist may even feel his limitations more acutely that the Christians. Without faith to hold him up, the atheist must struggle to convince himself that his own powers can overcome his life's tribulations despite his obvious limitations. Without faith, the only way an atheist can experience spiritual strength is to delude himself into thinking he is enough.
Meanwhile the Christians are sailing along as usual. Their faith keeping them mentally healthy. Knowing that they have a God who protects, provides, heals, guides and loves them embues them with hope and wonder and they face the unkown future without fear. They know they will die someday but they look forward to coming home to the Father. The atheist knows that he/she will also eventually die, but without any belief in God, what does he/she have to look forward to?
What you stand for strengthens you while what you stand against weakens you. Christians stand for God, what does an atheist stand for? What's the ad for? I think it's a watered-down version of what the atheists can come up with. A compromise view of the rigtheous-a's, the evangelizer-a's and the fundamentalist-a's while at the same time being politcally correct. So it comes out vague and safe but with just enough chutzpah to rile the Christians.
Could it be that the Christians in New York haven't been as faithful as they should be? That they've "slowed down" and needed to be nudged awake. God gave them a nudge and used the atheists to do it. It reminds me of what Joseph said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20 - But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. For, after all, God has a plan and as St. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28-29 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
- TE
"The atheists in New York have been suffering from their
self-imposed separation from God." - TE
At gusto pa nilang mandamay! Ang sabi nga ni N, what do they care?
Misery loves company.
Aesiel, you bet.
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