Atheist Advertising -- or Evangelizing? The Holiday Ad Blitz Starts Early

[Synnical]

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/11/11/atheist-advertising-or-evangelizing-the-holiday-ad-blitz-sta/

It's two weeks before Thanksgiving and atheists who have tried to counter the religious reasons for the season with good tidings of godlessness have outdone themselves this year: They've launched publicity campaigns with a bigger ad buy than ever.

The largest is a $200,000 effort by the American Humanist Association (AHA) that will include a television spot on NBC Dateline on Friday evening as well as other television commercials -- a first for such an organization -- plus advertisements in national and regional print media.

This year's AHA campaign differs from last season's more upbeat "Be Good For Goodness' Sake" initiative, in that it takes critical aim at "biblical morality and fundamentalist Christianity" by juxtaposing violent or sexist passages from the Bible and the Koran with more irenic quotations from nonbelievers like Albert Einstein and Katherine Hepburn, as well as AHA statements.

For example, one pairing cites the Old Testament book of Hosea, in which God says:

"The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open."

The counterpoint is from Einstein:

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty."

And Hepburn's quote, from a 1991 Ladies Home Journal article, says:

"I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for each other."

The counterpoint are the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke:

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters -- yes, even his own life -- he cannot be my disciple."

The ads then prompt viewers and readers to "consider humanism."

Rest of article at link.

I find it odd that anyone thinks an atheist or humanist can "evangelize". Do these writers not know that words have definitions and meanings?

Tired this evening. . .

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[ZombieHorde]

1. The Bible quote example is not the direction I would go in atheist advertising.

This idea, from the article, is better in my opinion...

The Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wisc., is spending $55,000 on an "Out of the Closet Campaign" that features images of mostly average folks proudly announcing their unbelief on 150 billboards in about a dozen cities. "I like baking, biking & sleeping in on Sundays," says 23-year-old Katie, who is pictured holding a plate of cookies and wearing a "Godless Goddess" T-shirt.

I am guessing 23-year-old Katie is attractive, and the ad is cute and funny, or at least light hearted.

[SkyDaddy7]

6. I can tell you that Christians do not see the difference...

that you are pointing out...Or at least the Christians I am surrounded by down here in the south don't! If they saw a billboard with an attractive female who had on a "Godless Goddess" T-shirt baking cookies they would explode with anger! They would be like "...she needs a good strong Christian man in her life to straighten her out before she faces the almighty lord on judgment day!"

Now, if they saw the one with the Bible verses many of them would be extremely mad and would probably think the Bible verses were made up or fake because they more than likely have never heard that verse in Sunday school or at church! I know, I talk to these people all the time & if I do not have a Bible around they think I am just making stuff up when I say something is written in the Bible & they have never heard it before...It is pure stupidity on so many levels! They think the Bible is the word of god and contains no errors BUT MOST HAVE NEVER READ THE DAMN BOOK! LOL!

So, I say go with both approaches because it will piss off the fundies who say we are all going to hell every chance they get, it will shock other believers who have not read the Bible and do not know how disgusting many parts of their holy book is, & it might get the attention of the many fence sitters who are out there!

[Synnical]

2. Christian Apologist: Atheist Ads Criticizing Bible 'Ridiculous' Yet 'Effective'

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101112/christian-apologist-atheist-ads-criticizing-bible-ridiculous-yet-effective/

A Christian apologist at Biola University responded Thursday to a new atheist ad campaign that criticizes the Bible, saying it is "ridiculous" for humanists to lecture on morality without God in the picture.


"They are trying to show that they can be good without God but that's ridiculous," said Dr. Craig Hazen, founder and director on Biola's MA program on Christian Apologetics, in an interview with The Christian Post.

"How do you get an ought from an is?" posed Hazen. "The concept of good has no meaning in the humanist worldview. How in the world can they understand good and evil, pleasure and suffering, when they believe that the creation of this world is random?"

snippage

"Unfortunately, it's effective," commented Hazen. "It's an indictment on general Christian education but it turns out we've got the goods in terms of excellent thinking and response to campaigns like this."

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale - Good w/out "god"

[realisticphish]

3. "How can you keep yourself from murdering someone"

"without the threat of eternal hellfire???"

[charlie]

4. How did Christian societies come to outlaw slavery

when it's not prohibited in the Bible?

With the same exegesis eisegesis they always use to move scripture out in front of the evolution of human morality.

Although Hazen said humanists have no business interpreting the Bible, he concluded that the ads may have some resonance due to the biblical illiteracy among Christians today. Some Christians may see these ads and think, “Yeah, we have to be more tolerant, open or good,” he said.

"Unfortunately, it's effective," commented Hazen. "It's an indictment on general Christian education but it turns out we've got the goods in terms of excellent thinking and response to campaigns like this."

*blink* Ermmm....

[realisticphish]

5. uh....huh.

....wow.

[onager]

7. Something interesting about Bowel-a University...

(Biola University) was founded on February 25, 1908 as the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles by Lyman Stewart, co-owner of the Union Oil Company of California (subsequently known as Unocal; the company was purchased by Chevron Corporation and no longer exists), and T.C. Horton, a renowned minister and Christian author.

In 1909, Lyman Stewart and his brother Milton anonymously funded the publication of a twelve-volume series of articles called The Fundamentals, published between 1910 and 1915 and distributed free of charge to a wide range of Christian teachers and leaders, "Compliments of Two Christian Laymen". These volumes were intended as a restatement of conservative Christian theological teachings, primarily in response to the growing influence of modernist theology in the Church. In 1917 the articles were republished in a revised, four-volume set by the Institute.

The term fundamentalism is in part derived from these volumes.

Oy vey...

On October 8, 2007, Biola opened the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies, in Manhattan. The Center offers a Masters in Divinity in Messianic Jewish Studies. The program, which is in cooperation with Chosen People Ministries, focuses on the education and training of leaders in the Messianic Jewish community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biola_University

[awoke_in_2003]

8. Kate was an atheist?...

I knew I loved her for a reason (that and saying exactly what she thought).