Atheist buses?

[gouldy]

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west ... -22622819/

This is a news story from here in the UK, an advertising campeign has been launched, to put ads on the side of buses in major cities across the UK, including Wolverhampton (where I live). The campeign is a promotion of atheism.

What do you think about this?

For my mind, while this agrees with my point of view exaclty, I think this is a terrible thing. This is EXACTLY the same as street preachers in the towns and cities shouting at me that I'm going to hell if I do not accept Jesus (This is my most hated thing and I believe that all participents in this deserve to die a slow death... not you TCon, you're different [;)]). So yeah, I will be disappointed to see these driving round and will take pride in vandlising them . Joking, of course.... I'll get someone else to vandlise them!

Well, since the Christian community posts billboards all the time, it's only fair that Atheism can do it too. And although I strongly disagree with the viewpoint, it's not my place to tell people what they can and cannot advertise. If someone is willing to spend that much money just to promote their views, that's their problem.

^You make a good point. While I am somewhat Christian, I still don't like that the Christians advertise all the time, especially outside of Churches on their letter-changeable-sign things. Since Atheists really don't have a single building to put a sign outside of to advertise, a bus is a good idea.

Dumb,
like that word 'probably' is going to work.

I wonder how long it takes before it's one and all blown up buses with a burned part of this slogan...

[gouldy]

Christian's don't really tend to advertise over here if I'm honest with you. I think the worst they do is put a sign on the church itself, but I think with the size of most churches, the church is slightly more of a give away!

you just get the street preachers all up in your space, who like I said earlier should die, and I don't mean that in a nice way.

^Well, I guess it's an American thing, then. We have billboards ranging from the traditional "Jesus Saves" with John 3:16, to the "We should talk. -God" billboards.

If you ask me, though, these are for the most part completely ineffective. I've yet to meet a single Christian who ever said that they accepted God because they read a billboard. I know lots of people, however, who did because their Christian friends helped them in times when others didn't, wept with them, were of the same mind, and showed them God's love personally. That is what my friend Jon did for me.

[gouldy]

well then it seems that everyone you know who isn't a chrsitian simply aren't very nice people. I'm not a christian and I help my friends out if they have a problem, or even people I don't know, if someone in the street was clearly in some distress, I wouldn't just walk past and not give it a thought. That's not being christian, that's just not being a dick.

But I do agree, I certain think this will fall on completely deaf ears. Someone who believes in God isn't just gonna suddenly go "oh yeah! I can't beleive what a tard I've been, now I'm going to complete renounce my faith because a bus told me to!"

^No, no, that's not what I meant. I wasn't putting Atheists down. I'm not saying that any one group is nicer or not, because I have known a ton of Christians who are complete a**holes (and I'm sure you have also.) It was more of an attitude thing. I saw in my Christian friends a sense of unshakability, undying hope, and purpose when I was going through hard times, and I wanted a part of that. This is just my personal experience. My non-theist friends were into "stuff" like video games, anime, and the like, or specific worldly goals like "get a job" or "have a family," but I just didn't see a purpose to any of it, regardless of how nice the people involved were. That is what I meant. I wasn't trying to put anyone down.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Perhaps it's time for the irritating street preachers to get a taste of their own medicine.

[gouldy]

what would you suggest?

Yeah I think this kind of stuff is fair game. When I'm at home (the midwest) I can't go more than a mile without seeing a billboard pushing jesus, christianity in general, or christian pro-life propaganda. I don't think either side will actually change anything, but if they're willing to pay for the advertisement, what's the harm?

[gouldy]

Just not really used to seeing stuff like this in this country I guess. Used to being bombarded with messages telling me to buy PG Tips instead of Typhoo!

I saw this in Metro this morning, made me smile, infact its quite a cheery advert, so why not?

The easiest way to vandlise one of these things (referring to the first post) would be to stick a big 'ol WWJD sticker or a Jesus Saves sticker. In contrast, the best way to vandlise a Christian advertisement would be to stick a big "Jesus Saves, passes to Noah and scores" sticker on one.

Just my thoughts on the matter... oh right, yeah this is bad.
But to actually stick on topic with this; I believe this not to be a good thing and a good one at the same time. The fact that they need to advertise atheism is good for the Christians because it probably indicates that they have less followers now. But its bad because it might be likely that people WILL start drifting away from the Christian faith and then when Jebus comes none of us will be saved. The End.

I'm not sure I believe anymore. So I don't really give a damn.

atheists need to be spanked and given a pacifier

[Coasterkidmwm]

What I do?

[gouldy]

I don't think that you need to advertise atheism anyway do you really? Atheism just comes from people who have decided not to be a part of all this faith and religion thing, it's not something that you have to set out to achieve.

Noone ever advertised atheism to me, but that's still what people say I am, because I never developed an interest in wasting my time with a specific "faith"

[Dirk_Ermen]

Originally posted by Coasterkidmwm

What I do?

First off you'll fly to Londen. When you arrive there you'll see "bobby's" walking around. People with a strange hat and black clothes. Punch some of them to the floor and leg it! When you think your far enough away from them. Take the bus/car to Wolverhampton and knock on every door until you found Gouldy. From that point you will follow his orders on destroying the advertisements

Hmmmm ... I wonder how God feels about this stuff? One day, I'll have to ask Him.

This is completely unnecessary in a country where almost half of the population is already intelligent enough to realize there is no God. We seriously need campaigns like this in The Netherlands though.

Originally posted by ExTraxYz

This is completely unnecessary in a country where almost half of the population is already intelligent enough to realize there is no God. We seriously need campaigns like this in The Netherlands though.

i guess you're not a christ?

[Coasterkidmwm]

Originally posted by ExTraxYz

This is completely unnecessary in a country where almost half of the population is already intelligent enough to realize there is no God. We seriously need campaigns like this in The Netherlands though.

That's not such a smart conclusion. If you look at what we know about how the Earth is set up, location, , etc, you'll see that something isn't "stirring the koolaid" so to speak. Yes the Christian representation of things is total nonsense and I am completely 100% opposed to the agenda they're trying to force on people (and becoming successful at forcing) in the United States, especially the Catholic scams and megachurches. However, when you try to apply anything to it, but it can't be 100% wrong.

Also if you don't like the bus, then don't pay any attention to it. It's not like it's running around calling you a bad person and holding up signs of dead babies like they do at my school.

Originally posted by ExTraxYz

This is completely unnecessary in a country where almost half of the population is already intelligent enough to realize there is no God. We seriously need campaigns like this in The Netherlands though.

intelligent enough realize there is no God? more like intelligent enough to realize there is. but avoids accepting that.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Originally posted by thatoneband777

intelligent enough realize there is no God? more like intelligent enough to realize there is. but avoids accepting that.

Some people observe the world around them and decide that they don't like the idea of devoting themselves to a book written as much as 500 years after the actual events took place that incorporate what are either impossible events or miracles depending on your perspective. There are two ways of looking at things, and each person can choose their own path based on their observations of the world around them.

This is me going into the insane territory, but what very religious people don't seem to understand is that ever since around the time George Bush took office it became okay again to badger your jweish neighbors about how they're going to hell and there seems to have been a strong religious revival that has quite frankly in the United States become detrimental to the failing education system because money in math and science keeps getting cut. Part of the reason why asia is whooping our ass is our miserable performance in these areas. This act with busses, the flying spaghetti monster hubbub, controversies around placing nasty signs by nativity scenes in the state capitals, and all of that other garbage is an immature reaction to the frustration of dealing with all of the "nonsense" that has been popping up around them.

[gouldy]

I live in England, we don't have jewish people

oh yeah, ExTraxYz's misguided comment has actually reminded me of a point. Most people in this country aren't religious anyway, and those who are, are muslims anyway. And we all know it's pointless avertising to them, they'll have blown them selves and the bus up before they've had chance to read it.

That was bad, that was actually quite a bad comment, but I'm still going to post it because I'm in that sort of mood [:)] The kind of mood that says "if you're offended by anything I say, then you deserve to be"