Athiests are a minority of people in the world (by “world” I mean the whole Earth, not just what revolves around you), being put down by a majority of people who are the “religious” majority.

Here, in North America, we have things pretty good, but that can be said about almost every aspect of North American life compared to the rest of the world. Homosexuals are generaly treated better too, but that doesn’t mean both groups arn’t being prosecuted or feel outcasted at times.

So, let us look back to the time of any minority and consider how they reacted to the majority, we have three choices: conform to the ideal, fight against the ideal, or ignore and turn away from the ideal. Athiests are choosing to fight against the ideal, the most effective way to initiate change.

Their are numerous instances during a day where religion is stuffed down the throat of an athiest, and it’s discomforting and akward. We can ask to keep these religious displays private,or at least not have them preached to us by government, corporation, or in the comfort of our own homes, but then we are “un American” and prosocuted.

So we attempt to force athiesm down their throats in a similar manner. Not so much to change their beliefes, but to have them acknowladge what they put us through (in a way thats not nearly as intrusive as theirs) and we are prosecuted once again for not being sensitive to others beliefes and ideas – when truly that’s all we want in the first place.

The only reason this poster flame war started in the first place is because a group people can’t fathom what athiests are trying to acomplish (an equal respect of non-faith). We don’t hate religion, or people who are religious. It is the relgious majority who has shown a much greater hate and fear for athiesm.

Yes… You are quite right. That’s why you will make a difference in the world (hitting home runs), and I will be watching from the stands munching on hotdogs and cotton candy.

despicable campaign tactics

I didn’t know there was any other kind…

Just a thought about boycotting… Maybe I have no morals, maybe I’m oblivious, or maybe I just don’t care… Whatever the case, if the food is excellent and the service is good, I’m there regardless of what the owner’s religious or political views are (as long as they don’t promote hate and violence). I’d pay good money too. Yep. It’s all about the food. Life is too short to miss out.

I usually won’t boycott something if it’s just about my own personal self-righteousness and won’t actually make any bit of difference. But when it comes to contributing my money to things I’m against, I try not to. For instance, I won’t buy Oberweis milk anymore since Jim Oberweis is running as the Republican candidate in my congressional district and I vehemently oppose his hard right and anti-immigrant positions, and because his despicable campaign tactics embody everything that is wrong with American politics these days. His company makes good milk, but I don’t even want pennies of my money potentially finding their way into his campaign.

Hey, Linda, welcome back! Haven’t seen you in a while, either.

“Hey” right back at you, Claire! Haven’t found much time for blogging lately…

Just a thought about boycotting… Maybe I have no morals, maybe I’m oblivious, or maybe I just don’t care… Whatever the case, if the food is excellent and the service is good, I’m there regardless of what the owner’s religious or political views are (as long as they don’t promote hate and violence). I’d pay good money too. Yep. It’s all about the food. Life is too short to miss out.

You can believe in free speech and still sometimes be offended at the things people freely say.

Free speech with me really goes right down to the bone (not claiming a big moral or character strength or anything, just pretty much how I’ve always been): if it’s ideas being attacked and not people, my first response is almost always a mild “what a idiot” and virtually never an offended “how dare they say that”.

So again, if Hemant had posted about Christians putting up a billboard that read “Atheism is Stupid”, what would you be saying about those Christians right now?

I’d be thinking “what idiots” but I wouldn’t have felt strongly enough about it to bother to post.

Specifically, me? I’d like to think I wouldn’t do that. It’s hard in this circumstance since I know a little bit about the billboard business and it is highly unlikely since most billboards like the one in the picture (steel/concrete footings, super high in the air) are owned by large media companies and not some restaurant owner who owns just one of them (the cost to file for and utlimately erect one, maintain it, sales staff, all of it, just doesn’t pan out unless you have a lot of these signs).
Unfortunately I have too much information to be the “average Joe”.

The difference is what would I do with that offense. Boycotting a nearby restaurant, no.

Even if you thought that the owners of the nearby restaurant were the ones who put it up? Would you want to patronize a place that had put up a sign saying “Atheism is Stupid”?

Of course you’d want to find out for sure first whether they actually had, which I suspect is what many of those calls steve got were about. I’d probably call and check too if I wanted to eat at that restaurant. I wouldn’t want to patronize a place that put up either billboard.

The difference is what would I do with that offense. Boycotting a nearby restaurant, no. Protesting to have the sign taken down, no.

It’s what you do with that offense that can separate people.

@dzho

2 guys who know what they are doing can put one up professionally in half a day.

Honestly? I really wouldn’t have a problem with that. Free speech is for everybody, not just me. Sorry to disappoint you….

I’m not sure what free speech has to do with anything. I didn’t ask whether you’d want it to be banned or taken down, I asked whether you’d be offended. You can believe in free speech and still sometimes be offended at the things people freely say.

In fact, that’s sort of the whole point of protecting free speech. You don’t need to worry about protecting it if you always like what people have to say.

So again, if Hemant had posted about Christians putting up a billboard that read “Atheism is Stupid”, what would you be saying about those Christians right now?