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Oh, my. That IS a stretch. Tell me, did this little girl live in the NY/NJ area?
How is it a stretch to believe that some people shelter their children from the outside world so much that those children aren't exposed to other beliefs and non-beliefs? And yes, there are plenty of kids in that area who are sheltered from the outside world because of their parents' religious beliefs.
And tell me, if you don't believe that someone could be that sheltered and feel hope from seeing that billboard, then why would christians bother to put up billboards about their beliefs? Because it's a fair bet that more people have been exposed to christianity than atheism, so if there's no reason for atheists to put up a billboard, there's a million times less reason for christians to put one up.
As to where she lived, yes, she was in that area for a long portion of her childhood.
This billboard is for atheists obviously, since it states "you know it's a myth". Why should believers get upset about something which is not directed at them?
No, if it were directed at themselves, why not a big picture of the universe and a statement that "It just is"? Instead, they decided to pick an image, largely relevant to Christians, and state "You know it's a myth". Therefore, that would be deemed as being directed at a religious sect. Which is why I state the reason for the billboard was to be controversial.
Then let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was raised in a devoutly Christian family. They went to church services every weekend, and prayer services almost every weeknight. The little girl sang all the songs, prayed all the prayers, memorized all the bible verses perfectly, and yet for as long as she could remember, she didn't truly feel any presence of god.
Then when she was a little older, perhaps ten or eleven, she started to logically put together some of the things her parents had taught her for her whole life, with some things that she observed in day to day life, and things she read in the science books at the library. She consciously realized that her parents were wrong about what they were telling her. Afraid, she approached her mother and asked some burning questions in hopes of reconciling what she had been taught all her life to what she was learning every day.
Angered, her mother beat her with a yardstick, and told her to never question God, because it was a sin, and that any contradiction she saw was just 'God testing you'. The little girl felt completely alone, knowing that she existed in a sea of people who believed in that God, and believed all the things she'd been told her whole life. She knew they were wrong, she could see the proof all around her. But nobody else thought this way.
That little girl, when she was ten or eleven years old, felt like she was the only person in the world who didn't believe. She would be punished if she ever said anything otherwise. She was forced to go to church services, forced to keep praying, forced to go through the motions for years and years until she was old enough to leave home. It was a long, sad, and hopeless childhood to have to endure.
If that little girl had seen a sign like that, what hope might that have given her? She would have learned that she wasn't alone in her disbelief. It would have given her an incredible leap of joy in her heart that she wasn't crazy, or demon-possessed, or merely stupid because she didn't believe in god or her parents' religious teachings.
Her childhood would still have been tough, but she would have at least known someone else was out there who felt like she did. It would have given her hope.
THAT is the intention of that billboard.
How about a billboard that said this.
Science teaches you what has been proven. Science has rewritten its laws of physics and its laws of gravity. It has a hundred times over found new evidence to turn over its own false evidence. Religion teaches you a way of life because men wrote down ways to deal with life's challenges. As like all mankind in science and in religion they seek and wish to have power over their lives and knowledge of the unknown. Religions have rewritten their bibles and science grasps for new evidence to debunk their scientists before them from generation to generation. But in the end with all their so called truths we find them both in the same boat.
They are lost in a ocean to big to see beyond, to deep to explore and they don't even know how they got on the boat in the first place.
Science teaches you what has been proven. Science has rewritten its laws of physics and its laws of gravity. It has a hundred times over found new evidence to turn over its own false evidence. Religion teaches you a way of life because men wrote down ways to deal with life's challenges. As like all mankind in science and in religion they seek and wish to have power over their lives and knowledge of the unknown. Religions have rewritten their bibles and science grasps for new evidence to debunk their scientists before them from generation to generation. But in the end with all their so called truths we find them both in the same boat.
They are lost in a ocean to big to see beyond, to deep to explore and they don't even know how they got on the boat in the first place.
I'm gonna stick with science, dude. Thanks, though.
Bottom line is the group had every right to put up that billboard and personally I think it would be naive though to think that they aren't trying to "stick it" to Christians here a bit. I understand why some Atheists are tired of being demonized by people from different religions too. However, as I said, this billboard does have a certain "up yours" attitude, but I think it could have been a lot worse as well.
Why can't we just live and let live? Do we not have other things to worry about other than seeing Merry Christmas displayed in a public place or an Atheist billboard?
Science teaches you what has been proven. Science has rewritten its laws of physics and its laws of gravity. It has a hundred times over found new evidence to turn over its own false evidence. Religion teaches you a way of life because men wrote down ways to deal with life's challenges. As like all mankind in science and in religion they seek and wish to have power over their lives and knowledge of the unknown. Religions have rewritten their bibles and science grasps for new evidence to debunk their scientists before them from generation to generation. But in the end with all their so called truths we find them both in the same boat.
They are lost in a ocean to big to see beyond, to deep to explore and they don't even know how they got on the boat in the first place.
How is it a stretch to believe that some people shelter their children from the outside world so much that those children aren't exposed to other beliefs and non-beliefs? And yes, there are plenty of kids in that area who are sheltered from the outside world because of their parents' religious beliefs.
And tell me, if you don't believe that someone could be that sheltered and feel hope from seeing that billboard, then why would christians bother to put up billboards about their beliefs? Because it's a fair bet that more people have been exposed to christianity than atheism, so if there's no reason for atheists to put up a billboard, there's a million times less reason for christians to put one up.
As to where she lived, yes, she was in that area for a long portion of her childhood.
MC - I mean that it is a "stretch" to believe that this particular billboard was put up for any other reason than to stir controversary.
I am truly sorry for any child that had to put up with the sort of upbringing you vividly describe. It's just wrong. There is no excuse for it.
Then let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was raised in a devoutly Christian family. They went to church services every weekend, and prayer services almost every weeknight. The little girl sang all the songs, prayed all the prayers, memorized all the bible verses perfectly, and yet for as long as she could remember, she didn't truly feel any presence of god.
Then when she was a little older, perhaps ten or eleven, she started to logically put together some of the things her parents had taught her for her whole life, with some things that she observed in day to day life, and things she read in the science books at the library. She consciously realized that her parents were wrong about what they were telling her. Afraid, she approached her mother and asked some burning questions in hopes of reconciling what she had been taught all her life to what she was learning every day.
Angered, her mother beat her with a yardstick, and told her to never question God, because it was a sin, and that any contradiction she saw was just 'God testing you'. The little girl felt completely alone, knowing that she existed in a sea of people who believed in that God, and believed all the things she'd been told her whole life. She knew they were wrong, she could see the proof all around her. But nobody else thought this way.
That little girl, when she was ten or eleven years old, felt like she was the only person in the world who didn't believe. She would be punished if she ever said anything otherwise. She was forced to go to church services, forced to keep praying, forced to go through the motions for years and years until she was old enough to leave home. It was a long, sad, and hopeless childhood to have to endure.
If that little girl had seen a sign like that, what hope might that have given her? She would have learned that she wasn't alone in her disbelief. It would have given her an incredible leap of joy in her heart that she wasn't crazy, or demon-possessed, or merely stupid because she didn't believe in god or her parents' religious teachings.
Her childhood would still have been tough, but she would have at least known someone else was out there who felt like she did. It would have given her hope.
Big deal. Freedom of speech. Driving through the south I can see 10 billboards about how I'm going to hell if I don't join the batsheitcrazy church of baptist reformed whatevers. I've even seen billboards by Christian churches attacking other Christian denominations.
I'd be more upset if someone did the same thing about Santa Claus (a "you know he's a myth" billboard).
Outing Santa Claus as a myth to children while they are still young enough to think he's awesome is evil!
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