Atheists launch new billboard campaign calling the Bible "a myth"

You mean like Festivus?

4real: because some people have families, friends, or even work environments, that wont let them do, believe, and celebrate whatever comes into their minds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@greg: so, according to you, what is a good way to start rational debate?.........is it by claiming that homosexuals and feminist are nothing but an abomination of nature?........or by telling women what to do with their bodies?.........

@4real If you "let people do, believe, and celebrate whatever comes into their minds" then some of them will hold down their completely healthy newborn sons and proceed to cut up their penises.

Beliefs inform actions; irrational beliefs inform irrational actions.

LOL, the Holy Bible is a myth. Thats just too funny.

www.privacy-web.edu.tc

*why dont we try something new this x-mas?...........like.....i dont know......let people do, believe, and celebrate whatever comes into their minds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

I agree. That's why I support this billboard.

I am an atheist, and while I think the billboard is hilarious, I also think it's a dumb idea. No one likes to see their views attacked. There's a difference between "speaking up for what you believe" and "being a douchebag".

Just goes to show that atheists are hypocritical liars. They claim not to believe in god, yet they are attacking those that do. If you truly don't believe something, you ignore it, not burn calories trying to fight it. The hypocrisy of atheism is just plain silly. No wonder it attracts so many uneducated retards.

The antidote to atheism: https://manhood101.com

@Dame - Um... no? Atheists don't believe in Christianity, and in many cases genuinely believe that religious practices are detrimental to society. Thus, they are trying to change minds from believing in a religious worldview to believing in a secular one in hopes that a majority population believing in secular ideology will be a better society.

Atheists don't like the fact that the religious organize things like:
1.) Prohibition of LGBT marriage recognition
2.) Prohibition of abortion/repeal of Roe v. Wade
3.) Teaching of "Intelligent Design" in schools
4.) Promotion of abstinence-only sex education
5.) Prohibition of drugs
6.) Imperialist foreign policy

Each of these things are perceived, by Atheists, to be a genuine harm to society -- and these are policy initiatives that are overwhelmingly supported by Christians (or, at the very least, evangelical Christians). The idea is that, if you reduce the number of Christians by changing their minds, you'll have less support for these allegedly harmful social policies.

I'm an atheist, and I generally agree. I don't think religion is all bad, but when I see religion being used in the name of genuinely harmful policy initiatives, then I'm compelled to speak out. Against it.

Also? Go f*** yourself, hooksexup.com.

"Atheists declare war on Christmas with New Jersey billboard" -- really? Is that what really happened? Or did the mean old atheists say something about your beliefs that you don't like, so now you're putting words into their mouths? Awesome. Go to hell.

@Dame There is a good reason to expend energy on fighting it.
https://www.atheist-community.org/atheisteve/?id=60

As an excellent example of my point, see @Dame...

@DAME so according to your logic we all secretly believe in god, while you secretly don't. makes total sense -.-

Are all Christians in the two camps you speak of? Are all either upset or angry? I hope not.

Darn those atheists, always telling the truth all the time!

@Dame: I fail to see any hypocrisy or lying going on here. Calling it an attack is a stretch. The aim of an ad campaign like this is not to proselytize, but to create awareness that not everyone in the world buys into theistic mythology. As far as your "uneducated retards" comment, well, seems to me like a case of the pot calling the kettle black. In my experience, the atheists I've encountered in my life are a lot more intelligent than the theists.

@PeterPan You reeeeaaaally dont understand atheism at all.

@Dame yes dame, uneducated, which is why universities have one of the largest % of atheists for any institution.

If you are secure in your belief, then a billboard won't upset you. My only issue is that I hear all the time about people having religion shoved in their faces, and this is a bad thing. But shoving atheism into people's faces, this is fine. My own faith is personal and not a topic for billboards.

Well, I'm a Christian. I also agree with the Atheists in opposing the things on A_Pickle's list (except maybe the drug one), and I think that Fundamentalism is spiritual sloth. How hard is it to believe a short list of things and cover your ears and say 'lalalalala' really loud when presented with dissent? Unquestioning belief is laziness. This makes me a huge heretic, unfortunately.

The thing is, people en masse can't deal with merging faith and reason. They need dogma to tell them what to believe. Without it, the world becomes a depressing place without purpose. The fundamentalist sees only chaos and a terrifying purposelessness when conceiving of a world without a God, one where there is no moral center to adhere to, and no Grand Plan to make all the bad things in the world be OK. Who would be moral, then, with no God to establish Right, and no punishment for those who ignore His word?

The Atheist would counter that Right is what maximizes benefit, minimizes harm, that morality stems not from an external supernatural force mandating it, but from a personal sense of what is good and what is not, and continue on to point out the horrors that have been perpetrated in the name of religion. They do this because the Atheists love to point these things out to people whether they're germaine to the topic or not.

The Atheists are on average well-educated people with above-average intelligence, (but with inflated, yet fragile egos), and their analysis has concluded that religion isn't for them, and that the stance of mainstream religion in regard to various social issues is in opposition to what they've concluded is preferable, which makes it not for other people either.

The problem with that is that intelligence doesn't immunize people from projection bias, and they, like the fundamentalists, tend to see the other side as 'people like me with this unacceptable aberration of belief' Both sides hold their belief as Truth, cannot conceive that the other side holds the opposite belief as Truth, and therefore act with that belief as a basis. Walk a mile in another man's shoes? Who would dare suggest such a thing? (Hint: It's Jesus)

Frankly the whole debate is wearisome. Fundamentalists believe in a literal Truth that is laid down in the Bible (for Christians) and that nothing else can be true if it conflicts with the Bible. Most of them can't really understand most of the archaic language in it, and abhor questioning their religious beliefs to such a degree that they do not acknowledge the myriad contradictions in the Bible. The suggestion that it's a moral guide, not a scientific one falls on deaf ears. Why is it so important to them that the book be literally true? Isn't faith enough without that? It's like riding a bike with training wheels on the front and the back and insisting that they're necessary, when really they get in the way.

Atheists have taken Atheism to a religious level and espouse their non-belief as preferable for everyone, but are so sure about that position that they would never question it. Can people really handle it? Can the masses truly live happily without faith in God? I've yet to see them try to prove that. I've seen a lot of believers who live quite happily. Most of the fervor of Atheism seems to me to be the shouting of the self-doubtful, a 'Look at me! I'm special and so smart because I'm an Atheist, and am therefore better than you ignorant believers.' The Atheist's assertions are more about the Atheist than about God or truth or anything else. It's kind of sad really.

I really wish both sides would shut up, to tell the truth. What's wrong with the belief that God created the Universe, is greater than and outside it, and therefore not subject to Science or natural law, (and therefore cannot be included in scientific hypotheses, so boo to Intelligent Design and Creationism both) and that the only way to understand the universe is through scientific study?

Meh. It's absurd and both sides get quite obnoxious, each screaming 'I'm superior!' at the top of their lungs.

@LiquidWeird
" Can the masses truly live happily without faith in God? I've yet to see them try to prove that."

It's been proven. Outside of your American-bible-bubble, there are millions of people living secular lives who are perfectly happy without god.

@ all the people trying to say what they think atheist means
Atheist comes from a greek word meaning godless. It does not mean without religion. I am an atheistic pagan. i just don't believe in any gods, as such.

@Hypocritical The atheists aren't bitching about nativitiy scenes on private property, just like atheists don't bitch about billboards paid for by religious organizations. It is not hypocrisy. I think like Dame, you don't know the meaning of the term.

i love how many atheists, who claim themselves to be so smart, think that all christians think alike. revealing this ignorance demonstrates to me that they are too lazy to explore that all christians do not think alike, are not all neanderthal knuckle draggers who hate gays and women. it is a lot easier to lump all together. it takes work to do anything else and who knows - if they stumble across the fact that there really are liberal progressive christians and that there is a loving God then they might have to act on that knowledge or belief and most probably do not want to be bothered. that is okay. as a liberal christian i do not like to be lumped in with the hateful christians. believe me there is a big difference.

@drew, Hey man. 99% of atheists don't hate you because you believe in god. We don't think ALL christians are "neanderthal knuckle draggers who hate gays and women" (that's pretty harsh, btw). Atheists fight extremists (ie. West Burrough Baptist Church). I personally don't mind anyone who prays to a higher being (it's just not my gig). The reason I left christianity mostly had to do with some of the people in my parish (the old ladies were very mean) and the number of people who took the bible literally. (I feel it should be viewed as a a book of stories with morals that we should look to a learn from). I'm sure you're a cool dude.

I'm an atheist, and personally I have no problem with people who have religion celebrating it. Just as I made my choice they have every right to make their own choice. What annoys me most are "atheists" who rally against some religions, but not others. Atheists taking every opportunity to attack the values or practices of christianity or judaism but will openly defend islam, only makes the divide worse. For every religion I have studied I have found things that I vehemently disagree with, however when I have children I will happily let them make up their own mind about what path they will take. I know some atheists who would disown their children if they find religion...

Ultimately, as Jefferson put it, this neither "picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." If you Christians consider this an attack, then you need to spend some time overseas to see what real persecution looks like. There's a lot more blood, trust me. Dissent, even dissent that hurts your feelings and makes you angry, is still just dissent. It isn't persecution until it actually costs you something other than hurt feelings.

Secondly, you Christians need to understand that non-believers get targeted all the time by billboards just like this, so what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Google the Living Waters billboard for a mild example and the ingodwetrustusa.org billboard as a more extreme one. That latter openly questioned the patriotism of atheist Americans and is openly divisive, considerably more so than a billboard that labels the Christmas story as a myth, something the vast majority of historians openly acknowledge anyway.

@falcodanderfluff

Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris are two of the three most prominent atheist writers and they certainly rail against Islam, and consider the most vile and detestable religion in common practice in the world. Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Salman Rushie are prominent atheists from Muslim backgrounds whose writings and speeches often involve Islam. I know few in the atheist community who "defend Islam" unless by "defending Islam" you mean defending against discrimination or violation of rights of the majority who, like the majority of any religion, mostly just want to live their lives and let others be. If Christianity draws more focus, it is because it is the dominant religion of our culture. And while most people aren't actively doing anything worth attacking, the churches they belong to often do preach and act and seek to influence society and government in ways atheists oppose. If they're saying "we can't give gays equal rights because god says so," or sheltering pedophile priests, or opposing scientific progress in the name of their god, then the Christians out there who let their churches get away with it are going to have to put up with being offended when we say in return "Your god doesn't even exist, and your positions aren't justified."

Though I think this billboard is poorly focused (trying to aim at atheists, skeptics, or not-sures who "go through the motions"), I think the controversy it causes is illustrative of Christian privilege and the desire of many in society to protect Christian privilege. Where is the mass outrage at billboards that warn "Hell is real," or ask "Will Your Eternity be Smoking or Non?," or even more benignly proclaim that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season?" This billboard and others like it are aggressive reminders that Christian faith is not universal, that non-believers are a part of our society too, and that unconsciously or not, there is a deference and privilege afforded to Christianity in our society with the assumption that Christianity is the normal or natural state, that churches can make whatever statements they want, and can try to influence society and government however they want (absent the true extremes like Westboro), but that should atheists speak their minds in similar manners, they are being offensive and need to shut up and go with the flow.

If God is real and all powerful do you think he made a video of him raping Mary? Cause I'd like to see that!

i find that very offesive. these people are only trying to change your mind, theyre not trying to show you option. displaying such blunt opposition is not very smart. it will only offened ad anger

I have higher moral then god thats why i not belive in him, i have read the bibel and its unbelivebel how any normal person thinks god is good or that he exist.

You KNOW it's a myth, or is all other hundreds of religions also true?

your futile religion(s) will be wiped out.... atheism is not a religion, but remove the label and it is part of what is rationality, the golden opposite of religion. this negativity and rationality will prevail ultimately... simple to see what humanity will eventually choose at the rate people are gaining intelligence thanks to the internet and other important advancements in science and technology. religion does not give results. give up your petty idea of existence or it will be removed via biological death of the brain..

I'm agnostic but I think this is the kind of dick move you'd expect from Religious people who want to force their views on others. Let people celebrate whatever it is they believe in, so we actually have a right to defend our views when they attack ours. Let them set up nativity scenes in public places, because fact of the matter is most of USA is still Christian.

Excuse me, Rolland, but public spaces belong to ALL of the public, not just Christians. I suggest you brush up on the intentions of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

And Mr. Stoops, religion is irrelevant to morality and ethics. The surest way to create moral individuals is to build a society where desirable behaviors are rewarded, and the hoop-jumping frivolities of religion aren't a requirement for that, nor is any supernatural foundation of any kind - including an invisible sky pixie.

look. the bottom line is that XMAS isnt even a real "christian" holiday. It is a FACT that it was taken from the PAGANS to try and convert people to christianity. so holy rollers just admit that your religion just made this holiday up to convert people and go to church this XMAS and have fun. I also agree with the previous post about "god" billboards I get offended when i see what they are trying to shove into my kids head and i believe in the FREEDOM OF SPEECH. about time athiests started working together to support logic and reason

Good grief, C.S. Lewis? REALLY? The liar, lunatic or lord nonsense? Mistaken, misreported, or mythical would be more appropriate. When I slogged through Lewis, I found myself constantly wondering, "Is this really the best they've got?" He didn't make a single argument that a reasonably smart teenager couldn't demolish. Alternately, try Dawkins' "The God Delusion", in which he adroitly exposes the arguments Lewis makes for the rhetorical fluff they are.

Stupid christians..

I live in a fairly quiet, peaceful town. It's one of the older towns in the area, with a bit of an "antique" vibe to it, as well as a "hip with the hop" sense. It's in America, so pretty much everyone is Christian. Now, since I live here, most everyone I know/love/care about is also Christian. I'm not. My parents were very careful to raise me with no religious/irreligious preferences, so that I could choose for myself. Beyond saying, "hey, there's a couple bibles kicking around a few of the bookshelves, if you want to read 'em," I had absolutely NO family-based religious contact. I read an illustrated children's bible when I was about eight, and mentally placed it in the same category as "The Brother's Grim," that is to say, some ingenious stories, but written by someone with a reaaally warped sense of morality. However, up until about fifteen, I would have called myself Agnostic, in the "fence-sitting" sense of the word. Then I read the King James Bible. After working through that thing, I was still agnostic, but definitely and agnostic atheist.

Quick discussion of terminology here, just so we are all on the same page, linguistically.
Theist-One who believes in a god, from the Greek "theos" for god, and "ist" signifying a belief int he veracity and/or benefeit and goodness of.
Atheist-One who lacks a belief in a god, from "theist" and the prefix "a" in this case signifying without. Note, it does not specify a belief in no god, only a lack of belief in one.
Agnostic- From "a" without, "gnosis" knowledge. Essentially, the word signifies one who does not believe it is possible to know something, and to be 100% proven right. Basically a scientist- nothing can be proven, only shown to be more or less likely.
Gnostic- One who does believe you can both know and be confirmed to be 100% correct.
Note, the difference between knowing something, and it actually being true. Some people know there is a god, some know there isn't, clearly knowledge is not proof of veracity.
So one can be an gnostic theist, who believes in a god and believes they can be 100% certain; an agnostic theist, who believes in a god but realizes they can truly be certain; a gnostic atheist, who believes it is possible to know that there is no god; or me, an agnostic atheist, one who cannot believe in a god, or at least any god they have heard speculated about, but yet realizes that they are not godlike enough to say with 100% certainty. So, I am know that based on my knowledge of the world, and my understanding of its workings, any god except for perhaps a deistic god is for me a completely irrational belief. However, I am unwilling to go on any faith based premise, so while rejecting any form of theistic/religious belief, I will also not identify as a gnostic atheist. These people are, I think closest to the truth, but still guessing, like the rest of us.

Back to my main point. Religion fascinates me. I find it intensely interesting as a social/poltical/historical force. Horribly inaccurate and damaging at times, but also at times wonderfully beautiful and comforting in its fallacies and misinformation. What I run into when seeing discussions of religion is what has shown up repeatedly in this thread. "Well, I live here in this tiny sector of this one town in this one state/province/district of this one country, witnessing the views and actions of my own tiny circle of acquaintances, so I feel comfortable in asserting that religious/irreligious folk exhibit characteristic X." My question to you is, HOW?!?!?!?!

I, living in the aforementioned liberal community which I do, with my personal sphere of acquaintances, would assume that christians are usually nice, friendly, liberal minded yet personally socially conservative folk, who like to have a good time and dress up in pirate penguin costumes while dancing to "shake your booty" in the anual town parade. I would assume based on the few atheists I know that they are essentially the same. They just have more free time to hang out Sunday morning. Only real difference. Based on my background, religious belief or lack thereof creates almost no tensions, and has little importance on society, let it be, keep it to yourself, forget it, whatever, it matters not. If it makes you happy and it harms none, do it!

Now, my girlfriend grew up in a town about ten miles North, in a family based religious community (Christian) bordering on cult status. They are delightful, kind, wonderful, loving people, and have, after some intense family fights and discomfort, managed to accept that their daughter is playing with fire, or living unmarried with a very nice but very atheist boy. They have never held my lack of belief against me, but view it as unfortunate, and extremely dangerous for her. HER view of Christians is also as mostly kind, helpful people. BUT, having been in contact with more fundamental biblical literalists, she would (and does, unfortunately) tend to perceive the whole of Christianity as an ignorant, willfully blind group of people who are nice until you disagree with or are different from them, in which case all "Hell" will break loose, and woe be to you.

So, growing up ten miles apart, I the atheist think Christians are nice, accepting people while she the Christian thinks they are bigotted, behind-the-times dictators of other people's personal lives. Both are true, in some cases. Both are wrong in most cases.

What we find however, is that you cannot form your opinion of a vast group of people spanning six continents, hundreds of languages, thousands of cultures and millions of societies based solely on your interactions with a tiny handful from one area in one society. Would you pick the three dandelions in your front yard, examine them, and proclaim all flowers to be bright yellow, many petaled, and bitter tasting? I hope not. So please, don't do it with people. Not Christians, not Muslims, not Jews, not Taoists, not Hindus, not atheists, not gays, not straights, not shark physiologists, not landlords, not tenants, not European Caucasions, South Africans, Latin Americans, Pacific Islanders, North American Natives or Eastern Asians, not jump-ropers, not runners, not pacifists, not politicians, not communists, not even Neo-Nazis. Agree, disagree, fear, love, people are different.

I live in a small apartment with three Christians, none of them hold anywhere near the same views as the other, and they ALL think I'm dead wrong. Same cultural upbringing, so different. We frequently have long discussions on religion, faith, science and skepticism, staying up all night disagreeing, probing questioning. And yet we are all close friends, with never a quarrel between us.

The key is understanding and respecting one another. What would Jesus do? Mohammad? Socrates? Buddha?

Understand, learn to love and respect, and everything else becomes moot. Understanding begins with talking to each other, not name-calling, ear-plugging, and "Hitch-slapping."

Thank you.

I look at this sign and I feel offended. It's not because there's a group of people who disagree with my beliefs and religion because everyone is entitled to their opinion. It's just when one wants us to celebrate "reason" by an atheist standpoint, it's offensive to myself and any other higher educated and open-minded Christian. I understand the point of the billboard but I think that it comes off as rude. The same thing can be said from Christian signs condemning people to hell if they do not share the same belief. The hypocrisy of my religion irks me because it is not up to us to decide about someone's soul but that does not tear me away from my faith in a higher being. I am constantly attacked and antagonized for going to mass and getting involved with my church from atheist peers at school. Why should my life be mocked and looked down upon because my views aren't proven by science?

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Outstanding share! Don't give up!

if your an atheists don't celebrate christmas or easter, please and send your kids to school on that day if you hate it so much goodbye