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Getbig Misc Discussion Boards => Religious Debates & Threads => Topic started by: big L dawg on December 01, 2010, 10:12:52 AM
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Dueling billboards face off in Christmas controversy
From Laura Dolan, CNN
'Tis the season to be jolly? Not entirely.
An atheist billboard that calls Christmas "a myth" has sparked a growing controversy near the Lincoln Tunnel, a 1.5-mile-long twin tube that connects New Jersey to New York.
The full message, which appears with a nativity scene, reads: "You know it's a myth. This season, celebrate reason."
Its $20,000 price tag was paid for by American Atheists, a New Jersey-based atheist advocacy group, David Silverman, the group's president, told CNN.
"We are addressing the 50 million atheists in this nation," Silverman said.
He said the group erected the sign in a high-traffic area in an effort to challenge drivers to "think hard about whether or not they actually believe in what is, in reality, an invisible magic man in the sky."
Silverman said he is uncertain if it will stay through Christmas or come down on December 21.
The sign, located near the tunnel's New Jersey entrance, has stirred controversy among Christian organizations, prompting one group to erect its own pro-Christmas billboard.
"We decided to counterpunch after a donor came forward seeking to challenge the anti-Christmas statement," said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, a New York-based Catholic advocacy group.
The League's billboard reads: "You Know It's Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus."
It was erected at the tunnel's Manhattan entrance at a cost of $18,500, according to Donohue.
This is not the first time atheist billboards have called religion into question.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based atheist advocacy group, has placed comparable billboards in some 45 cities and 30 states since October 2007, according to the group's co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor.
In 2008, the British Humanist Association paid for buses in London, England, to be adorned with the slogan: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
But Donahue says such signs are antagonistic.
"I'm not Hindu, I'm not Buddhist, I'm not Jewish but I wouldn't go around denigrating other people's religions and their gods," he said. "[Silverman] ought to respect our religion. He doesn't have to join it."
Silverman says the holiday season has been co-opted by newer traditions.
"There is no flying reindeer in the Bible," he said. "This is not just about Jesus."
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If I were to just see the billboard I would probably only see the "picture" on it which is very pretty :)
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Hahaha, I always wondered WTF chrstians got flying reindeer from.. !?!!?
btw. after her death and on her death bed it was discovered that mother theresa, someone as big as the pope for catholic religion was an atheist and stopped believing long long ago, as was read in her journals postmortem...hahaha
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Hahaha, I always wondered WTF chrstians got flying reindeer from.. !?!!?
btw. after her death and on her death bed it was discovered that mother theresa, someone as big as the pope for catholic religion was an atheist and stopped believing long long ago, as was read in her journals postmortem...hahaha
What is the connection between Christians and flying reindeer?
Mother Theresa had questions about her faith...she wasn't an atheist. I think a lot of people have questions and sometimes "crises" of faith.
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What is the connection between Christians and flying reindeer?
Mother Theresa had questions about her faith...she wasn't an atheist. I think a lot of people have questions and sometimes "crises" of faith.
It was stated in the news that according to her personal journals she had lost faith and stopped believing some 30 years before her death..
here it is in her own writing (excerpt from her journals)
Mother Teresa expressed grave doubts about God's existence and pain over her lack of faith:
"Where is my faith? Even deep down ... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness ..."
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It was stated in the news that according to her personal journals she had lost faith and stopped believing some 30 years before her death..
here it is in her own writing (excerpt from her journals)
Mother Teresa expressed grave doubts about God's existence and pain over her lack of faith:
"Where is my faith? Even deep down ... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness ..."
hmmm...that does sound familiar but I think there was more to the quote...I think we have a thread on that in Relig...I'll look for it a little later!
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Hmm. So, we've learned that atheists can be every bit as annoying/misguided as religious nutters. What a surprise. NEXT!
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Hmm. So, we've learned that atheists can be every bit as annoying/misguided as religious nutters. What a surprise. NEXT!
lol
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Hmm. So, we've learned that atheists can be every bit as annoying/misguided as religious nutters. What a surprise. NEXT!
Not only that, they seem just as unhappy as religious zealots, and want everybody to be just as unhappy as them...it's more a human condition...both sides believing so much in a principle, yet neglecting the heart of the matter, true human spiritualism. None focus on spiritual enlightenment, but only following tenets of either lack of religious belief or pro religious belief, both sides are at a loss.
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What about Christians vs the lions in old Rome ???
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but in all seriousness...
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It was stated in the news that according to her personal journals she had lost faith and stopped believing some 30 years before her death..
here it is in her own writing (excerpt from her journals)
Mother Teresa expressed grave doubts about God's existence and pain over her lack of faith:
"Where is my faith? Even deep down ... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness ..."
Atheist or devout catholic, Theresa was a fuckin hag. Torturing money grubbing thief of a bitch.
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What about Christians vs the lions in old Rome ???
They were just stupid, reminds me of the tortue scene in The Count of Monte Cristo...
And the fucking Romans are the reason why the Barbary Lion is practically extinct...so many of them were captured for The Games.
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Christmas is about Christ first and foremost.
Most people however choose to use it as a fun holiday with gifts, friends and family (fine by me)
I choose both.
Everyone entitled to their own opinion.
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Atheist or devout catholic, Theresa was a fuckin hag. Torturing money grubbing thief of a bitch.
LOL she was albanian <---- NUFF SAID..
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half of the atheists reading that sign probably celebrate christmas ::)
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It was stated in the news that according to her personal journals she had lost faith and stopped believing some 30 years before her death..
here it is in her own writing (excerpt from her journals)
Mother Teresa expressed grave doubts about God's existence and pain over her lack of faith:
"Where is my faith? Even deep down ... there is nothing but emptiness and darkness ..."
Still spewing this silliness? Mother Theresa had a crisis of faith....JOIN THE CLUB!!
Show me a Christian who hasn't had such, and I'll show you a liar.
John the Baptist, Jesus' own earthly cousin (and the man who baptized Him, declaring "Prepare ye the way of the Lord"), even had his crisis, And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, "Art thou he that should come? or look we for another"?
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Doubt is part of having faith
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Christmas should be a celebration about Christ and a focus on the positive aspect of Christianity
Not a consumerist day that's a boost for a country's economy. I never understood why holidays need a consumerism attachment in order to be worthy (examples of Christmas, thanksgiving (toast to genocide by the way), mothers day, fathers day, valentines day, etc)
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Still spewing this silliness? Mother Theresa had a crisis of faith....JOIN THE CLUB!!
Show me a Christian who hasn't had such, and I'll show you a liar.
John the Baptist, Jesus' own earthly cousin (and the man who baptized Him, declaring "Prepare ye the way of the Lord"), even had his crisis, And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, "Art thou he that should come? or look we for another"?
crisis of faith ?!! hahaha, she gave up on the idea of a 'god' and 'faith' MCNUGGET
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Doubt is part of having faith
So how much doubt would it take for someone to not believe? You sound like you have an answer to that question.
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I don't know the answer to that because I think every person is different. I just know that over the years my doubt had a way of making my faith stronger. I have heard many other people say the same thing. Some have even said without some doubt you really don't have faith. I think it may be a human nature thing or how we are wired. I don't subscribe to traditional religions myself.
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crisis of faith ?!! hahaha, she gave up on the idea of a 'god' and 'faith' MCNUGGET
Wrong again!!
It appears you forgot to post some of her other quotes from those same letters, like
"Jesus has a very special love for you,[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."
I want the work to remain only His." If the letters became public, she explained to Picachy, "people will think more of me — less of Jesus."
I can't express in words — the gratitude I owe you for your kindness to me — for the first time in ... years — I have come to love the darkness — for I believe now that it is part of a very, very small part of Jesus' darkness & pain on earth. You have taught me to accept it [as] a 'spiritual side of your work' as you wrote — Today really I felt a deep joy — that Jesus can't go anymore through the agony — but that He wants to go through it in me."
"If this brings You glory — if souls are brought to you — with joy I accept all to the end of my life."
"I accept not in my feelings — but with my will, the Will of God — I accept His will."
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655415-1,00.html (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655415-1,00.html)
These are excerpts from the Time magazine, referenced when another poster foolishly tried to use to make the same claim.
She hardly gave up on faith or God. Thanks for playing!!!
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half of the atheists reading that sign probably celebrate christmas ::)
Indeed!
How many of them gave their Christmas bonuses back?
How many are demanding that their bosses open up shop, in order for them to work on the 24th (Christmas Day is three weeks from today)?
How many, if they are taking off the 24th, are doing so without pay?
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hmmm...that does sound familiar but I think there was more to the quote...I think we have a thread on that in Relig...I'll look for it a little later!
Oops sorry hadn't posted this yet:
http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=164749.0
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half of the atheists reading that sign probably celebrate christmas ::)
What has that got to do with religion or Jesus? He was not born on Dec 25th. That is just another lie and falsehood christians blindly follow.
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What has that got to do with religion or Jesus? He was not born on Dec 25th. That is just another lie and falsehood christians blindly follow.
we celebrate the birth of christ. people showed up at random times so when we celebrate is whenever just happens to be the 25th.
anyway let's not open up my can of religious worms.
the point is, atheists will celebrate a religious holiday yet claim they don't believe anything, and in this case go outright against religion.
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we celebrate the birth of christ. people showed up at random times so when we celebrate is whenever just happens to be the 25th.
anyway let's not open up my can of religious worms.
the point is, atheists will celebrate a religious holiday yet claim they don't believe anything, and in this case go outright against religion.
Giving gifts to people and drinking egg nog or whatever is exactly WHAT again in terms of being "religious" for the 25th of December? What makes it religious? Other than a Senate vote that decided this is when Jesus was allegedly born.
Are you saying atheists can't give gifts on that day without it being religious?
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Giving gifts to people and drinking egg nog or whatever is exactly WHAT again in terms of being "religious" for the 25th of December? What makes it religious? Other than a Senate vote that decided this is when Jesus was allegedly born.
Are you saying atheists can't give gifts on that day without it being religious?
well how does not having school on memorial day help us remember the vets? it doesn't we just do it for shits n' giggles
same principle, we all get together and have a good time at christmas. churches have elaborate services. it's just how we do it. it's not like we can actually do anything for God. most of it's symbolic. and of course most christians are just in it for the gifts and parties.
me personally, yeah I love the gifts and parties but I like the spiritual part as well. everybody's different.
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Exactly. By the masses it is not a religious day at all.
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Exactly. By the masses it is not a religious day at all.
most atheists though are just like most christians.
idiots.
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Not only that, they seem just as unhappy as religious zealots, and want everybody to be just as unhappy as them...it's more a human condition...both sides believing so much in a principle, yet neglecting the heart of the matter, true human spiritualism. None focus on spiritual enlightenment, but only following tenets of either lack of religious belief or pro religious belief, both sides are at a loss.
How could someone 'neglect the heart of the matter', the matter being 'true human spiritualism', when someone doesn't believe in spirituality?