Religious group puts on "Why do Atheists hate America?" billboards. I kid you not.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/opinion/ci_8256570

Billboards motivate far-flung reactions
Public Opinion Online

Public Opinion received dozens of letters from around the nation this week commenting on an ideological duel between religious and atheistic groups, as expressed on local billboards.

Following is a sampling of the letters, which were almost uniformly opposed to a billboard asking "Why Do Atheists Hate America" erected in response to a billboard which had previously asked motorists to "Imagine No Religion."

The billboards were sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and In God We Trust, a religious advocacy group led by th Rev. Bishop Nedd, Harrisburg.

Sad thing is, I bet a few nimrods here will post that those billboards are justified, or that the atheists "had it coming," or some other similar nonsense. It's OK, I'm used to it.

[NC_Nurse]

1. .

:eyes:

Advertising their ignorance.

[yurbud]

2. I think FSM would have been more effective than ''Imagine no religion''

[lips]

32. Imagining religion

stimulates conversation.

If we 'imagine no religion' I think a debate should ensue.

[tekisui]

3. How is that not a sentiment of hate?

Beliefism? My blood boils at that one.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. Uh... what? Please explain. -nt

[tekisui]

8. Referring to the billboard, it is slanderous without any basis in truth.

Statements that generalize a "group" based on their beliefs or lack there-of. It encourages hate or at least distrust and disdain for atheists.

It is an ignorant and hurtful false statement broad brushing a population of people.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. That's it. Textbook example of HATE SPEECH. -nt

[trotsky]

4. Yup, atheists made the mistake of voicing an opinion.

A fuckface can get his own Sunday morning TV show and preach that atheists (and homosexuals, of course) are the root of all evil, and that's fine. Some liberal believers will even make excuses in his defense - "I'm not my brother's keeper" etc.

Those same folks will blame the uppity militant fundie atheists for this reaction. FFRF didn't show proper respect toward religion, and so this happens. Big hairy deal. Apparently atheists ARE their brothers' keepers.

But this is sad either way.

[ixion]

5. the whacko fundie xians are the ones always trying to change things, which means

that they are the ones who truly hate American liberty and freedom.

But of course, this is lost on them because the vast majority of them are delusional whackos.

[Afje]

7. Looks like those nutters are making a last stand.

I guess they can't find the Bible verse that says that they have gone the way of the Dodo.

[baldguy]

9. Isn't religious discrimination illegal?

The billboard owners should be sued for accepting and displaying this ad.

[tekisui]

12. They will claim atheism is not a religion.

They should be sued for hate speech.

[dmallind]

20. Atheism ISN'T a religion

Bald is not a hair color.

[Dorian Gray]

22. Atheism isn't a religion

but that doesn't mean that people should be hateful toward atheism.

It's all ignorance. People fear what they are ignorant about.

[Dhalgren]

11. I have a real bad feeling about this shit, guys. Things are going to

get a lot worse before it gets really bad. We are headed toward having to lie about our beliefs. Between the military forcing religion on soldiers to now having public persecution of atheists, this is going downhill fast...

[erinlough]

17. No kidding. Last night,

I heard some fundamentalist explaining that he could be convinced to vote for McCain if he would appoint a "Family Czar" to promote fundamentalist family values! That's just plain scary.

[Warpy]

30. The only reason we stopped lying is because we're being pushed

to the edge by these nutjobs. Otherwise, we'd still be telling people we're just not religious and leaving it at that.

It's certainly not easy being an "out" atheist. They gave me no alternative.

That hateful billboard is just one example of how.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

13. Re-hosting on ImageShack in case those cowards change the link. (Edit: Google cache of the page too)

Google cache: http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:1LmhbSs8_EMJ:www.ingodwetrustusa.org/atheists.html

[C_U_L8R]

14. Someone should go erase the "A"

[fasttense]

15. As one of those "hateful" Atheists

I spent 20 years of my life in the military protecting the religiously insane.

So now I hate America?

Let's compare military records.

[msongs]

16. how 'bout billboards - > bible endorses slavery, stoning, genocide? nt

[dmallind]

21. It does. Atheists don't in toto hate America.

There's a big difference between uncomfortable truth about a document and outright ad hominem lies about a diverse group of people

[unpossibles]

18. I don't hate America

just the braindead people trying to ruin it by enforcing state religion.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. I'm confused. What the hell does atheism have to do with patriotism?

[rexcat]

24. As Bush 1 stated way back when...

Atheists can't be patriots and should not be allowed to vote. What don't you get here! :sarcasm:

The sad thing is some religious nutcase is going to act on this and someone is going to get hurt.

[New Dawn]

27. McCarthyism

They want us to be "religious" to ensure that we are not "Commies!"

[ZombieHorde]

23. That billboard is awesome!

"Why Do Atheists Worship Satan?" would be even better though.

[and-justice-for-all]

25. Atheism is NOT a religion and we do not hate America...

and people have the right to know that there are people (millions) who do not believe in gawd. They do not need to be intimedated by believers to the point that they do not express their disbelief in the religious for fear of some sort of retaliation or vandelism.

It is about time that these Atheist billboards went up, there is a fucking church on every corner and some religious sign within short range from them too.

[NMMNG]

26. Atheists don't hate America

People who can't tolerate the notion that they can't run everybody else's lives hate America.

[DeSwiss]

28. If anything it is religionists....

....particularly "The Christians" who appear to hate America. I say this because Chrisitianity teaches its followers to expect the future overthrow of all the governments of the world by their imaginary "King of Kings." They say that they are prepared to do his bidding, irresepctive of American law. They uphold the idea that their god's law is "supreme" to any law made by man.

And they've proven this penchant that they have against American civil government law and the law of its people, through their past and their current mistreatment and denial of civil rights of women and of minorities. And they influence the governments of various states to pass discriminatory laws, using their religious jusitifications to do so.

Six states still have constitutional requirements that a person believe in god in order to hold office, to testify in a trial, or to serve on a jury. I know, I live in one of those states. Even though this state constitutional provision is clearly illegal as it runs contrary to provisions in the US Constitution.

- So tell me. Who has the proven track record of hating America again???

[zonmoy]

29. seems to me putting up that billboard proves that theophiles

are the ones that hate what america stands for.

[struggle4progress]

31. "Episcopal Missionary Church" split off in 1992 after Church of England began to ordain women

The "Missionary Episcopal" view is:

... the Missionary Diocese withdrew from ECUSA in 1992 ... http://www.christchurchanglican.org/emc.html

... When the Church of England resolved to "legitimize" the ordination of women to Holy Orders in 1992, it broke with traditional Anglican practice, and so we no longer maintain that communion with the See of Canterbury is appropriate ... http://www.emchome.org/affirm.htm

Rather curiously, the 1928 prayerbook is their doctrinal standard:

... the Book of Common Prayer prevents us from straying into the quicksands of error ...

"Missionary Episcopal" Bishop Council Nedd II heads the organization IGWT producing these stinky billboards; he was on Capitol Hill for some years, serving as a legislative aide for a number of rightwing Republicans: see Wikipedia entry "Council Nedd II"