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disorderlyvision
07-14-2009, 01:02 PM
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090711/NEWS/907109886/1007?Title=-Religion-billboard-brings-debate

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc329/disorderlyvision/bilde.jpg


BIRMINGHAM | A billboard that was put up by the Alabama Freethought Association is causing debate, with some saying the sign reading “Imagine No Religion” is offensive and should be removed.

The billboard along Interstate 20 near Pell City was placed there by the association as part of a national campaign by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The background of the sign is of a stained glass window with the words sung by John Lennon in the song “Imagine” on top.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-

president of the foundation in Madison, Wis., said Friday that the sign will be up for a month. The group had wanted a billboard near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, but Lamar Advertising declined.

“We got censored by Lamar,” she said.

“It was offensive to me,” said Tom Traylor, general manager of Lamar Advertising in Birmingham. “We have the autonomy to decide what’s in the best interests of our company and what’s offensive. I don’t think it was the kind of message we wanted to stand behind.

“You have to know what area of the country you’re in,” he said. “A heavy percent of our population is Christian. That’s who we cater to.”

Gaylor said the sign, about 10 miles east of Birmingham, is rented from Bentley Advertising.

Freethought association member Pat Cleveland of Talladega said she’s gotten about 50 irate calls about the billboard, but that the group’s intentions aren’t hostile. The Talladega Daily Home reported that a petition drive has been started to take it down.

Cleveland, 63, said the calls she’s received are “ugly” and “hateful.”

“They said I ought to be where John Lennon is, burning in hell. I’m sorry if anybody is offended, but I’ve seen billboards that offend me, like ones that say ‘Jesus is Lord’ over Talladega.”

“I’m proud to be an American,” Cleveland said. “I refrain from any religion. I’m a good person. I pay taxes, abide by the law and I’m good to my family. I help people. I believe hands that help are better than hands that pray.”

sedele
07-14-2009, 07:53 PM
Who determined that this woman is a "good person"?

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 07:57 PM
there is nothing wrong with the sign! you can imagine whatever you want,nothing offensive about the sign!

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 08:00 PM
Who determined that this woman is a "good person"?

hey,imagine no religion... then we wouldn't have so much murder ,since more people have been killed in the name of god then anything!

imagine no religion seems less offensive then those killing in the name of god!

she sounds like a good person to me and she has the right to make a sign!

literatim
07-14-2009, 08:02 PM
hey,imagine no religion... then we wouldn't have so much murder ,since more people have been killed in the name of god then anything!

Tell that to the Soviet Union.


she sounds like a good person to me and she has the right to make a sign!

Company has the right to not put the sign up.

inibo
07-14-2009, 08:04 PM
Dreamers.






:D

Warrior_of_Freedom
07-14-2009, 08:12 PM
We have freedom of religion, these replies disgust me. They practice their freedom of religion by not practicing religion. That is all.

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 08:32 PM
Tell that to the Soviet Union.



Company has the right to not put the sign up.

and i have the right to never to do business with that company. so we agree;)

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 08:36 PM
We have freedom of religion, these replies disgust me. They practice their freedom of religion by not practicing religion. That is all.

that is the way i look at it!

i am seeing more christians that think the us constitution is for them and no one else. not all but seems a large portion feel this way by their actions!!

sevin
07-14-2009, 08:40 PM
Sad that threads like this are so divisive.

sedele
07-14-2009, 08:43 PM
hey,imagine no religion... then we wouldn't have so much murder ,since more people have been killed in the name of god then anything!

imagine no religion seems less offensive then those killing in the name of god!

she sounds like a good person to me and she has the right to make a sign!

First off, Socialist and Communist regimes are responsible for the most killings in History. These regimes did this in the name of no God.

Second of all, how can you say she sounds like a good person by 3-4 sentences in a news article? Do I sound like a good person?

sedele
07-14-2009, 08:45 PM
Sad that threads like this are so divisive.

The truth is indeed a divisive thing. I have my truth, you have your truth.

If they are diametrically opposed to each other, which is true?

inibo
07-14-2009, 08:52 PM
The truth is indeed a divisive thing. I have my truth, you have your truth.

If they are diametrically opposed to each other, which is true?


ABSURDITY, n.
A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion.

The Devil's Dictionary (http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/a.html)

muh_roads
07-14-2009, 08:56 PM
hey,imagine no religion... then we wouldn't have so much murder ,since more people have been killed in the name of god then anything!

imagine no religion seems less offensive then those killing in the name of god!

she sounds like a good person to me and she has the right to make a sign!

Actually this isn't true if you add up all of the wars throughout human history and dig deep as to why they waged on. It only appears that religion is the root problem because muslim extremism is pushed in your face by the MSM consistently.

I'm an atheist btw. I have no agenda to defend religion. People should be freely allowed to express their religion just as much as those who want to put up divisive signs such as this. Falsehoods just need to be called out on.

sedele
07-14-2009, 09:02 PM
The Devil's Dictionary (http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/a.html)

You joined just to post this. I'm not clicking that link.

mediahasyou
07-14-2009, 09:04 PM
imagine.... no government.

i wonder how that would fly.

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 09:10 PM
First off, Socialist and Communist regimes are responsible for the most killings in History. These regimes did this in the name of no God.

Second of all, how can you say she sounds like a good person by 3-4 sentences in a news article? Do I sound like a good person?

look i was talking islam and christianity not russia! the fact is more folks have been killed in the name of religion! check the history books! could be a close count,but i bet in the end religions win out in killing folks! who has the time to classify all the wars and do a number count back to bc!
i do not know about you . you could be evil or good. i take for granted that folks are good people until they screw me over. have you screwed me over?? then i assume your good! if i am wrong then that is my problem not yours being i assumed you were good!unless you prove to me otherwise!

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 09:12 PM
imagine.... no government.

i wonder how that would fly.

before dems and republicans . what did we have religion/government combined??. sounds like a nightmare!

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 09:19 PM
Actually this isn't true if you add up all of the wars throughout human history and dig deep as to why they waged on. It only appears that religion is the root problem because muslim extremism is pushed in your face by the MSM consistently.

I'm an atheist btw. I have no agenda to defend religion. People should be freely allowed to express their religion just as much as those who want to put up divisive signs such as this. Falsehoods just need to be called out on.

christians and muslims have been killing each other for centuries over religion.

i guess only muslims are killing christians and not the other way around? did i miss something in the crusades? maybe i did! i find religion to usually be the bottom line in killings from both sides ,even if the media or the reasons for war are not overly religious. i still say more folks are killed in the name of god and allah!

but christians do not kill because they are right and islam is wrong . i think both are full of crap man made religions. christians were killing christians as well all over europe.

the bottom line is religions use their god to justify killing! both are guilty!

most of the bush brainwashed supporters aka mccain folks justify the iraq war in the name of religion as well as they think they are bringing on the coming of christ! i have heard it from many of the right wing nuts as well as a "christian pastor". these people are crazy! these are the folks that show to gop meetings and people want to know why folks want nothing to do with the gop here!

Dr.3D
07-14-2009, 09:25 PM
Sad that threads like this are so divisive.

It's sad there are so many of them too.

muh_roads
07-14-2009, 09:25 PM
christians and muslims have been killing each other for centuries over religion.

i guess only muslims are killing christians and not the other way around? did i miss something in the crusades? maybe i did! i find religion to usually be the bottom line in killings from both sides ,even if the media or the reasons for war are not overly religious. i still say more folks are killed in the name of god and allah!

but christians do not kill because they are right and islam is wrong . i think both are full of crap man made religions. christians were killing christians as well all over europe.

the bottom line is religions use their god to justify killing! both are guilty!

This guy researched it and if we're talking about sheer number of deaths over religious squabble, it is around 6% I think?

http://www.amazon.com/Irrational-Atheist-Dissecting-Trinity-Hitchens/dp/1933771364

There might be a free pdf somewhere.

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 09:33 PM
This guy researched it and if we're talking about sheer number of deaths over religious squabble, it is around 6% I think?

http://www.amazon.com/Irrational-Atheist-Dissecting-Trinity-Hitchens/dp/1933771364

There might be a free pdf somewhere.

ok then, thanks. only 6% thats ok then not many;) just a few;) doesn't matter then . i guess god/allah is ok with 6%;)

i guess christianity should get a gold medal along with islam for only killing 6%:)

inibo
07-14-2009, 09:40 PM
You joined just to post this. I'm not clicking that link.



Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: The People's Republic of Maryland
Posts: 1,795

Huh?

speciallyblend
07-14-2009, 09:41 PM
Huh?

well if you take the 795 away you get 1;)

literatim
07-14-2009, 09:49 PM
ok then, thanks. only 6% thats ok then not many;) just a few;) doesn't matter then . i guess god/allah is ok with 6%;)

i guess christianity should get a gold medal along with islam for only killing 6%:)

So as 6% is because of religion, 94% is secular and thus should be blamed on the atheists.

Right?

AgentOrange
07-14-2009, 10:01 PM
This is EXACTLY what government wants--people squabbling over non-issues.

FFRF is a fine organization--I was a happy member of the group back in my atheist days. (Now I am a Christian and no longer support the organization.)

The REAL point is, this billboard isn't hurting anyone. A Christian group has just as much right to rent a billboard and put it up across from it. The Christian billboard wouldn't be hurting anyone either.

Our government is trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt, the dollar is on the brink of crashing, bankers are absconding with American wealth and people here are squabbling over which religion or non-religion group of practitioners has killed the most people in history and whether or not a billboard quoting John Lennon is offensive?

sedele
07-14-2009, 10:08 PM
look i was talking islam and christianity not russia! the fact is more folks have been killed in the name of religion! check the history books! could be a close count,but i bet in the end religions win out in killing folks! who has the time to classify all the wars and do a number count back to bc!
i do not know about you . you could be evil or good. i take for granted that folks are good people until they screw me over. have you screwed me over?? then i assume your good! if i am wrong then that is my problem not yours being i assumed you were good!unless you prove to me otherwise!

Riiiiiiight. We all know the history books are always true.:rolleyes:

sedele
07-14-2009, 10:19 PM
Ever wondered if you're a good person? Well you're in luck! There is now a test on the internet to find out!

The Good Person Test
http://www.goodpersontest.com/

revolutionisnow
07-14-2009, 11:26 PM
With no religion as a compass wouldn't the state then set the compass/boundaries? Doesn't sound like much of a deal.

Nate SY
07-14-2009, 11:34 PM
Meh, I find the billboard mildly distasteful, but I don't see it as an attack, and I support there rights to say what they feel true, I also support the right of the billboard owner to not allow the sign.

Personally, the only part that I dislike it this.

"I’m a good person. I pay taxes, abide by the law and I’m good to my family."

... Because paying taxes and doing what your told makes you a good person.

sedele
07-15-2009, 12:34 PM
Meh, I find the billboard mildly distasteful, but I don't see it as an attack, and I support there rights to say what they feel true, I also support the right of the billboard owner to not allow the sign.

Personally, the only part that I dislike it this.

"I’m a good person. I pay taxes, abide by the law and I’m good to my family."

... Because paying taxes and doing what your told makes you a good person.

Bingo!

libertarian4321
07-15-2009, 01:57 PM
So as 6% is because of religion, 94% is secular and thus should be blamed on the atheists.

Right?

That's illogical.

Just because a certain war wasn't started explicitly over religion doesn't mean it was started by "atheists."

I don't know what "research" this guy did (hell, anyone can do "research" and write a book, that doesn't make it fact), but my guess is, the guy did his count based on BODIES rather than WARS because it was easier to deflect from the death and destruction caused by religion.

For example, more people died in WW1 and WW2, in the era of total war and modern weapons, than in all the wars from the time of Julius Caesar to WWI. Those two massive modern wars will skew the "body count" away from "religion."

It masks the fact that HUNDREDS of wars were fought over religion from the 7th to the 18th centuries- and it wasn't all "Islam vs. Christianity." Of course, these wars were fought with smaller armies and less effective weapons, so the "body count" was relatively low. But these wars indirectly caused millions of deaths (which I'm sure the intrepid "researcher" chose to ignore) through starvation, political chaos, etc.

Most people are unaware that the "Crusades" were not just about war between Islam and Christianity. A number of wars were fought between Catholics and Orthodox Christians. This is because Catholic Crusading armies often marched through the territory of the Byzantine Empire (Orthodox Christian) on their way to the "Holy Land"- looting, pillaging, and warring as they went along. Its an interesting bit of history that is almost never taught in school.

For example, if you look at the 16th (when Martin Luther "created" Protestantism) to the 18th century, Europe was riddled with dozens of wars between Catholics and Protestants.

Okay, I'm getting carried away with the military history stuff. The point is, you can skew statistics either way- to make wars of religion look like a huge deal, or a minor issue, depending on your bias.

But the fact is, religion is a VERY COMMON reason for war, and many people die because of it.

Oh, and I don't see what the big deal is with the sign. How is it any worse than the religious billboards you can find all throughout the south and midwest?

haaaylee
07-15-2009, 02:21 PM
Tell that to the Soviet Union.



I don't believe they murdered in the name of atheism though .....

haaaylee
07-15-2009, 02:28 PM
Our government is trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt, the dollar is on the brink of crashing, bankers are absconding with American wealth and people here are squabbling over which religion or non-religion group of practitioners has killed the most people in history and whether or not a billboard quoting John Lennon is offensive?


Debate is healthy.


I also listen to music, am i not allowed to because it takes time away from me studying economics?

Optatron
07-15-2009, 02:32 PM
I don't believe they murdered in the name of atheism though .....

no shit

muh_roads
07-15-2009, 02:40 PM
Ever wondered if you're a good person? Well you're in luck! There is now a test on the internet to find out!

The Good Person Test
http://www.goodpersontest.com/

And religious people wonder why others avoid religion. Getting angry with someone = murder? Getting a tingle in your pants when you see a hot chick = rape & adultery?

Yup, send me to hell for eternity to burn right next to hitler. lol :rolleyes:

phill4paul
07-15-2009, 02:48 PM
This is EXACTLY what government wants--people squabbling over non-issues.

FFRF is a fine organization--I was a happy member of the group back in my atheist days. (Now I am a Christian and no longer support the organization.)

The REAL point is, this billboard isn't hurting anyone. A Christian group has just as much right to rent a billboard and put it up across from it. The Christian billboard wouldn't be hurting anyone either.

Our government is trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt, the dollar is on the brink of crashing, bankers are absconding with American wealth and people here are squabbling over which religion or non-religion group of practitioners has killed the most people in history and whether or not a billboard quoting John Lennon is offensive?

Yeaup.

Light
07-15-2009, 02:59 PM
Everyone knows the biggest mass murders in history were done in the name of the big government. Stalin's Soviet Union, Mao's China, Hitler's Germany, all of there mass killings were done in order to achieve a better world for the state. Even the most intolerant philosophies, religions, or political ideologies are harmless (or very limited in the power scope) if there is no vehicle (a big central government) for them to hijack.