Athiest ads on NYC subways (hell, Mormonism, America, myth)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Several "atheist organizations" are paying for this... the "Coalition of Reason", seems to be Atheism's answer to the "Christian Coalition". Atheists are organizing their religion more and more. They even have denominations, apparently.
They seem to really like proselytizing, I guess it's important enough to them to spread the gospel of Atheismâ„¢ that they are willing to spend lots of money, time, and resources on it.
I wonder why they don't feed the poor and house the homeless of NYC with that money???
Christians and Churches have soup kitchens, missions, homeless shelters, etc. Where is the Coalition of Reason's morality and humanitarian work? Oh yeah, they go with what's important to them, proselytize people into the Atheist religion instead of feeding them.
It's a swinng annnnnnnnnnnnnnd a miss!
The purpose of the ads are not to "spread atheism" as you call it (By the way, atheism has a lowercase a. It's not a religion.) or to proselytize. It's to let skeptics, secular humanists, agnostics, skeptics, or just supporters of such free thought (Yes, even some Christians are involved! *gasp* ) to know that they're not alone, here's where they can find other people with a similar world view.
In fact, on Kiva.org (Where groups of lenders make microloans to help fight poverty), the Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-Religious group is the first - and only - group to have lended over $1 million dollars in microloans. Kiva Christians is second, having lended just a bit more than half of that.
or the Make Yourself Foundation headed by Brandon Boyd (lead singer of incubus, and also non-religious.) -> Make Yourself Foundation (Incubus) both of which are not included on the link posted above, but are also amazing foundations doing lots of good - without God.
The funds for the advertising campaigns recently making their rounds are usually donated by one or two people with the specific purpose of being for the ads. So these organizations are generally not taking funding from any income that would be used for charitable works. And at the same time, the advertisements may indirectly help more atheists/agnostics/free thinkers/skeptics/etc reach out and find ways that they, too, can help - even if they do not explicitely join the Coalition of Reason.
I wonder why they don't feed the poor and house the homeless of NYC with that money???
I guess by this reasoning the Mormon church and other religious organization should have given money to the homeless instead of funneling it into California to defeat prop. 8 and now into Maine to overturn the gay marriage bill, right?
The question of who is the fool will be played out in time, but till that time comes, I suspect we will have different views on whom that fool will be.
I guess by this reasoning the Mormon church and other religious organization should have given money to the homeless instead of funneling it into California to defeat prop. 8 and now into Maine to overturn the gay marriage bill, right?
The question of who is the fool will be played out in time, but till that time comes, I suspect we will have different views on whom that fool will be.
You are correct! We shall see who will be the fool in the end. In the meantime I will adhere to Proverbs 3:5 and Psalm 116:16
"I wonder why they don't feed the poor and house the homeless of NYC with that money??? "
=====================================
I wonder how the Vatican acquired the $1billion+ that was paid out as hush-money for all of those pesky homosexual child-rape cases.
Oh no, not through Catholic "charities"?
Religion will fail mankind in the end but a relationship with Jesus The Christ will be everlasting even after death to those who call upon His name and believe in Him.
I firmly believe Atheism is a religion for many; a real religion, per the denotation of the word:
re⋅li⋅gion [ri-lij-uhn] Show IPA
–noun 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.
4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion. 5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith. 6. something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
7. religions, Archaic. religious rites. 8. Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion: a religion to one's vow
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar
It's not proselytizing. It's making everyone aware that we're out here if they feel like they're the only ones. And let me tell you, growing up as an atheist in a family of fundies...I felt really alone. I would have liked to see an advertisement like this, telling me that I wasn't crazy.
It is indeed proselytizing. It is intended to bring non-involved atheists into the flock of various atheist groups and organizations:
"De Dora says the ambitions behind the advertisements are threefold.
First, the coalition hopes the promotion will enhance awareness of New York City's secular community. He explained that the coalition also hopes to encourage "talking and thinking about religion and morality," as well as support involvement in groups that encourage a sense of a social community for non-believing New Yorkers."
Call it recruitment if you like - it's an attempt to convert garden-variety, "independent" atheists into official Atheists™, and it's still proselytizing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar
Google "atheist charities" for pete's sake. Also, perhaps some of us don't believe in giving handouts, but believe that we should give assistance to those people who actually put down the begging cup, get off their ass, and try to work to improve themselves.
What comes up is a lot of people asking "Why are there no atheist charities?" The answers I've seen to this, so far, are atheists who try to claim secular charities as "atheist charitie" on the basis that atheists are involved in them. But that is wrong. Secular charities are not "atheist charities"; they are secular. They certainly count atheists amongst their ranks, but also many others, mostly people who adhere to various religions/faiths.
What I'm talking about is the organized religion of Atheism, their various organizations like the "Flying Spaghetti Monster Meetup", an organized group who is obviously contributing money as part of this coaliition. Are they spending their money exclusively on proselytizing? Where is their humanitarian and charitable outreach? It's funny, we have Beth Israel and St. Vincent's and Columbia Presbyterian Hospitals, but not Flying Spaghetti Monster General Hospital, or Coalition of Reason homeless shelter...
It's just interesting because such people often hold this criticism for other organized religions, but now that they are organizing their religion into sects and denominations they will be facing the same scrutiny.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar
Yeah, and what have those organizations done to eliminate the problem of homelessness, hmmm? If you keep feeding them and not pushing them to make something of themselves, it's NOT SOLVING THE ISSUE. You're just slapping a band-aid on a sucking chest wound.
Well, you apparently aren't very familiar with such organizations if you think they just "keep feeding them and not pushing them to make something of themselves." Take the Salvation Army, for instance. They will feed and clothe a person, but they will also offer that person the opportunity to work and learn how to take care of himself. They take in old clothes, furniture, and other donated items and help people learn skills like sewing, woodworking, electronics, or whatever else they can help them to learn. They also provide them with training and help in applying for jobs, interviewing, etc.
You seem to want to use the fact that not everyone they help turns out OK as a reason to "prove" that they don't accomplish anything. Homelessness will never truly go away. The problems leading to homelessness won't go away, so homelessness won't either. But that doesn't mean that there aren't any people who can be helped, or that people are not helped. Perhaps if you ever worked with such an organization you'd know better than to make such an assertion that missions and outreaches to the homeless are " NOT SOLVING THE ISSUE" and "just slapping a band-aid on a sucking chest wound."
The "issue" of homelessness cannot be "solved". Although, atheists may believe that their god - themselves/man/science/humanity - can solve it one day, while their organizations are trying to "solve" it and letting people suffer every day, Christian organizations are helping such people.
Even for the person whose homelessness doesn't ultimately get "solved", isn't it worth it just to at least ease their suffering? I sometimes buy a homeless person a meal, just on the spur of the moment; I know it won't solve the person's condition, but it's worth it just because at least for that day that person had a tasty, clean, hot meal. You're saying that it's not worth doing that??? Why bother, since it doesn't solve his homelessness?? Wow.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) to know that they're not alone, here's where they can find other people with a similar world view. 
