Atheist Adverts On Public Transportation

[Arios V]

I know many of you have probably already seen this somewhere else and I'm sure there's another thread around here with the same thing but I just figured it was worth sharing again.

Apparently Metrobuses in Washington D.C. are running a new ad campaign this holiday season, one that speaks a truth that many people don't seem to understand.
The message: "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness sake."

The ads were created by the American Humanist Association and plan to put signs on over 200 buses in the city. Surprisingly, The AHA also says that Metro did not hesitate to agree to this.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this? Good idea? Bad idea? Think they should do this in other places as well? Personally, I think it's not really a bad idea, although it will get quite a lot of "attention". I also think it's awesome that they are running this ad campaign in the nation's capital, which is pretty much my backyard.

If you want to watch the video here it is, there's one more advert on there, but that's more about a billboard in Denver, CO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzAFozYjiz0  

[Daffodil the Destroyer]

I've found discussions on this in my three most active guilds, but I haven't seen any news of it anywhere other than Gaia. I like the idea. I've tried to explain this point before: "Christmastime" isn't just about Christmas anymore. Hell, a large part of Christmas is a Christian adaptation of a pagan holiday with pagan traditions. Plus there are people of other faiths that also celebrate winter holidays in December - Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. Not to mention that there's a large secular aspect of it which I appreciate.

I wish that more of these messages were posted in public by non-Christian groups. I'd like to see ads wishing me a happy Hannukah or happy Kwanzaa. Living in the most obnoxiously Christian area in the country makes me appreciate it when other religious minority groups assert themselves.

 

[Jewpanesey]

I like the idea a lot. Especially since I don't celebrate Christmas, I celebrate Hanukkah, and no one ever thinks consider the large amount of people that don't celebrate Christmas.  

[Arios V]

Daffodil the Destroyer

I've found discussions on this in my three most active guilds, but I haven't seen any news of it anywhere other than Gaia. I like the idea. I've tried to explain this point before: "Christmastime" isn't just about Christmas anymore. Hell, a large part of Christmas is a Christian adaptation of a pagan holiday with pagan traditions. Plus there are people of other faiths that also celebrate winter holidays in December - Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. Not to mention that there's a large secular aspect of it which I appreciate.

I wish that more of these messages were posted in public by non-Christian groups. I'd like to see ads wishing me a happy Hannukah or happy Kwanzaa. Living in the most obnoxiously Christian area in the country makes me appreciate it when other religious minority groups assert themselves.

I too would like to see ads for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever holidays are celebrated in December, just to add variety and to show that this country isn't just a christian nation, but a nation for all faiths.  

[Zambimaru]

I like the ad. Its pretty harmless and not offensive. I personally think they should do stuff like this more often.  

[Sanguvixen]

I would have to say the intentions are good. You do not have to believe in a god to be a good person. We all here know that. However posting it with the Holiday season approaching might not be the best idea.

Regardless of how harmless the message is, when you are dealing with a good group of individuals who think they own December, that the only real holiday during December is Christmas and New Years Eve, and that saying Happy Holidays is a reason to overreact. They are going to take this message and perceive it as an attack on Christianity. It might be lulzy but still...

On the other side of the coin, posting it at at time that will provoke strong reactions might cause some people to stop and think, and might bring about the message better than if it were to posted any other time of the year.

Let us just hope that more people use their brains to think with in response to this message, and not their heart, or their faith.  

[Lemon Jally]

It'd make me smile to something like that, but I won't raise my hopes by thinking that people will actually do something productive.  

[Marukar]

That's really a great idea.

I mean I see a stupid billboard near my house that says fear god on it and has some other bible quotes on it.
: /
And if that can go, then this is perfectly fine.

 

[ElenaMason]

I think its an interesting sign. And honestly I could care less if it offends radical christian groups, because I KNOW its going to. But the way I see things, as was stated there are manly other religions out there. Basically to me its a sign that says "for once...stop being an a*****e" "for once, its the freaking holidays...stop being a b***h, suck it up, and be nice for once" at least that's how it translates to me.  

[D i v i n i t y]

SaintChaos

I think its an interesting sign. And honestly I could care less if it offends radical christian groups, because I KNOW its going to. But the way I see things, as was stated there are manly other religions out there. Basically to me its a sign that says "for once...stop being an a*****e" "for once, its the freaking holidays...stop being a b***h, suck it up, and be nice for once" at least that's how it translates to me.

Lol what? how did you get that?
There are tons of signs that say "God exists" or signs that talk about God's love etc. I'm not very fond of them but I don't think THOSE signs translate into "stop being an a*****e and love God" or anything like that.

I think the atheistic sign just says, basically, "We don't need God to be good. Just be good"  

[ElenaMason]

D i v i n i t y

SaintChaos

I think its an interesting sign. And honestly I could care less if it offends radical christian groups, because I KNOW its going to. But the way I see things, as was stated there are manly other religions out there. Basically to me its a sign that says "for once...stop being an a*****e" "for once, its the freaking holidays...stop being a b***h, suck it up, and be nice for once" at least that's how it translates to me.

Lol what? how did you get that?
There are tons of signs that say "God exists" or signs that talk about God's love etc. I'm not very fond of them but I don't think THOSE signs translate into "stop being an a*****e and love God" or anything like that.

I think the atheistic sign just says, basically, "We don't need God to be good. Just be good"

huh? I wasn't condoning the sign. I was merely stating how I translated it metaphorically on a personal level. I got what it was saying, and I agree as you say, we don't need "God" as an excuse to be nice. We should be nice for the sake of being nice. Or in what I said, lol, just stop being an a*****e hahah. There's seriously too many assholes out there. I run into them frequently.  

[ascertain]

That's awesome.

I'd much prefer those ads over one I saw the other day--"What will you choose when reality strikes? HEAVEN'S GATES or HELL'S FLAMES?"--for a church in the area.