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Church sign says atheists have "nothing!"

I have passed this sign for about 8 days now. It didn't bother me at first but after passing it many times it's starting to get a little demeaning. I'm sure that I am not the only non-theist who is offended by this sign.

"God without man is still God-
Man without God is Nothing!"

Notice the exclamation mark at the end. That really twists the knife a bit to me. I am very far from having nothing. I feel like life has blessed me, I have many wonderful friends and a wonderful woman to share my life with. There are also the things that I own that I am very thankful for except I don't think they are speaking of material things. I have worked hard to earn respect and trust... This sign spreads the thought of looking down on atheists. The God virus is out of control. So anyway, what would you tell this offensive organization to make them understand that this is totally untrue? I am considering placing a letter in the door containing our viewpoint. Would you recommend this or is there a better way?

Thanks for all input.

Notice the attachment below, it contains the picture of the sign.

Tags: Church, letter, man, nothing, offensive, sign

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Abnormal on May 15, 2010 at 2:57am

Just leave it be. In the end will a letter really change anything?

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Permalink Reply by Corey Garrison on May 15, 2010 at 3:51am

i would go for a face to face conversation because of the simple fact that your letter could be discarded after the first sentence and ignored. if your standing there looking them in the eye then the only thing they can do is literally run away from you.

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Permalink Reply by Rayray on May 17, 2010 at 5:03pm

This is the Bible belt Nate. You can't throw a stick around here without it hitting a church.

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Permalink Reply by Rayray on May 18, 2010 at 4:44pm

Lol, yeah, I have a few drunken responses on here myself.

This is in a very conspicuous and high traffic area. The chances of getting caught are pretty high. I would need a dirt-bike to get away, Hehe.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra Stott on May 26, 2010 at 8:16am

personally, I'd prefer a rock to a stick.

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Permalink Reply by ryan cameron on May 15, 2010 at 7:02am

Its obvious that God is nothing. Man + nothing is still man. Nothing - man is nothing.

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on May 15, 2010 at 7:16am

A touch off-topic, but....

The most honest message I ever saw on a church sign was something like the following:

[I just LOVE Church Sign Generator!!!]

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Permalink Reply by Tom Thompson on May 20, 2010 at 8:35pm

What fun! I never knew about that.

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Permalink Reply by Roy The Infidel on May 15, 2010 at 10:45pm

"Without man to fool a god is nothing.
Man without a foolish god is a good beginning."

- Roy

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Permalink Reply by mojo5501 on May 17, 2010 at 4:04pm

I don't know whether actively engaging in a debate about this would do any real good but the statement is offensive to non-believers. A letter with a counterpoint may be the answer. At least you'd feel like you did something to even the playing field. Church signs can be so smug and Christians seem overly confident that they have all the answers. It is this self-righteous attitude that comes across most strongly in the statement you provided.

This is an issue of free speech in the marketplace of ideas and I'll venture to guess that many viewers of the sign will not agree with the sentiment of the statement. It is certainly an untrue statement because we members of Atheist Nexus are living proof that people can have good lives and enjoy life's "earthly blessings" without believing in a god or gods.

The prospects of happiness and health are certainly not all concentrated in the population of "believers" anymore than the prospect of financial success. And misery, loneliness, and suffering seem just as likely to fall on believers as the rest of us....believers just explain away their circumstances as being "tests of faith" or "god works in mysterious ways". I think being liberated from "mysterious ways",false faith and wishful thinking provide the avenue I personally need to find happiness and fulfillment. On this planet. Today. Not waiting for an afterlife!

I don't expect religious people to understand my way of thinking. I often think that religious people live in a fearful kind of world, created by not trusting their own human instincts and intelligence. But I'm not waiting for somebody else to "show me the way" and I'm certainly not trusting that religion would provide the path I'm looking for.