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"War on Christmas Spreads to Lincoln Tunnel: NPR"

Just saw this on NPR's site:

Lincoln Tunnel Billboard

I think this is a good advertisement, it'll ruffle quite a few feathers. :D

Tags: NPR, War, christmas, holidays, on

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on December 11, 2010 at 2:36pm

I dunno. I don't think fundies listen to NPR.

Permalink Reply by AletheaT on December 11, 2010 at 3:01pm

I don't think they do either, but many people have to pass under the tunnel!

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on December 12, 2010 at 2:32am

Yeah, and he was ridiculously good in that interview. I'm glad you found that thing.

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on December 12, 2010 at 2:31am

Ohhhhh, you meant the billboard itself will be a good advertisement. Heh. I thought you meant the NPR story was a good advertisement for the billboard.

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on December 11, 2010 at 4:09pm

We will only be scapegoated by the theists as malign if we take an approach that offers only reason as an alternative. Remember that Hitler and Stalin were Atheists who used reason too. If we offer only reason as an alternative the theists will be able to point to them et al in deploying fear tactics against us. In order to overthrow theism we will have to use a Secular Humanist approach (one that uses reason but to promote golden rule morality in a state of dignity rather than prostration). Otherwise, in an energized well organized response the theists who are overwhelmingly greater in number will spin our effort into a scenario of good and decent people against bad and decadent ones. We of course will be shouted down as the bad and decadent ones. The recent Secular Humanist ads advocating good without god are much stronger.

Permalink Reply by ROMAN ROMACH on December 11, 2010 at 8:51pm

Yes, this only makes people think of atheists as humbugs and Scrooges and devoid of any cheer - which is kinda' what I think - rather than peaceful emissaries of "Wisdom". And I'm not interested in overthowing anything. If it gives some mother comfort that her dead child "is in heaven," who the hell am I to tell her different? If atheists can be "good without godliness," then it would be more effective to demonstrate it. I have never seen any press about atheists doing good deeds in a community. Painting "Fuck Jesus" on a wall during Blasphemy Day makes an impression, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to be.

I would prefer billboards like:

Afghani with her nose cut off.

"Do you really want to be governed by a religion?"

"Your Honor Roll kid would be a "C" student in China."

"Do you really want the Bible used as a science text."

I know that there are a lot of clever, creative people out there who can come up with a lot of good stuff.

"You know it's only a myth" is like so tepid

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on December 12, 2010 at 2:37am

And I'm not interested in overthowing anything.

I am. The Catholic church needs to be dealt with, at some point.

Permalink Reply by D.O.S on December 12, 2010 at 1:04pm

Your larger point is unfortunately accurate. However, Hitler was never an atheist. He was raised Catholic and according to some of his closest advisors remained so all his short atrocious life. Even if he wasn't Catholic he was religious. Mein Kampf and an overwhelming majority of his speeches are loaded with theistic themes. If you hear anyone assert he was an atheist please refute it.

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on December 12, 2010 at 3:43pm

There is a lot of evidence that Hitler felt stuck with religion because he could not manipulate the German people to serve his agenda without it. He certainly didn't believe in loving his neighbor as himself nor turning the other cheek.

Wikipedia speculatively makes the following statement about his public positions regarding religion:

His public and written statements however can be interpreted as propaganda[citation needed].

Wikipedia presents the following analysis of his supposed private statements regarding religion. Some of the statements contradict others but one must keep in mind that he was trying to manipulate people.

Private statements

Hitler's private statements about Christianity were often conflicting. Hitler's intimates, such as Joseph Goebbels, Albert Speer, and Martin Bormann suggest that Hitler generally had negative opinions of religion, although the historical validity of some remarks has been questioned, particularly the English translation of Hitler's Table Talk. Historian Ian Kershaw remarked upon the questionable nature of Table Talk as a source, stating "the `table talk’ monologues of the last months (the so called `bunkergespräche’) of which no German text has ever been brought to light must be treated with due caution."[19] Atheist activist and historian Richard Carrier goes further, contending that certain portions of Table Talk — especially those regarding Hitler's hostility of Christianity — are poor mistranslations.[20] Carrier states that Hitler was criticizing Catholicism in particular, while remaining entirely religious.[21] Albert Speer confirmed the authenticity of Henry Picker's German transcripts, which was published in 1951 as Tischgespräche im Führerhauptquartier.[22] Carrier states, "It is clear that Picker and Jochmann have the correct text and Trevor-Roper's is entirely untrustworthy."[21] An example from the Table Talk includes Hitler's statement that, "Our epoch will certainly see the end of the disease of Christianity."[23]
Goebbels notes in a diary entry in 1939 a conversation in which Hitler had "expressed his revulsion against Christianity. He wished that the time were ripe for him to be able to openly express that. Christianity had corrupted and infected the entire world of antiquity."[24] Albert Speer reports in his memoirs of a similar statement made by Hitler: "You see, it's been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn't we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?"[25]
In 1941, Hitler praised an anti-Christian tract from AD 362, neo-platonist and pagan Roman emperor Julian the Apostate's Against the Galileans, saying "I really hadn't known how clearly a man like Julian had judged Christians and Christianity, one must read this...."[26]
In 1941, according to the diary of Nazi General Gerhart Engel, Hitler stated "I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so."[27]
Author Konrad Heiden has quoted Hitler as stating, "We do not want any other god than Germany itself. It is essential to have fanatical faith and hope and love in and for Germany."[28]

Permalink Reply by The Secular One on December 12, 2010 at 7:43pm