A letter to the editor of the Indiana Daily Student presents a wonderful poster boy example of atheist “logic” and the disparity between their attempts at putting a public relations happy face on atheism on the one hand and what they are really about on the other.
The hoopla revolves around yet another atheist group, Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign, who are collecting donations, “Help us reach a goal of $50,000!,” during a time of worldwide recession not in order to help anyone but in order to attempt to demonstrative just how clever they think themselves to be.
The letter claimed that the ads, which are to read “You can be good without God,” say “nothing about the virtues of religious people”? Really? It means that, in this regard, their religion, not to mention their God, is irrelevant.
Moreover, “You can be good without God” is an answer to an argument that no one has made, in a manner of speaking. This is because theists, let us speak of Christians, would argue that people who think themselves to be “without God” are not so, since God still motivates them to do good through having placed His laws in their hearts. Thus, the argument is not that atheists cannot be good without God.
The letter claims that “You can be good without God” is a “a positive message about atheism”? This message, as usual, defines atheism strictly as a negative position; it is atheism as anti-theism. Why can they not make a statement that does not besmirch theism?
Note that morality describes what is; whatever people, a society, agree upon while ethics prescribes what should be; the ethos. Atheist can certainly make assertions about morals based on subjective personal preferences and arguments from outrage but cannot provide an absolute ethic: they can make epistemic statements but not provide ontological foundations.
The atheists and their bulldog, the ACLU, should certainly advertize as much as they please for at least two reasons:1) Their claims should be heard as much as possible since they discredit themselves.2) Atheists from the UK to the USA have wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars/pounds of donated money during a time of worldwide recession not in order to help anyone in need but in order to attempt to demonstrate just how clever they think themselves to be: need any more be said?
As it turns out; these bus ads were not only a look how clever we are ploy but where meant to be an in your face display,
_in advance of President Barack Obama’s visit Sunday to the University of Notre Dame.But Transpo – the bus authority for Mishawaka and South Bend – is waiting for its board to approve the posters.
The board meets Monday, after Obama’s visit, which doesn’t do much for the ads, said Charlie Sitzes, spokesman for the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign.”That would be like us buying a 1972 Sears catalog,” Sitzes said. “They’re worthless now.”1
Well, the ads are not exactly worthless as the ads which are to be posted on 20 buses cost $3,895.80.Thus saith the Charlie Sitzes, spokesman for the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign yet the unnamed author of the letter claimed the following motivations for the ads:
_encourage non-believers to “come out” of the atheist closet. Another goal of the bus campaign is to start a thoughtful discussion about atheism and morality_
our slogan is a call for atheists and other non-religious people to be included in these conversations_
demand our constitutional rights to freedom of speech against government censorship_
we are standing up for all who value freedom of expression and personal liberty_
support our goals of fostering open discussion and ending the stigma against voicing atheist views.
Again, and again and again we find the disparity between atheism as PR happy face and in reality.
Transpo board Chairman Chip Lewis explained that the ads were considered controversial,blockquote>not because of its content, said, but because of the media attention it got in Bloomington_”I want to make sure we have a thorough discussion and that everybody gets a chance to feel comfortable with what we decide,” Lewis said. “It’s just business as usual for us.”
And so we have yet another example of wasted money, failed atheist happy face publicity, examples of atheistic illogic and yet much benefit from painting atheism as woe-are-we-underdog-victim-status-give-us-more-money-for-ACLU-lawsuites.