This greets you en route to the Lincoln Tunnel:
Background on the billboard, from a New York Times blog:
David Silverman, the president of American Atheists and the man behind the billboard, said it would remain in place at least until the winter solstice on Dec. 21 and possibly through Christmas. He said the billboard was partly inspired by one that American Atheists’ founder, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, set up in Dallas in the 1970s proclaiming “Atheism: It’s not what you believe.”
Mr. Silverman said the billboard served two purposes. The first was to get the many people who do not actually believe in God but practice religious rituals to “come out,” in his words.
He said the billboard’s location was especially effective because commuters “drive by this sign very slowly every day for a month, right in the Christmas season.”
“And when they go into New York to go shopping,” he said, “they’re going to see it.”
Ironically, in his desire to out Christians who are just going through seasonal retail motions, his billboard may serve to remind believing Christians of the real reason for the season.
... and this here atheist put up his Christmas tree, strung the house with Christmas lights, and placed his mother's handmade heirloom nativity in the living room this weekend.
I may not believe in God, but I believe in a nice holiday dedicated to peace on Earth spent with friends and family. If enjoying Christmas means being polite to Christians for gifting us a wonderful day, gee, we can be polite.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI like to tell atheists they're actually the most religious people of all because they're resolutely convinced of their belief.
The rest of us have nothing but faith to go by...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis billboard only serves to reinforce our faith.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI taught from this ad in our Critical Thinking class today! Last year it was "Be good for goodness sake" - this year the iconic Christmas journey. I just hope the atheists keep these discussion-starting ads coming. God bless them, indeed!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAthiests are one thing -- they are wrong -- but they are one thing. Anti-Christians are another. Anti-Christians are enemies of Christians. This billboard is anti-Christian. If an athiest were to say "celebrate reason", whatever, go ahead. If an atheist instead goes a step further and calls my faith a myth, then I will treat him accordingly as one who has purposely insulted me with an intent to hurt me.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Militant Atheism" - Talk about being no fun at a party.
I'm confused by their tag line 'Reasonable since 1963' because it makes me think that 1962 must have been one crazy irrational year for them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHard to find a definition of "reasonable" that covers a blanket declaration of what millions of other people, unknown to the declarer, "know" to be true.
It's a smartass college kid approach to argument: "You don't really BELIEVE all that stuff, do you?" And I'm sure it will prove just as persuasive.
(Of course, where evangelizing atheists fall on the reasonableness scale is a whole other question.)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThis reminds me of my favorite bumper sticker of all time: "If you believe there is no God, you better be right."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe most striking thing about this billboard is its self-refutation. All "reasonable" people know that human beings are generally moved more deeply by pictures than by words (aphoristically, by three orders of magnitude). It is not reasonable, therefore, to think that the billboard will have the effect that its creator intended.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhen he spoke to the reporter, did he stick out his tongue? The entire matter is childish. He and his cohorts should just be ignored.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't seem to recall these ads during Ramadan or Eid...
Celebrate Reason all you want (although I prefer to try to practice it) but as noted above, too often these messages seem to be exclusively anti-Christian rather than anti-religious.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThought experiment: How long would a similar sign remain un-defaced, if it were to depict a silhouette of a mosque with the Islamic crescent atop its spire? How much outrage would be directed toward Mr. Silverman and the American Athiests?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCloset atheists, come out!
Come out and do what? Hang out by a billboard at the Lincoln Tunnel?
And Dave's comment @ 14:42 is exactly the same thing I thought when I heard the story on WCBS over the weekend. So come out and do what? Cancel Christmas? I'm sure there are a number of atheists, enjoying Christmas in secular tradition, who would be quite put off by such an idea as cancelling it.
But I've already given this clown too much of my attention
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe ad is so amateurish that it pretty much negates the idea that there's any reason behind it. As a vehicle for persuasion, it's moronic. As a means of giving fellow brooding atheists a belly rub during the holiday season, I suppose it serves its unintended purpose.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseInteresting choice to put the word "know" in ALL CAPS. It kinda creates the same impression that CAPS in e-mails and comment boards does: desperation.
The other thing is that I bet many people confuse the sign with one of those "Reason for the season" signs. That's the *reason* this Christian will be remembering.
Happy Christmas to all! (including the admirably polite Dave and family)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWill the American Aethiests post a similar sign when Ramadan next approaches?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf he really wants to make an impact, tell him to put a sign in front of the Ground Zero Mosque site.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJust wondering ... when and where do the atheists plan on putting up the billboards that slur the other major religions, or is it that they only doubt Christianity ?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSomething's non existence cannot be proved. One cannot prove a negative. So atheism is as much an act of faith as "theism".
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt might also backfire against those just going through the "retail motions" into contemplating the big question "who do you say that I am?" They might not give Christ much thought, but when pushed to the wall and asked to make a decision...
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