I just don’t understand many of the atheists out there. Atheism is derived from the Greek theos (“god”), prefixed by ‘a’ (“without”), in other words “without god”. (In a similar manner we have agnosticism (‘a’ – “without” + ‘gnosis’ – “knowing”)
Given this, why is it that many atheists seem to want to convert people to – nothing? Christians and other believers in God (or a god, or several gods) often try to convert others to belief in the same thing in which they themselves believe, in the hope that the other will find salvation, inner peace, enlightenment, or whatever that particular faith holds. How does one convert someone else to nothingness?
An example of atheist efforts will soon be unveiled across the country, where several atheist groups are vying for a share of the market of those who have fallen away from religious association of whatever kind. It’s one thing to try to convince others by engaging them in conversation, but these people are mounting a full-fledged campaign that includes various forms of media including radio and television advertisements. This has to cost a significant amount of money – to what avail?
Looking at some of the ads from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, it is difficult for me to see how they will pull this off without actually alienating many people they might want to recruit.
The American Humanist Association takes a slightly different tack, using brief quotes from the Bible & Koran, often out of context or those that clearly should not be taken literally, to show their point of view.
Then there’s the Madeline Murray O’Hareites at American Athiests who are using a play on the “Celebrate the Reason for the Season” we’ve all seen. They are planning a billboard at an approach to the Lincoln Tunnel heading into New York City that says, “You Know it’s a Myth. This Season Celebrate Reason.” Whoo! That’s clever. From their website:
This year’s first big pre-holiday blow-out comes from atheists who are trying to take the religious edge off this time of year by featuring passages from the Bible and other religious texts that mention slaughtered men, plundered cities, severed heads and women eviscerated. You know, the cheery stuff.
This just makes them come across as a bunch of bitter people who believe in a similar way to how they wrongly perceive religious people – they’re terrified that someone else may have just found the secret to true happiness and it’s not them.
Finally, there’s the runt group United Coalition of Reason, who just don’t seem to be quite in the big leagues yet.
My confusion is that all this seems to lack an actual point, not to mention it’s like trying to sell a product that serves no function by comparing it to one that does – “Buy our new electronics-free mp3 player! You’ll love its silence!”
Update:
This is a nationwide campaign. Buses in Ft. Worth will soon have these ads plastered on their sides.
All is not lost, however. An anonymous donor in NY City gave the Catholic League $18,500 to rent a billboard at the other end of the tunnel.
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