Posted on 02/12/2010 11:47:26 AM PST by TaraP
"Are you good without God? Millions are" is the message on 10 new billboards in the Sacramento, CA area. The billboards, which are part of a nationwide campaign that began last year, were put up by the Sacramento Area Coalition of Reason. It's an umbrella organization for a variety of groups including the First Atheist Church of True Science, Humanist Association of the Greater Sacramento Area, Sacramento Area Skeptics, and Atheists and Other Freethinkers.
Sponsors of the "good without God" billboards say it's not an attack on theism but, instead, a message directed to their own community.
"It's a way of reaching out to people," said Fred Edwords, national director of United Coalition of Reason (quoted in the Sacramento Bee). "Many folks who think like us think they are the only ones." "We non-theists are your family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers," said Rachael Harrington, coordinator of the Sacramento group, in a news release. "We're just like you, except we don't believe in a supreme being. It's about time we were equally free to be open about our views."
Most people I know are for sure Christian.
How do I know it?
I don’t follow them to church. It’s not by their behavior.
It’s by them advertising that they are Christian.
Most people I know do not for sure know I’m an atheist. It’s because I don’t feel the need to advertise. The ones who do know found out because I responded to a question about my beliefs.
I don’t have a problem with you advertising. After all, your religion commands you to do it. Just don’t complain when others advertise, too. It’s like Wal-Mart taking it personally when Target runs an ad.
I don't either. Why do Christians get bothered with people talking about atheism?
That's one of the strangest interpretations of sin in Christianity I've ever heard.
I am always wary of committing a No True Scotsman fallacy, especially with religion, but I don't see how a person can believe this and still call himself Christian. Even with No True Scotsman, there has to be a point at which you break a universally accepted core tenet of a religion, and therefore are no longer of that religion.
Atheists can be good people, just like the rest of us. They are born with a conscience like everyone else. But they have no solid philosophical reason or basis to believe their conscience or in an absolute value system. Philosophically and logically, all they can say is that they prefer one set of behavior over another, and to take a pragmatic approach. But a pragmatic approach doesn't work in those times when we can choose to do things when we know that we won't get caught. So atheists, who act good, end up acting in an inconsistent manner.
Theists, especially Christians, not only have a conscience, but also an external objective standard and a logical philosophical basis for acting good. Unfortunately, we, like everyone else, usually do not live up to those external standards. We also then can recognize our lack of goodness (sin), and be thankful for God's mercy that we do not at all deserve.
Sure they’re good. They possibly even do good things to help out people. Still not going to heaven.
Good one!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2450127/posts
Seems as if there’s always something to counter good news about God.
Quote Scientists have identified areas of the brain that, when damaged, lead to greater spirituality. The findings hint at the roots of spiritual and religious attitudes, the researchers say. From http://www.livescience.com/health/spirituality-brain-link-100211.html
Can you be Good without God?
You can be Moral without God. You can be Ethical without God. But ONLY God is Good. So, to attain for goodness is to attain for God-likeness or Godliness. Which means the answer is “NO.”
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Two religions of the world. One - theism, understanding there is a Supreme Being, Lord of all, and all humans are eternal souls subject to His will; that the divine kingdom of God or eternal realm is our real home; and that real happiness is found only in loving surrender to the Lord which includes living according to His instructions. (Details vary, but that's a basic gist.)
The other "religion" - there is no God/everyone is God, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die (end of existence so get it on now), make your own rules, there is no transcendent meaning or purpose to life, etc.
I wish I were rich - I could put up some billboards!
Someone needs to put that up on a billboard right down the street!
Sure.....
If they were equally free to express their views, they’d be shut down in pretty quick order in public.
Well said. "...And he (Jesus) said unto him, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God..." (Matthew 19:17)
They're looking for approval and validation, just like anyone who deep down inside doesn't really believe that they are right.
Where do they go when they are in despair?
They’re not doing it for the attention.
Christians really believe that people without Jesus will go to hell when they die.
They’d be more than remiss if the didn’t warn people.
If I saw that a truck was about to hit you, would you rather have me warn you or just go on my way?
There's no *hate* towards unbelievers, any more than disagreeing with homosexuality or affirmative action is *hate*, or any other whining that liberals do.
Speaking of condescension, try being a believer and being told that you're intellectually bankrupt because you believe. It goes both ways. No reply is expected so don't feel obligated.
When I mentioned liberal Christians I was thinking about only economic liberals. My uncle was an economic liberal, a big labor unions member, but he was also a strong believer in the literal truth of the Bible.
No God, no good. Who would define what “good” means? The individual who thinks he’s god? OK, it’s good to persecute those you don’t agree with, it’s good to kill inconvenient babies before they are born and handicapped people, it’s good for men to “marry” men, etc.
Without God’s universal divine law, exactly how does one definine ‘good’? What is good? Who’s good is right? Humanism...
They’re not Christians simply because they say so. If their behavior doesn’t match what Jesus taught, they’re not Christian.
Talk is cheap and easy.
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