Pennsylvania Town Rejects Atheist 'There Are No Gods' Banner in Holiday (Christmas?) Display

Fox News ^ | 12/03/11

[Libloather]

Pennsylvania Town Rejects Atheist 'There Are No Gods' Banner in Holiday Display
Published December 03, 2011 | Associated Press

ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. – A western Pennsylvania mayor refused to include a banner from an atheist group that says "there are no gods" as part of a holiday display that includes a Nativity scene, which has been erected annually on city property for decades.

Hundreds of people turned out to support the mayor's decision to go ahead with the display Friday, which also includes symbols pertaining to Kwanzaa and Hanukkah and secular symbols, including Santa Claus, a snowman and a Christmas tree.

The city about 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh added secular symbols to the display this year after the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained last year that it amounted to a government endorsement of religion.

Seeking to head off a similar challenge, the mayor also invited the Madison, Wis.-based group to contribute something to the modified display, so the group mailed a sign that read: "At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

[Libloather]

Just tried a Google search for 'atheist holidays'. Pretty pathetic results, really. As far as I can tell, there aren't any. Maybe they need to learn how to STFU and leave everyone else alone. Dunno.

[353FMG]

Never could understand why atheists make such a big deal of things they don’t believe in.

Could it be that their conscience is bothering them and that they are screaming for help?

[353FMG]

Never could understand why atheists make such a big deal of things they don’t believe in.

Could it be that their conscience is bothering them and that they are screaming for help?

[353FMG]

Never could understand why atheists make such a big deal of things they don’t believe in.

Could it be that their conscience is bothering them and that they are screaming for help?

[boomop1]

Ditto Ditto Ditto

[FlingWingFlyer]

Who are they trying to convince? Us or themselves?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Who are they trying to convince? Us or themselves?

[JoeProBono]

[SumProVita]

The AP doesn’t really have very learned reporters...because, if one knows history, Santa Claus is not really a *secular* symbol.

;-))

[martian622]

It's always the same. Atheists(of a certain kind) like to make a big show of how their lofty intelligence must be proclaimed to inform the ignorant. How dare you insult their reason with your pathetic holidays and beliefs. It causes them great distress and discomfort for you to not believe and recognize their superiority over your pathetic mind. How can you not change your world to accommodate them?

They just seem like horribly selfish people to me. Always ridiculing others with a "bearded or sandled sky god" with no grasp of any other dimension than their own importance. Pray for them.

[piytar]

You mean SAINT Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) isn't 100% secular? What would ever give you that idea? /LOL

[RichInOC]

“At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

I suppose it’d be rude to suggest that history shows that creed, in action, followed out to the end, has callused more hearts and enslaved more minds than any religion.

[Jim Scott]

Atheists are tedious in their constant complaints about 'religion'. Too bad if they don't choose to subscribe to a spiritual faith. Millions do and an innocuous nativity display, even on 'government' property (in reality, the people's property) harms no one. It is absurd to contend that a city or town government simply acknowledging a major Christian holiday - the birth of Jesus - celebrated by the vast majority of the population in America - is an 'endorsement of religion', and what if it were? What is so terrible about that? No one is in any way compelled to believe anything or give worship to any specific deity by virtue of a nativity scene on the town green. No wonder Americans have grown weary of atheists and their seemingly constant whining about an expression of 'religion' in anything but an 'official' church. As John Stossel used to say: "Gimme a break!"

[gitmo]

The Athiest Holiday is officially February 31.

[Da Coyote]

Earth to athiests, earth to athiests...

It is indeed true that no one can prove there is a God.

But no one can prove that there is not a God.

So shut the f...er...shut your smelly Obama.

[GourmetDan]

"But no one can prove that there is not a God."

It's usually better if you state this in the positive-sense. i.e., It is impossible to prove that the natural/material world represents the total of reality.

That pre-empts the "can't prove a negative" arguments from small-minded people.

[proudofthesouth]

Speaking as a former Atheist IMO they are angry at God for some reason.

[proudofthesouth]

Speaking as a former Atheist IMO they are angry at God for some reason.

[proudofthesouth]

Speaking as a former Atheist IMO they are angry at God for some reason.

[Secret Agent Man]

There are no holidays for atheists to celebrate. People don’t make holidays to celebrate “nothing”. Further there is no tradition this time of the year specifically created and observed by atheists and recognized as being atheist tradition.

So there’s nothing to add to the holiday displays. You can just point to the big area of empty space next to all the other displays and say THAT is the atheist display.