It's happened before. In Cinncinnati, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Moscow (in Idaho) and elsewhere across the country, nontheists have seen their ads and displays vandalized, removed or destroyed by persons unknown. This time, the damage was done to ads on three of Detroit's SMART buses. The ads were purchased by the Detroit Coalition of Reason (Detroit CoR) on March 4 and appeared on 12 buses. In all three cases, the "Don't" of the ad message, "Don't believe in God? You are not alone" was torn off, altering the meaning of the message.In a statement released March 15, Ruthe Milan, coordinator of Detroit CoR, said, "Acts like this give a striking reminder that our message is necessary. Without a doubt, prejudice against atheists and agnostics is still very real in American life."
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There is also plenty of good. After documenting the damage, SMART replaced the vandalized signs free of charge. "We are most pleased by SMART's action," commented United CoR National Director Fred Edwords. "It shows they care about freedom of speech. We hope their action will help bring about a day when those with minority opinions can feel safe going public about their views."The ads were not intended to promote the nontheist viewpoint but rather were intended to let Detroit area nontheists know there is a like-minded community out there for them if they need it.
"We want people to understand that humanists, freethinkers, agnostics and atheists are essentially like everyone else," said Ruthe Milan when the ads first appeared. "We have most of the same values. And you'll find us among your friends, neighbors, coworkers and family members. But it's time we were recognized and granted our rightful place at the table."
The vandalism indicates that some aren't ready to grant nontheists a place at the table though.
"Because this has happened, we stand even more resolved in our goal of being outspoken about our ideas," Milan added. "And we expect that this vandalism will convince even more nontheistic Detroiters that getting organized is important for the cause of religious liberty."
Photo Credits:
1) SMART bus before vandalism
2) and after (source for both images is Detroit CoR)
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Comments
I don't think promotional ads of this nature atheisim or theism should be on busses, I just think it splits the community rather than bring it together.
You cannot pretend that an advertisement like that does not promote the non-theist viewpoint. The promotion comes from its mere mention.
That said, I don't approve of the kind of childish pranks depicted here--always assuming, however, that the "Council on Reason" didn't do it themselves in order to get a headline from you and others.
Atheists should take a page from the Dominionist Neo-con play book and have many cameras and hired investigators to apprehend the terrorists. Survelliance. Thats how the Bush evangelicals still in the high places of their principalities do it.
Vandalism is immoral and illegal. If your belief in G-d is so strong, lead by example, not by being an immoral, petty criminal.
No, I still say hire some agencies to stake them out. Arrest these vandal thugs and send them to Guantanamo.
Gnostic,
I'd be happy if they'd just stop trying to prevent us from getting our messages out, like they get their messages out.
It's not splitting the community, it's letting nonbelievers know that they in fact have a community.
DAAAM YOU PEOPLE ARE SO DUMB YOU BELONG IN MICHIGAN - GET A LIFE !
Why not just have Atheist churches and put your "shingle" out like the churches do? I know one church with a sign "Jesus Saves" the atheist church could say "Jesus Saves - Not" or something. I don't know that advertising on buses and billboards is a great thing for religion or atheism.
"Atheist church"?
???
I find it humorous how the obsessive religious vandals think that the atheists shouldn't have the same rights regarding free speech and expression.
That being said, thank goodness we have a little thing called "separation of church and state." Note that I am not trying to knock religion, but I am pointing out the bigots that try to push their beliefs on others. I'm not sure how often religious ads get vandalized, but I think an atheist is less likely to vandalize it since they tend to be big supporters of free speech (which stems from being a minority in a religion-dominated world).
We Pastafarians prefer places with booze and pole dancers, actually.
But thanks for the suggestion, Collins.
OH NOEZ, someone ruined some cheap poster, lets not only say moronic things like
"I find it humorous how the obsessive religious vandals think that the atheists shouldn't have the same rights regarding free speech and expression."
EVERYONE knows athetists NEVER do this kind of stuff! they never do anything wrong!
No the poster itself is PAYED speech. If anything the vandals are actually illustrating free speech more.
Seriously guys, QQ more. You do something that is bad against others (and I know everyone here including myself do bad things every day), and then you troll on something like this? Trolling ALL religious based on the actions of a few?
That is more stupid/wrong/pathetic and some random ripping up a cheap poster in a smart way
"Vandalism is immoral and illegal"
Morals come from religion ironically. And if a poster promotes Hitler, then it would be immoral to NOT rip it down. To some atheism is that bad, and these stupid comments don't help your cause.
So Poppet, vandalism is something you encourage?
>"Trolling ALL religious based on the actions of a few?"
Perhaps you could point to the part where he claimed that religion as a whole was responsible other than the few who did this? He did state that prejudice exists towards atheism in the US, which is not a lie.
>"That is more stupid/wrong/pathetic and some random ripping up a cheap poster in a smart way."
Perhaps you could tell us what is so smart about suppressing freedom of speech? Perhaps the smarter thing would be to pay for your own poster on buses instead?
>"Morals come from religion ironically."
Evidence? Would I be right in guessing you're religious? Do your morals tell you that vandalism and suppression of free speech is a good idea? And do your morals tell you that non-believers are incapable of being immoral because you can't fathom how they can have any morals if they don't have any religious beliefs? I don't think such arrogance is a virtue.
>"And if a poster promotes Hitler, then it would be immoral to NOT rip it down."
Perhaps, but promoting Nazi ideals would likely be considered hate speech. I'd like to know how promoting an organization for fellow non-believers is any worse than an advert for your favourite church.
>"To some atheism is that bad"
OH NOEZ! Poor babies, scared of people who have differing opinions to that of their own. So they feel the need to break the law, commit vandalism, suppress free speech and the rights of others? Sounds like bigotry to me.
>"and these stupid comments don't help your cause."
And whatever your cause is, yours right here have indicated that lack of tolerance towards non-believers is still a genuine problem in the US. If only more Americans really cared about what the Constitution was about, rather than what they wished it was about. Perhaps then there would be less hypocrisy and more tolerance.
"Without a doubt, prejudice against atheists and agnostics is still very real in American life"
Without a doubt, prejudice against Christians is still very real in American life. Atheists at a college recently were giving away porn if a person was willing to turn in a Bible. Then articles like this want to claim such atheists are just like everyone else. It's hypocritical that these people pay money to post their prejudiced messages, give away porn if people will give a sign of rejecting God, attacking the idea of believing in God, and then try to teach that it's Christians that are prejudiced. =(
And what basis do atheists have for believing themselves? If they are the product of chemistry and physics, why do they think what they think is true? "Reducio ad absurdum."
There are no "rights" if you are an atheist. Period.
'cogito ergo sum,' Matty boy.
I am a sentient being, capable of independent reasoning and analyis - I need no blessed finger up my arse to "believe" in.
As for rights, if you had even a small understanding of philosophy and ethics, you would know that concepts of ethical, moral behavior - and rights - can easily be derived without the need to have them 'given' by some generous deity.
And won't Mr Dawkins & co. cash in on this. A great opportunist's opportunity.
D J Wray
Packaged Evolution: The Intelligent Universe
"I don't actually know what I actually think about that [determinism], I haven't taken up a position about that."
- Richard Dawkins
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