Well, now that the atheist bus ads have been pulled from transit buses in Des Moines, controversy is brewing as to the truth of why they were pulled.
On the one hand, the transit authority claims that the ads were never approved in the first place and that they were accidentally put on buses. On the other hand, the group, Iowa Atheist and Free Thinkers, that sponsored the ads said the ads were approved.
Now the governor of Iowa has put in his two cents about the ads which read:
Don't believe in god? You're not alone.
According to one report, Governor Chet Culver said "'I was disturbed, personally, by the advertisement and I can understand why other Iowans were also disturbed by the message that it sent.'" "Disturbed," he said. Disturbed?
How is that seemingly innocuous ad disturbing? Disturbing is seeing the aftermath of something like Hurricane Katrina or the body of a murder victim on the evening news or the image of a bloody, battered, crucified man hanging from a cross. An ad that does nothing more than offer a show of kinship is not disturbing - except, perhaps, to the disturbed.
If that weren't enough, the governor, though he declined to say whether he would ride a bus carrying one of these atheist ads, did note "...that he would have been offended by the ad’s message."
How could this message be construed as offensive? The message reaches out to people to let them know they are not alone. Truly, the ad seems anything but disturbing or offensive.
I wonder what the governor would think of an ad that said "Believe in God? You are not alone." Would he find that ad equally disturbing and offensive? And what of the numerous people who called the transit authority to complain about the atheist ad? Would they be so quick to place complaints about such an ad? After all, when it comes down to it, one is just as vapid as the other.
Comments
I am disturbed that this guy is a Governor. It looks like as soon as we get rid of one wacky Governor (Palin) someone else is quick to take the honor.
I am not an atheist, but am "disturbed" anytime the government uses their powers to abuse freedom of press, freedom of speech or freedom of religion. Theists wholeheartedly appreciate the ability to practice religion as long as it's their OWN religion. I wonder why so many are afraid of confronting those who don't believe what they do...unless they are uneducated about what they claim to believe & feel threated in that. Hm. Anyway, good points!
It's obvious the governor of Iowa is capitalizing on anti-atheist sentiment for an upcoming political campaign. He's pandering. The sad thing is the people will buy it.
Question: Did Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers have a written contract that stated approval and had a time period for when the ads would be on the buses? If so, I'm sure the ACLU would pick up the legal cost of contract violation, making the transit authority either hold to the agreement, refund the money, or something, and, at the very least, it would provide mucho grande media coverage--locally, nationally, and internationally. Obviously Iowa, known for its potatoes, has a lot of potato heads working in the government if they signed the contract then withdrew it. Now, if there was no signed contract, then Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers didn't cover all its bases. Surely the members knew this was a possibility.
Freedom of religion should also mean freedom of religion. The Add is not disturbing, is actualy encouragin and welcomed by those of us that do not belive in god.
We do have a signed contract, they had over 2 months to dis-approve the sign BEFORE they went up and they seem to be very confused about why they took them down.
The Governor is stepping in something slippery and it will not help him politically.
Oh, and thanks for your support!
Craig Carpenter
IAF
They should have gone with something milder, like
"In the spirit of Numbers 31:15-18,
God bless the children."
To take offense at this ad, you need to be offended by the mere existence of atheists.
How about a small change in wording...
"Believe in God..? You know where you can go."
"Don't believe in god..? You are not alone."
Clearly, the governor does believe in god. So the ad does not even target him. He's offended by others voicing an opinion not shared by him.
I wonder if he would be offended by "Not a democrat? You're not alone."
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!