Xian Logic
19 February 2009 by Bob
Just a note from our friends from the Great White North…
Atheist ads on OC Transpo in limbo
An Atheist advertising campaign will spend a few weeks in limbo after the transit committee deadlocked on a vote on whether to allow ads to run on city buses. The ads by the Humanist Association of Ottawa, stating “There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life,” were rejected last week. Transit committee chairman Alex Cullen had attempted to overturn the decision and pledged to bring it to city council in early March as a separate motion. Humanist Julie Breeze said she was disappointed that the decision was not overturned, but said she intended to keep fighting. “The ads that we are proposing are not intended to offend,” she said. “We’re hoping that these ads will let other non-believers know that they are not alone. It’s not an easy thing to be an atheist surrounded by a sea of believers.”
And, of course, there’s the clincher…
However, Theresa Milligan argued against the ads, saying that it goes beyond freedom of speech. “When statements are said that God probably does not exist, this is an implied statement of hatred towards all those who do believe that God exists.”
Oh, Ms. Milligan? Please just go fuck yourself.
Now that’s hate speech. You fucking idiot.
19 February 2009, on 11:26 pm
That Miligan woman is such a pathetic whiner. Hateful is telling the world that we are doomed to eternal pain and punishment because we don’t follow some arbitrary guidelines that have changed throughout history. That is hateful, hostile and an out and out lie.
19 February 2009, on 11:31 pm
Agreed. It will get the ads running. They are going to run in Toronto so I can’t see why Ottawa wouldn’t let them run too. All they have to do is point to other examples around the world where this campain is running as well.
19 February 2009, on 11:41 pm
“When statements are said that God probably does not exist, this is an implied statement of hatred towards all those who do believe that God exists.”
Because the only thing an atheist does is hate. We hate everyone and everything.
Every time anyone disagrees with you, they’re secretly hating you. If someone says you probably can’t juggle, they actually hate everyone that says you probably CAN juggle. If someone says that finding every digit of pi is impossible, they actually hate everyone who says finding every digit IS possible.
It’s the word “probably” being stuck in there that makes it so over-the-top. It makes the phrase so harmless. It’s not declaring anything overt- Just suggesting that hey, it’s possible! But like I said, we all know atheists are made of nothing but pure, dark, stinky hate. That’s why all heavenly God-children must close their eyes, cover their ears, and go “la la la!” every time one of them goes by. (Or, if they’re angry enough, pass legislation to try and make the atheists shut up.)
20 February 2009, on 12:01 am
…implied statement of hatred towards all those who do believe that God exists.
WHAT? NO, IT IS NOT! Talk about a persecution complex. This comes close to delusional paranoia.
20 February 2009, on 12:29 am
Oh, so hate speech is bad because it means xians can’t hate on gays and everyone else, but then they start screaming “hate speech! hate speech!” whenever it benefits them!
Figures.
20 February 2009, on 11:46 am
Actually I kind of do hate believers – or at least scorn them for buying into the myth.
And then again I really envy them – how comforting to have that “guarantee” of being fucking RIGHT all of the time!
Mixed emotions, as usual.
20 February 2009, on 12:04 pm
Actually, it’s not – at least, not according to any legal definition of hate speech that I’m familiar with. It’s rude, sure, but not hate speech. To qualify as hate speech, it has to be directed against a group rather than an individual, and it (usually) has to involve at least an implied threat of violence (AFAIK).
“People like you should be put up against a wall and shot” is hate speech. “You are a fucking idiot” is not.
20 February 2009, on 12:23 pm
They should change the Adds
“All non believers will burn in hell… for ever!!.
Sincerely,
God”
There you have it!
20 February 2009, on 12:51 pm
So every time some moron says “amen” or thanks gob for winning their douche ball game or whatever, It’s actually an implied message of hate speech against me because I’m a non believer. That’s right isn’t it?
I mean by her logic.
20 February 2009, on 2:12 pm
I’m sure by xian logic it’s actually an expression of their pity for us since we don’t share their True Christian ™ beliefs.
20 February 2009, on 5:31 pm
OLoPM
No, no, no. The “morons” aren’t capable of hate-speech, cuz they are TRUE BLEEEVERS, and only emit love and sunshine. If any hate is detected, it is because of our faulty hate-listening process, which, BTW, is just another way in which we persecute the poor dears.
20 February 2009, on 7:38 pm
Damn! Even as an atheist who wants to use hate speech, I still screw it up…
[*sigh*]
20 February 2009, on 11:46 pm
Oh boy, the old , tired “hate speech” tirade;
Firstly, as has been pointed out, this is not hate speech. It’s a statement of opinion about certain beliefs. No statement about the believer is made explicitly or implicitly.
More importantly, hate speech is still only…speech. Sure, words are powerful, but they don’t directly lead to damage, inury, or death. This is a non-argument. Speech shouldn’t be banned/censored simply because it is hateful. Banning words doesn’t get rid of the sentiment. The great thing about “hate speech” is that, in a free society, you can make an argument against it–expose it for what it is. And sometimes you turn the minds of those who make hateful statements.
And sometimes you don’t, but I sure as hell don’t want to live in a society where people aren’t free to say what they want, even if it is hateful.
21 February 2009, on 10:12 pm
The great thing about “hate speech” is that, in a free society, you can make an argument against it–expose it for what it is.
I agree with you, Fritzy.
It also seems to me that if people with hateful minds are allowed to expose themselves to the rest of us through hate speech we have a better chance to protect ourselves. Obviously the more we know about a person’s position the better we can fight against it. The pervert who looks like a sweet friendly neighbor with a “welcome” mat at his front door is far more dangerous than the pervert who carries around a sign reading, “Children should be f*#%ed.” (I only wish perverts were that easy to detect.)
“When opinions are free….truth will finally and powerfully prevail.” by Thomas Paine
16 April 2009, on 1:10 pm
“There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life”
I think the advertisement should be more logical. By observation, my non-Christian friends worry way more than my Christian friends. Also, my non-Christian friends seem to enjoy life less than my Christian friends.
Therefore, why not change the ad slogan to “There’s probably no God: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry for tommorrow we die.” It gets more to point, is more accurate, and pretty catchy.
And half of it is scripture ; )
16 April 2009, on 2:07 pm
Also, my non-Christian friends seem to enjoy life less than my Christian friends.
bluegrass, I see that many of my Christian family members and friends need valium and large doses of god bullshit just to cope with even the tiniest problems. God or no god, it depends on people’s outlooks. God belief does not help anyone who has a crappy outlook in general, or other problems. In fact, god belief can actually make people feel worse because they feel like victims or some puppet of some invisible sadistic supernatural being. If you really stop to take a close look, an honest one, you will see that your Christian friend DO worry A LOT and pray alot and pray over the damndest littlest things in the world. Then they have to worry about some imaginary being watching their every single and even most personal move. And then there is the guilt for no reason that religion instills. Guilt for merely existing.
Therefore, why not change the ad slogan to “There’s probably no God: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry for tommorrow we die.” It gets more to point, is more accurate, and pretty catchy.
And it is also completely true. We should enjoy life now, for who knows when our life will end and we should live life to the fullest. Christians live too much for death and an imagined afterlife that will never be. So…eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die!