by Jack Lee
You probably read the story in today’s ER about the billboards with the words “Don’t believe in God? Join the club?” They went up around Chico on Dec. 5 to mark the formal launch of the Butte County Coalition of Reason, but by Wednesday morning, someone had defaced the Skyway billboard, ripping off “Don’t” and the group’s website so it only states “believe in God? Join the club.”
I don’t know who did this or their motive, but its a good bet someone was so upset by the message they felt they had to destroy it.
What does that say about the perpetrator/s? That they’re so insecure in their faith they can’t handle an opposing view? That they think the ends justifies the means? That they don’t respect free speech or other people’s personal property? Well, whatever it is, it’s something reprehensible, un-American and it’s certainly not Christian.
We don’t need that sort of thing in Chico and I hope whoever is responsible is caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law because we respect free speech here.
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” ― George Orwell
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
— Voltaire or Evelyn Beatrice Hall
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” — Universal Declaration of Human Rights
No one can accuse me of being a Christian though I love and respect Christians. I know Christians. This vandalism wasn’t the act of a Christian. The vast majority of Christians are not stupid, morally bankrupt criminals and answer to a belief in a higher power rejects such despicable behavior.
I also know atheists intimately having once been one until I got fed up with the relentless onslaught of angry, bigoted rhetoric packed with fallacies and personal attacks. I know well that atheiests claim morally superiority but, in fact and act, they demonstrate little to none. They answer to no higher power, not even the God given Bill Of Rights or the laws of men.
There is little to no doubt in my mind that it was the atheists themselves who vandalized their own billboard in order to make to make people of religious faith — and in particular Christians — look bad and themselves look like victims.
And then there’s that possibility too. If they did that, then that’s more evil than an outsider vandalizing their billboard. My instincts say it’s probably not that conspiratorial and the actual motive is like more primitive.
Please note, I’m not accusing anyone or any particular faith, Muslim, Christians, Wickens, etc. I just think it’s likely the motive was a religious one, but that’s about as far as I am willing to speculate.
I agree whoever did it was NO Christian.
I agree completely with the principles of free speech. Good post Jack!
I am also acutely aware of the forces that would silence other voices. Time will tell whether this local affiliate of a new national organization is just a way for like-minded “folks” to get together or another activist organization bent on shoving religion out of the public square. Nothing on the web pages I found that are related to this group, locally or nationally, suggests this group intends to silence religious voices. Other groups that are associated with the national organization can be found for your consideration at this link:
http://unitedcor.org/national/page/allies
I agree with Pie that some atheists have and do intend to silence Christian voices. They use intimidation, the courts, and any other means they believe they can get away with to shove religion and religious voices into a locked closet. The idea that religious expression cannot occur on public land assumes the state as the authority in America rather than the people and undermines the entire purpose of free speech which is open expression and freedom from oppression.
In the last few decades many attempts have been made to destroy religious symbols and silence religious as well as conservative people. Examples: talk radio hosts, conservative women, conservatives that work in Hollywood, conservative Christians, Black conservative actors, Black conservative Christians, a black man selling (or giving away) flags at a town hall, and just this week, a football player and some “folks” who believe in the right to work.
It isn’t conservatives or Christians that are the most intolerant in America.
The self-worshiping opinion of the atheist was expressed well by Lenin in 1905
What a shallow perspective! The little tin god always believes he has the answer…that he can lead others to a more enlightened and better life here on earth. Throughout history those that have reached leadership status have always produced shared misery for the people…and a society lacking in spirit, creativity, aliveness, humility and freedom Freedom to choose was granted to every man by God Himself. BAH! They can have their self-deluding atheist illusions…put it on a billboard for all I care.
Tina, wonderful points! I agree with everyone of them. However, in the past we’ve seen far too many deluded people commit great evil in the name of their religion (you noted that as well). And prominent among those usurped moments in time are (unfortunately) Muslims and Christians; albeit at differing points in their evolutionary scale. Still, the damage was done and their reputations tarnished for all time because of it. (A lesson missed by the vandal/s of the billboard)
Historians and antagonists alike will make sure to point out the hypocrisy of preaching peace and doing violence at the same time, but it is what it is. I don’t think it could be otherwise, because the administration of religion was entirely left up to us deeply flawed mortals who often acted malevolently in the name of God, mixing religion with politics, using the old excuse that the ends justify the means or a completely wrong interpretation of a religious passage to cause mayhem. These are bad examples of man’s inhumanity towards man, and we’re far from evolving up and out of this lethal trap of our own creation.
This next bit of (borrowed) wisdom is the best bottom line I can think of to wrap this up: “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” We need more of that in today’s world. That’s a powerful cornerstone of Christianity!
PS Whether they have any responsibility or not, maybe local churches should take up a collection to repair the damage done to the atheist’s billboard?
Interesting comments. When I saw the damaged billboard on TV news, my first thought was that the kids were out having “fun”. It is such a juvinile thing to do, never occured to me that it was a Christian or Atheist that did it for their own gain.
Peggy that was my first thought as well if only because I have seen it often on billboard ads of all types on the way to and from the airport.
Harriet may be the closest to the truth, a juvenile prank. I remember when as a youth I … um … well, let us not go there.
Could be Pie, but I still think it would be a nice gesture on the part of our Council of Churches to offer to fix their billboard. The message they would send would be invaluable.
“Don’t believe in God? Join the club?”
“Believe in God? Join the club.”
In a society that actually practiced what it preached in the Constitution, neither of these sentiments would be enough, on their own, to offend anyone to the point of vandalism.
I find it sad that statements which are, on their face, invitations, welcoming people into a group of like-minded others, are too often interpreted (and in some cases intended) to disparage and demean “non-members” of the “club” in question.
Don’t believe in God? Good for you!
Believe in God? Good for you!
Neutral on the subject due to a complete lack of evidence for either position? Good for you!
If only all people were so tolerant.