Defacing a church or synagogue is considered a hate crime. Should this be?
A billboard near Sacramento promoting atheism was vandalized by someone depicting atheists as lost, one of the billboard’s sponsor said.
The billboard — one of several posted in the Sacramento area — originally read: “Are you good without God? Millions are.” Someone spray-painted the words “also lost?” beneath “millions are,” CBS13 reported Tuesday.
Rachael Harrington of the Sacramento Area Coalition of Reason — which paid to have the billboards put up — said the ads are intended to let atheists and agnostics know they are not alone, the TV station said.
“This shows loud and clear just how necessary our message is, because prejudice against people who don’t believe in a god remains very real in America,” Harrington said.
If I vandalized one of the thousands of Church of Christ, or LDS billboards — what would that be?
I think it is a hate crime, but as usual, religious hate crimes are targetted at education. It doesn’t even make sense. Whoever tagged it walked away thinking “that will show them”…but really…really…also lost?…WTF…I would be pissed if it made sense…
“get em young, keep em dumb”
#98–amodedoma==very well said. I’ll add to it by saying “learning how to become a better person” is about the highest activity that we all can engage in. Sad the number of people we meet who have become stuck in whatever rut they have built for themselves.
I recall waking up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and usually finding my father up reading a book on the kitchen counter. I still marvel at “all that knowledge” gone to waste at his death. What did it all mean?
And now, my child finds me up all night at the computer. All that knowledge. What will it mean when I die? Not a thing. Can anything so transitory be “meaningful” in a meaningful way? I don’t think so, and that is all we have other than a fantasy for something more. Is the fantasy meaningful? I don’t think so.
You may think otherwise, and what will that mean after you die?
He, he. Well, at least we thought it for awhile.
Its OK people, GOD told them to do it!
Just like he told that guy to kill the abortion doctor… Oh wait a group of religious people sentenced him to life in prison? Don’t you BELIEVE HIM THAT GOD INSTRUCTED HIM TO KILL?
Oh that’s right, its only OK in war to ask for gods help to kill. Psh you god lovers always throwing your own kind in jail for listening to those fictitious voices in your heads.
Religion is a sickness. Like any other form of mental illness.
#26 – Thomas,
Thanks. My gut said yes. I couldn’t define why. Since I’m late to the party, I decided to read a bunch of opinions and see if any made sense to me.
Yours is concise, well thought out, and goes straight to the heart of the matter, or the heart of the perpetrator where it logically belongs.
Well said.
#39 – Mikey Twit,
Yes. As long as we continue to have hate crime laws on the books, this makes sense. Questioning the validity of the concept of hate crime does not answer whether this should be considered as such under existing laws.
Someone call the Waaambulance.
My thing about defacing the sign is that it does little to convince people that they need Christ.
#106 – Benjamin,
They don’t.
Just as we don’t need the great pumpkin, we truly don’t need gods.
But, if it were a better sales pitch for your particular sub-sect of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic religion, you’d be fine with this??!!?
If someone successfully advertised for a 2,000 year old Jewish corpse by creating a fresh corpse, would you be fine with that too? Which crimes in the name of Christ would be acceptable to you and which would not?
>> HeeHee said, on February 20th, 2010 at 10:56 am
>> No one can hate as fiercely as a true believer in some organized religion. Don’t believe me? Read history.
I’ve read the history of atheist-controlled countries like Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China and Pol Pot’s Cambodia.
Until you atheist supremacists take ownership of the horrific dark side of your own history, you remain a danger to civilised society.
What is this “religion” of which you speak?
Why do atheists need a billboard?
If it is a christian behind this i would not consider it to be motivated by hate, they could of done it in a better way though.
As a christian we do not tell people they are lost and not good people because we hate them, we tell them because we love them.
#111
So, why couldn’t atheists want to tell people their message out of love and concern? As an atheist, I want people to assess what they are told with a critical eye not because of hate but because of concern that following without questioning can lead to significant pain for the person and those around them.
#110 – HMeyers,
Why do atheists need a billboard?
For the same reason the LBGT community needs a flag. Atheists are now the most hated minority in the U.S. We need to come out of the closet and follow the wonderful example set by the LBGT community to attempt to get respect.
#111 – aussieem,
As a christian we do not tell people they are lost and not good people because we hate them, we tell them because we love them.
You tell people you love that they are not good people because they don’t believe your mythology??!!?
Thanks!! We don’t need that kind of love. Peddle that crap elsewhere please.
If your mythology requires you to look down on people who don’t agree with you as being bad people, no thanks. I don’t need that shit. Try some real love and acceptance instead of that judgmental bullshit.
Silly christians, how can they achieve salvation without worshipping the monkey god?