We are coming into the “holiday” season. Now I say “holiday” simply to include them all; Hanukkah, Christmas, Festivus, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, etc.
The season of festivities at this time of year would not exist if it weren’t for some religious belief system. Most religions “evangelize” because they want others to know about what they believe and why. You tell people about great movies, great restaurants, diets that help you, foods and fads that give you more energy. We light up Twitter and Facebook with all these things.
Let’s look at the word evangelize. Webster says: “to try to convert (a group or area) to a different religion (especially Christianity) – often used figuratively.” For example, “They were evangelizing about the importance of saving energy” or the dolphins or any other issue near and dear to their hearts.
This year atheists have launched a concerted campaign, setting up booths at craft fairs and in parks sharing their non-holiday message. The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) (who I lovingly refer to as the Freedom from Religion Freaks), in their fight against religion, is selling a variety of greeting cards for “winter solstice.”
It’s ironic that the FFRF, an organization which is so dead-set against the concept of a God, would be promoting a holiday which is linked with so many gods. Throughout history, cultures around the world have worshiped sun gods and goddesses at the time of solstice. How does a nontheistic group reconcile themselves to honoring sun gods with greeting cards that say “Yes, Virginia! There is no God…”? Confused? I think so.
There are now atheist “churches” and meeting houses popping up where they sing songs, hear a “talk,” and have some quiet reflection before going home. Sound familiar?
Atheists are also putting up holiday displays alongside religious ones. And in central New Jersey, they are putting up a series of billboards in response to the recent disaster in the Philippines with signs like “Disaster victims need real help (not prayer)” and “Disaster victims need real help (not bibles).”
There is even an active group of atheists in San Diego that work Balboa Park on weekends with signs that say “Relax, Hell does not exist, or Heaven either, enjoy your life” and say anything they can do the “de-convert” is worth it.
HELLO! This sounds like “The Nothing Gospel” to me.
It would appear that atheists are out in force, pushing their message of non-belief, putting up billboards, having “meetings,” handing out flyers at public events, putting up religious (or non-religious?) holiday displays.
By definition, atheists are on an evangelical campaign to convert believers to non-believers. Isn’t America wonderful with that whole freedom of speech thing! Too bad there wasn’t a freedom from lies in the Constitution. I guess when the only truth you base your whole existence on is science, people, and Wikipedia it becomes a very fluid and subjective truth.
These people are disingenuous. It’s not that they want equality and freedom to practice their own brand of religion. They want us to abandon our religion and have the same “nothing” that they do. They want us to feel ridiculous for believing in an afterlife simply because they don’t. The fact that they can’t wrap their mind around a supreme being who made everything must mean that it can’t exist. Talk about being full of yourself. And they actively work against “believers” telling us it’s for our own good. The fact that they think we can’t have fun because we believe in Heaven and Hell shows a level of ignorance that’s staggering.
If you want to sell your wares, be honest about it. If you really have the truth, that there is nothing, then “preach” it. If it’s true it will stand on its own. If not… well then, make sure you have air conditioning.
