Atheist group officially declares war on Christmas

website ^ | December 5, 2005 | unknown

[Heyworth]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Zoe Lee, Publicist
(323) 874-1517
publicity@thegodmovie.com
http://www.thegodmovie.com
BEYOND BELIEF MEDIA DECLARES WAR ON CHRISTMAS

FIRST OFFENSIVE FEATURES NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY ADS, DVD “GUERILLA GIVEAWAYS”

Los Angeles, December 5, 2005 -- Beyond Belief Media has formally declared war on Christmas, the December 25 holiday in which Christians celebrate the birth of the mythical figure Jesus Christ, the company announced today.

“Christian conservatives complain nonstop about the ‘War on Christmas,’ but there really isn’t any such war,” said Beyond Belief Media president Brian Flemming , a former fundamentalist Christian who is now an atheist activist. “So we have decided to wage one, to demonstrate what it would look like if Jesus’ birthday were truly attacked.”

As its opening salvo, Beyond Belief Media has purchased advertisements this week in the New York Times , USA Today and the New Yorker magazine. The company’s 300-member volunteer “street team” is also descending on Christmas-themed public events with random “guerilla giveaways” of Beyond Belief’s acclaimed DVD THE GOD WHO WASN'T THERE .

“No Christmas pageant or Nativity display is safe from our troops,” said Flemming. “Wherever the mythical figure Jesus is celebrated as if he were real, we will be there with an information barrage. We will undercut the idea that there is any point at all to celebrating the ‘birth’ of a character in a fairy tale.”

THE GOD WHO WASN'T THERE is a taboo-shattering documentary that Newsweek says “irreverently lays out the case that Jesus Christ never existed.” The film includes interviews with some of the top religion experts in the world. Directed by Flemming, the movie is also highly critical of the modern Christian right and explores the dangers that religious belief poses to society. The movie has been praised by critics but condemned by pro-theocracy groups such as James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.

“Obviously our ‘War on Christmas’ is a bit tongue-in-cheek,” said Flemming. “But the Christian myth does dominate U.S. culture, and there’s no time better than Christmas to take a fresh look at that myth and see it for what it is.”

The ads may be viewed at http://www.thegodmovie.com. The New Yorker magazine ad appears in the Dec. 12 issue, going on sale today. The New York Times ad appears on Dec. 6, the USA Today ad on Dec. 9. The “guerilla giveaway” raids begin today and continue through Christmas.

[AppyPappy]

These are not just "atheists". They are anti-Christians. There is a vast difference.

It's like calling the World Church of the Creator, a racist front group, a Christian organization.

[MineralMan]

"These are not just "atheists". They are anti-Christians. There is a vast difference.

It's like calling the World Church of the Creator, a racist front group, a Christian organization."

---

I'd agree. I know that this atheist doesn't care if other folks believe in whatever they believe in. I'm certainly not threatened by Christianity.

These folks are idiots, trying to generate publicity for their movie. I'll be ignoring them.

[AppyPappy]

It's not about the movie. It's about the cause. The movie is just a medium for the cause. It's no accident that Christmas is being suppressed.

[Texas2step]

As for the den of clowns in the posting...they deserve only to be ignored.

You said about what I thought you would say. Thanks for commenting.

[katana]

Could be worse. My right index finger twitched.

[dinodino]

I'm an atheist, but I think these guys are a bunch of total time- and money-wasting idiots.

"Mythical figure" that was Jesus Christ? They're saying Jesus didn't exist?

Idiots.

[Dichroic]

These are not just "atheists". They are anti-Christians. There is a vast difference. It's like calling the World Church of the Creator, a racist front group, a Christian organization.>>>>

Actually that group never claimed to be Christian.

Theyre a vocally athiest racist group.

[Texas2step]

I would like to thank you all for sharing your gift of knowing me better than I know myself.

You bring out a very good point. We do not know you, and we cannot deny that you had a belief system at one point which you were faithful to. However, had I ever met you, personally, and sat down and had lunch with you, and spent some time getting to know you, I could never at some point in the future say that you never existed. Oh, I could say it, but it would be because of my dementia, or some other mental lapse.

Even if it had been years and years ago, and someone came up to me and said, "Remember that Antonello fellow that yada, yada, yada?" I would say, "Yeah, I remember that guy, "former Christian", right?"

I would have known you, and would not be able to say you didn't exist.

Now, you have basically confessed that you never really had a personal relationship with Jesus (or at least you haven't mentioned it on this 100+ post thread). Since you never met Jesus, you never really knew Him. Oh, you may have known about Him and what is was said that He did, but by your own words, you never really met Him, right?

To be a Christian is to have personally met Jesus, and to have faith that He's who He claims to be, and did what He said He did. If you don't have the personal relationship with Him, then the "faith" you profess is simply a faith in what others have told you which leads to a belief system built on a house of cards.

You're right, I do not know you. I've never really met you. However, with just this brief interaction (as one sided as it's been), I have no doubt you exist. A relationship with Jesus is much more personal (and more interactive, believe it or not), and once you've had that real, and personal, relationship, there is no denying His existance.

Blessings...

[Texas2step]

I'm certainly not threatened by Christianity.

Nor should you be. Nobody should feel threatened by Christianity, and we really shouldn't feel threatened by atheists. I'm amazed at some of the comments on this thread by some of my fellow believers. Their anger and fear of this group and groups like them are not really in alignment with their beliefs.

[Heyworth]

Frankly, I consider this a publicity stunt for this "movie."

Ya think?

[ghostcat]

Did anyone else notice that he is using copyrighted material on his "proclamation"? Boy Scouts of America could probably have his butt in a sling over this!

[frgoff]

It's simply a way of justifying the doctrine of eternal security in the face of people who were obviously devout at some point in the past and lost/abandoned/discarded their faith.

It's basically an exercise in circular logic. Christians cannot lose their salvation. Therefore when we see somoene who appears to have lost their salvation, they never had salvation because Christians can't lose their salvation.

[Junior]

Damn, if these guys succeed I'll lose my two weeks off from work every year.

[frgoff]

Atheists mock Christians and "Christians" mock Mormons. Perhaps you're not as far apart as you like to pretend.

[Junior]

I bet Flemming's life insurance premium just blasted into deep space............what's the over/under on one of these maggots getting a richly-deserved mudhole stomped in their asses before New Year's?

True Christians wouldn't do that, nor would they want that to happen.

[RegulatorCountry]

"Perhaps you're not as far apart as you like to pretend."

According to Joseph Smith, God did talk to him through his hat. How is observing this, mockery?

[tutstar]

ping

[tutstar]

You tell 'em!

[Old Professer]

That address is a mail drop.

[Arizona Carolyn]

My money is on Soros.