Atheist group officially declares war on Christmas

website ^ | December 5, 2005 | unknown

[Heyworth]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Zoe Lee, Publicist
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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.

[Texas2step]

Instead, it makes the claim that, essentially, since he was an uneducated nobody that was executed as a young man and still had a massive effect on people religiously, then He must be a God.

And Joe Smith has done this exactly how? And, without the influence of Jesus, would we even know who Joe Smith was? Surely you can do better than this.

[KC-10A BOOMER]

Thanks for posting the best way to get back at the “Contrarian Bullshit Artist Community.” I like nothing more than offending these idiots by wishing them a Merry Christmas.

[RegulatorCountry]

"And Joe Smith has done this exactly how?"

He claimed to talked to a salamander, which he said was the Angel Moroni, who then gave Joseph Smith the Book of Mormon. I'm not making this up, seriously.

[Future Snake Eater]

Unless you are claiming that the story shows not that He was God directly, but simply that what He was saying must have been true - and what He was saying was He was God.

Sure, why not? If even one thing He said was a lie, then the whole Book is a lie.

Mormonism is a little out there for my tastes as far as its foundation, but I do have respect for their practitioners. I personally don't think the Bible needs a companion piece or any other improvement, but they do, and that's fine for them.

I really don't know much about Joseph Smith so I can't comment on him intelligently, however, I do believe that he was at least a real person. I find it appalling that the fools mentioned in this article don't even believe Jesus was a real person...takes all kinds, I guess...

[righttackle44]

They are SO going to get their butts kicked.

[confederate_infidel]

SNAP! You said it perfectly!

[P.O.E.]

Burgermeister Meisterburger: "Toys are hereby declared illegal, immoral, unlawful AND anyone found with a toy in his possession will be placed under arrest and thrown in the dungeon. No kidding! I hate toys! And toys hate me! Either they are going or I am going and I definitely am not going!"

[demkicker]

There is no such thing as a former Christian.

Great point!

[confederate_infidel]

Well apparently you didn't believe in Him too much, if you don't now. A REAL Christian believes in his or her faith FOREVER, not just a little while. That isn't a true belief.

[Tzimisce]

I am for separation of church and state: Atheism IS a religion.

[dbwz]

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?

Who do you expect to administer the stomping?

Extreme Christians vs. Extreme Atheists. It'd make a heckuva steel cage match.

[Uncle Miltie]

Recently, I was attacked in the Editorial Pages as a Christian Fundamentalist, which is funny since I'm Jewish.

[Portagean]

You're absolutely right.

There's never has been a former Christian.

Never will be.

[Oztrich Boy]

Moderate Christian placemarker

[confederate_infidel]

Atheist group officially declares war on Christmas

Bring. It. On.

[confederate_infidel]

LOL

[ozzymandus]

But all the leftist talking heads keep saying that there's no attack on Christmas, and that the dirty Christians are just making it up! Surely they wouldn't lie!

[PrairieDawg]

I'm not making this up, seriously.

Dave Berry? Is that you?? ;-)

[Antonello]

Well apparently you didn't believe in Him too much, if you don't now. A REAL Christian believes in his or her faith FOREVER, not just a little while. That isn't a true belief.

Faith is a belief in something without knowledge. I endeavored to gain knowledge about the scriptures, and as it grew, my faith shrank. There was certainly bliss in ignorance, but looking back, I cannot undo what I have learned. I understand and accept that you and others want to retroactively denigrate my original faith, but I know what I had and what I lost.

Merry Christmas.

[Frank Sheed]

"Even in an empire of atheists the dead man is always sacred." ("The Meaning of Dreams" Lunacy and Letters)--GK Chesterton