Posted on 11/12/2008 8:26:05 AM PST by history_48
By Gina L. Diorio
The American Humanist Association (AHA) yesterday unveiled what it is calling its “godless holiday campaign.” Launched just in time for the Christmas season, the campaign queries, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.”
According to AHA’s press release:
“Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” proclaims a new holiday ad from the American Humanist Association. Already appearing today in the New York Times and Washington Post, the message will soon be blazoned on the sides, taillights, and interiors of over 200 Washington DC Metro buses.
It’s the first ad campaign of its kind in the United States, and the American Humanist Association predicts it will raise public awareness of humanism as well as controversy over humanist ideas.
The ad will direct people to an AHA-run website which, according to the release, “helps people find others of like mind in the Washington, D.C. metro area and nationally” and “informs the public about humanism and answers common objections to the slogan as well as to the appropriateness of running the campaign during the holidays.”
According to Fred Edwords, a spokesman for AHA, the ads are not intended to argue against the existence of God or to sway individuals who do believe in a deity. Contrary to this, however, he states that the group is “trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people’s minds.”
AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt echoes Edwords’ statement. “Humanists have always understood that you don’t need a god to be good,” Speckhardt says, “So that’s the point we’re making with this advertising campaign. Morality doesn’t come from religion. It’s a set of values embraced by individuals and society based on empathy, fairness, and experience.”
Understandably, Christian groups are concerned over AHA’s ad. As American Family Association President Tim Wildmon noted, “How do we define ‘good’ if we don’t believe in a God? ...If we are each ourselves defining what’s good, it’s going to be a crazy world.”
And Liberty Counsel Chairman and Dean of Liberty University School of Law Mathew Staver stated, “It’s the ultimate grinch to say there is no God at a time when millions of people around the world celebrate the birth of Christ…. Certainly, they have the right to believe what they want but this is insulting.”
At the risk of drawing ire from well-meaning Christian groups who might, understandably, outright denounce the ad, I offer a third perspective. If, as Speckhardt says, humanists have “always understood that you don’t need a god to be good,” (emphasis added) then this ad is obviously not intended to reach those who already consider themselves humanists but rather to evangelize those who do not. And while Edwords claims the group is not trying to argue against the existence of god, the ads themselves indicate otherwise.
Interestingly, I’ve never seen an ad campaign advocating disbelief in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy. I’ve yet to see the billboards claiming Cinderella is a fairy tale or Snow White a myth. And I’ve not discovered posters seeking to plant “seeds of rational thought and critical thinking” regarding the existence of Superman or Batman.
Why?
Simply stated, because there is little fear that rational grown individuals will actually believe in these things.
AHA is threatened, however, by the belief in God. If they were not, they would not feel the need to argue against Him but rather would be able to focus on advocating for their own beliefs.
In short, the $40,000 ad campaign may be just what the American Humanist Association wanted, but personally, methinks it dost protest too much.
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Gina L. Diorio is a full-time freelance writer. Please visit her website at www.LibertyWritingSolutions.com.
Just like everyone who complains about religion being “shoved down their throat” by a cross on a hilltop or the 10 commandments display,
it’s all about not being reminded of what they know to be truth, right, and wrong,
because their lives are a poor reflection of that absolute truth.
No one is “shoving” ANYTHING on them, it is their OWN CONSCIENCES that are making them uncomfortable. And their conscience WOULDN’T bother them if they were living in accordance with what God wrote on their hearts.
Romans 2:14-15
Amen.
My question to these “rationally thinking” persons is what is the definition of morality, empathy, fairness, and experience?
I know what the dictionary says, but those definitions were given to the grouping of vocal noises which we call words.
Who is given the right to define the meanings of these words which the AHA wants to use as a basis of their argument. What if my definitions would completely change the meanings and make me an all powerful being?
Then why do they defend concrete acts of cruelty and depravity as a pro-choice right?
Good post. I think it was C. S. Lewis who argued that even the concept of “good” implies a transcendent measuring rod to which all civilized men and women could resort for measuring what was “good” and what wasn’t. It had to be outside of human experience and existence in order to perform its task of measuring human performance. That implied to former atheist Lewis that God really did exist. So “rational” thought would seem to completely contradict atheism.
So, why didn’t this group decide to run these ads on the buses, say, next May? or last summer?
After all, we should all be good to one antoher ALL the time.
I will pray for these people anyway.
Just don’t tell that to an atheist, their head may exploded from all the “rational thought”....HA!
The illogical transgression of thought that atheists and humanist come up astounds me. When you then question them on it using simple logic, they turn it around and make it seem your logic is flawed!?
I never got that one, probably why the Bible makes a ton more sense to me than human thought.
Have Yourself...A GODLESS Little Christmas...
These are the end days.
I think this is why the Savior’s response to the questioner who began by addressing Him as “Good Master” makes sense. The Savior quickly asked “Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God”. (KJV Matthew 19:16-17)
“Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,”
first join the pro-life cause because as long as atheists are pro-abortion, they cannot be called ‘good.’
Another article about this says that some or all (can’t remember which) funding came from the UN. That I don’t like. Also, if religoius groups or individuals wanted to post ads on busses with quotes from scriptures or prayers, would that be allowed?
What’s sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander.
The devil’s in the details.
They pulled this same crap in London over the summer. Smells like Soros’ money is behind it, too.
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