This sign pisses me off. Just because I can live without religion I’m gonna end up like Stalin? Wow…just wow
My question is, when will they have a billboard up with all the people who have done evil in the name of God?
Btw, I’m not claiming to be atheist, nor am I claiming to be a Christian.
So by this logic, I’m going to end up like Stalin, or even worse, Hitler? Yeah, sorry Alabama, not gonna scare me into religion.
Stalin imagined a world with no religion.
Stalin caused the deaths of millions of people.
Therefore all atheists are mass-murderers.This is a brilliant example of affirming the consequent, a piece of fallacy employed worldwide with people who replaced their brains with cream cheese shortly before joining the advertisement industry. It’s a great tactic because it creates ominous and dramatic statements that worry people who aren’t that used to critical thinking, while proving to everyone who is that you shouldn’t have been let loose with a crayon, let alone a sixty-foot billboard.
This is another example of something lost in translation. I think this is speaking more towards the banning of religion in school, though, as is unfortunately common, it was way too strongly written for something without someone to defend and explain it.
If it is too strongly written without someone to defend and explain it
then it is too strongly written period.
The “banning” (which whether this is the case at all is something I could debate) of religion in school does not emulate Stalin in any way shape or form. It upholds the principles that the writers of the Constitution based the government on.
This country, despite what some, including many politicians, may think, is and always was meant to be a secular entity.
I take issue with that, because it’s difficult to imagine everyone’s take on a statement. The case in point is universally harsh, so it’s a rather bad example. They do have a limited amount of space and time to make a lasting impression, so overstated, deeply emotional statements like this are a good tactic, even though it is a horrible way to express something like this. But if there was nothing written that went ‘too far’ how would we ever challenge ourselves to face other views? People say inflammatory things often, and it’s important to pick out what’s fact and what’s bias.
They aren’t saying it emulates Stalin, they’re saying it’s a step in a dangerous direction. Religion is horribly portrayed, leading many to believe we’re better off without it. Little things like the banning of prayer and the teaching of the creation theory in school are all minor steps leading to a country without religion.
It’s not leading to a country without religion, it’s (hopefully) leading to a country where not being religous is not seen as a bad thing. People should be free to believe - or to not believe - whatever they want, and encouraging things like prayer in schools is only teaching people that if you don’t pray there’s something wrong with you.
I don’t know, it’s not my country, but I, as an atheist, would hope that banning prayer in schools doesn’t mean not letting people pray if they want to, it should mean not telling people they should be/have to pray along with everyone else. I was an atheist girl at a Church of England primary school, and I have to tell you, being the only person who didn’t want to join in hymmns was bad enough, and the school wasn’t even as overtly religious as some others in the area.
Like I said, I’m not really the most informed person on the subject, but just think of it this way: if there was a big sign up saying ‘Think your religion is the right one? So did he’ and a picture of Hitler up there, everyone would be getting up in arms and demanding it be removed for attacking their beliefs, so why is this okay?
