On October 2nd, the first "nontheistic" billboard in the United States gets erected in Madison, Wisconsin. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, the nation's largest association of atheists and agnostics,
is unveiling the billboard. The 18-foot billboard irreverently and gleefully imitates a stained-glass window and says, "Beware of Dogma".
The Foundation numbers over 11,000 atheist and agnostic members nationwide. Just this past week, Indiana folded to the Foundation's federal challenge of the United State's first chaplaincy that state's employees, resulting in the position for a minister to "encourage a faithful environment in the workplace" being formally abolished on Sept ember 23rd resulting in the Foundation dismissing the lawsuit. The Foundation has also taken the lead in going up against President Bush's "faith-based initiative".
"We are launching a campaign to place free-thought billboards up around the country, wherever an irreverent billboard is needed, which is practically everywhere," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, Foundation spokeswoman.
"We don't go to Mass, but we can go to the masses. We think it is time for the rest of us to use the mass media to counter the ubiquity of religious messages on roadsides everywhere!" puts in Dan Barker, the Foundation's co-president.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word dogma signifies "in the writings of the ancient classical authors, sometimes, an opinion or that which seems true to a person; sometimes, the philosophical doctrines or tenets, and especially the distinctive philosophical doctrines, of a particular school of philosophers, and sometimes, a public decree or ordinance, as dogma poieisthai."
The Foundation numbers over 11,000 atheist and agnostic members nationwide. Just this past week, Indiana folded to the Foundation's federal challenge of the United State's first chaplaincy that state's employees, resulting in the position for a minister to "encourage a faithful environment in the workplace" being formally abolished on Sept ember 23rd resulting in the Foundation dismissing the lawsuit. The Foundation has also taken the lead in going up against President Bush's "faith-based initiative".
"We are launching a campaign to place free-thought billboards up around the country, wherever an irreverent billboard is needed, which is practically everywhere," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, Foundation spokeswoman.
"We don't go to Mass, but we can go to the masses. We think it is time for the rest of us to use the mass media to counter the ubiquity of religious messages on roadsides everywhere!" puts in Dan Barker, the Foundation's co-president.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word dogma signifies "in the writings of the ancient classical authors, sometimes, an opinion or that which seems true to a person; sometimes, the philosophical doctrines or tenets, and especially the distinctive philosophical doctrines, of a particular school of philosophers, and sometimes, a public decree or ordinance, as dogma poieisthai."
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Question Everything
10/12/2007
Really interesting... I agree with Jennifer that there is no reason for these people not to represent their views.
Brant McLaughlin
10/02/2007
Hi Jennifer___Many Christians consider Mormons to be a mere cult, no matter what the Mormons say about themselves. The Muslims in America were pretty ticked-off at McCain's statements, too...
Jennifer Thompson
10/02/2007
Mitt Romney is a mormon - but incidentally, mormons are christians. (just as catholics, baptists, methodists, episcopalians, etc, etc.)
FFRF are countering all of those "god says" billboards across the nation. GOOD. why should a counter view be surpressed? this nation belongs to atheists too, and agnostics, as well as the religious. regardless of the religious views of the founding fathers (which i have written about too) this nation is not a god state. i wish people would just get over that - it's a good thing... to each their own, but spirituality is private, and does not belong in government. off my soapbox now.
Carol Bengle Gilbert
10/01/2007
Very interesting stuff.
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