Imagine No Religion sign taken down.

"Imagine no religion" is what the sign says. The sign has been put up in several cities nationwide, as part of a campaign from the Freedom from Religion Foundation to start a dialog on the subject of church and state. Well, they started a dialog, you bet. Ninety people called the city government of Rancho Cucamonga in California, and the city government called up the sign company and said how about it could you guys take this down? And the sign came down.
here is the story: http://www.sbsun.com/sanbernardino/ci_11047031

I have mixed feelings about this whole thing. I think that the Freedom from Religion Foundation went a bit too far in putting it up. As an atheist I have long understood that discretion is called for on the topic of atheism in the presence of intolerant Christians. Yeah, sure, they get to put Nativity scenes in the front yards and I don't get to say anything about it, and yeah that is not quite fair. But civility means letting things be said that you disagree with.

On the other hand, I am also annoyed about the 90 people who made the phone calls, and the city hall people who listened to them. "Imagine no religion" is a line from John Lennon's song, Imagine. It's supposed to make you think. If you don't want to think, fine, just shut up and let somebody else think. There is a bit of paranoia at work here. Yeah, you are being asked to think about where to draw the line. That does not mean that somebody is going to draw the line for you and knock your church down. Grow up!

Sheez, there are certain things that are simply impossible to discuss. And I am probably going to get flagged on this. So be it.

Comments: 10

Hong Gao Nov 30, 2008, 6:37pm UTC

thanks for sharing

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señoritafish (oxyjulis californica) Nov 30, 2008, 6:39pm UTC

I understand there was a similar program on the sides of buses in the UK - I didn't here how it turned out, but at least they were allowed to be put up. I heard another program for bus ads was not even accepted by the ad company here.

Call me an extremely skeptical agnostic - I guess I'm not quite brave enough to call myself an atheist (my spouse is, much to the disgust of his Episcopal lay minister mother), but it pisses me off how the religious label atheists evil. Seems to me it goes the other direction.

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Charles T. Nov 30, 2008, 6:40pm UTC

I don't see what the problem was. As we so far have freedom of religion, that should include the right not to believe which is a form of faith in of itself. Too many people, right and left in this country are too quick to scream rather than let things just exist. If someone wants to believe there is no God, power to you. I think you are wrong but freedom is supposed to be about making choices for good or bad, not having them made for you.

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*Carol ~Bronx Southern Belle Y. Nov 30, 2008, 6:42pm UTC

I would have been 91. Freedom from religion is not the problem. It's whack-os that aren't Christians who say they are and turn off people. Isn't there a better campaign they put up signs for? Who about freedom from child abuse or terrorism. I could go on . . . and on.

Join La La Land
Merry Christmas

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Thomas Millington Nov 30, 2008, 7:07pm UTC

This article and the following comments points out that people, in general, have no idea what 'religion' really is. They are probably referring to the ancient, obsolete, dead, outworn cadavers of once-vibrant and relevant religions.

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Debra C. Nov 30, 2008, 8:31pm UTC

That society has determined that blame should be a method of assigning culpability for instances of action and intolerance of diversity is the mantra for determining "rights" or lack of same. What concerns me about this situation is that people are arguing by posting soundbites, rather than discussing. Religion (or a desire for no religion) is a subject that is rarely expressed intelligently by soundbites.

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A N. Nov 30, 2008, 11:29pm UTC

Thanks for posting your content to the Group: We comment back Smileycons!

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Carolion Grailbear Dec 1, 2008, 2:17pm UTC

I became an atheist when I was 9. I was really irritated that my few attempts at praying down on my knees did not bring on the much longed-for snowstorm and day off from school. Also, I kept asking God to stop the bedwetting. It finally did stop after I said "Well - if you won't do it for me then I'll have to do it for myself." Then after that was accomplished I decided I understood that old saying, "God helps those who help themselves."
Hmmm.
A number of years and tumbles/struggles later, I realized I might be missing something...and so agnosticism crept in to have a dialogue with atheism.
A number of years and tumbles/struggles later, suddenly I was opening to things that others around me couldn't see or feel.....including visits from the one we call God. Hmmmmm.

These days I'm an ordained Christian minister, a refuged Buddhist, and all sorts of other things related to deepening my true-love with Creator / Love-Law.

BUT there are lots of other atheists and agnostics out there thinking whatever they need to think for now, doing their best.......And why shouldn't there be signs up that get people to think? Why not cover up all the XXX billboards with thought-provoking philosophical and spiritual questions? Why not?

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Imagine No Religion sign taken down.

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