So there was some talk a few weeks ago about Atheism ads on the TTC. Well, I saw one briefly on the subway today. Very briefly! I got on to the subway and sat down. A few seconds later another passenger walked up to an overhead advertisement, and pulled it off. She quickly rolled it up and tucked it away into her purse... never to be seen again. The advertisement in question was the "There's probably no God" advertisement.My first response was one of quiet amusement... but it got me thinking. The TTC already has religious ads on the subway, and what if people started tearing those ones down? They would be accused of being anti-Christian or anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim, and rightfully so! What about the over-zealous subway passenger that tears down Atheism ads? She an anti-Atheist... and is that any less of a hate crime?
Somehow atheism gets the short end of the stick on this, and it's not fair. Atheism is a belief system, and it deserves the same respect as any other. I don't think there should be a double-standard where atheists are tolerant of religious beliefs, but not vice versa. I especially don't believe that vandalism and censorship are positive ways of dealing with issues that you don't agree with. Remember... even Supreme Master Ching Hai gets to have her posters on the subway!!! We are all adults living in a tolerant society... leave the Atheism ads alone.
5 comments:
The sign says, "There PROBABLY is not God". The person is unsure, this is clearly a Agnosticism ad. I'm furious at the anti-Agnosticism!
I'm also furious at this blog for promoting Atheism using Agnostic ideas!
The ad leads readers to visit a site called www.atheistbus.ca so the people who are posting this ad believe it to be an atheist message. You're right in that there do leave some room for error in saying "probably".
Wasn't the woman just living out the logic of the sign? She "felt" like pulling the sign down. And if there is no God, who is to say that is right or wrong?
I pity anyone who requres a God to exert a sense of morality in them.
Plus, most people have been taught by society that ripping down other people's work is not acceptable behaviour.
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