Apparently a landowner was threatened over the following billboard being on his property:
It bothers me for many reasons:
- threatening the land owner for the billboard seems like a stupid course of action. If you are going to threaten someone, you could at least threaten the right target
- threatening ANYONE is a rather poor action choice. Instead of threatening someone, talk to them. Hell, hate them if you want, but to threaten them is over the line.
- To think that such a docile billboard can be received negatively shows how far our culture still has to go. This billboard does not say that there isn't a god, and it doesn't insult those who do believe in one. It merely says that if you feel this way, you are not alone. This message is very important, to me especially. I could have used a message like this while losing my belief in god. I felt alone, scared, depressed, like I was some abomination. I had no support I could lean on. I couldn't take living the lie. The depression that the lying caused was tearing me up. I was beating myself with a belt just to feel something, and crying myself to sleep every night. I was on the verge of suicide. I was planning to go to the gun store in a few days the day I ended coming out to my mom as 'agnostic'. This provided a wave of relief over me, being open. If this billboard helped just ONE person know that they were not alone, and that there is help, then it is worth every penny in my opinion.
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I completely agree. It wasn't insulting believers, it was just meant to help those who don't believe (which I guess could be taken as an insult to believers since you're "leading others astray" but whatever).
ReplyDeleteI would've loved to see a billboard like this too back then. I would still love to see one as there are no atheist organizations around the place I live and (with the exception of one) the only atheists I know are the ones I've met online. I was depressed, kinda still am I guess because I haven't "come out" of the atheist closet (though I think things would be a lot worse if I did :/), but it sounds like I didn't have near as hard a time as you did. I'm glad you pulled through. :)
Did you read that the billboard has been taken down now? It's sad that the same rights that allow believers to put and keep up billboard ads are not granted to nonbelievers. Oh well, that's America for you. :P
"It's sad that the same rights that allow believers to put and keep up billboard ads are not granted to nonbelievers. Oh well, that's America for you."
ReplyDeleteIt really is sad. 'Equal rights exist! One member of the majority has the same rights as another member of the majority'