"Why Believe in a god?" Ad Campaign

I just saw a new AP story about a new add campaign from the American Humanist Association which is intended to cause people to question their believe in a deity. The group's spokesman Fred Edwords says, "we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds." Well, at least they are honest. Here is the story in its entirety.

You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.

Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.

In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.

You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.

Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.

In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.

"We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion."

To that end, the ads and posters will include a link to a Web site that will seek to connect and organize like-minded thinkers in the D.C. area, Edwords said.

Edwords said the purpose isn't to argue that God doesn't exist or change minds about a deity, although "we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds."

The group defines humanism as "a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity."

Last month, the British Humanist Association caused a ruckus announcing a similar campaign on London buses with the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

In Washington, the humanists' campaign comes as conservative Christian groups gear up their efforts to keep Christ in Christmas. In the past five years, groups such as the American Family Association and the Catholic League have criticized or threatened boycotts of retailers who use generic "holiday" greetings.

In mid-October, the American Family Association started selling buttons that say "It's OK to say Merry Christmas." The humanists' entry into the marketplace of ideas did not impress AFA president Tim Wildmon.

"It's a stupid ad," he said. "How do we define 'good' if we don't believe in God? God in his word, the Bible, tells us what's good and bad and right and wrong. If we are each ourselves defining what's good, it's going to be a crazy world."

Also on Tuesday, the Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group, launched its sixth annual "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign." Liberty Counsel has intervened in disputes over nativity scenes and government bans on Christmas decorations, among other things.

"It's the ultimate grinch to say there is no God at a time when millions of people around the world celebrate the birth of Christ," said Mathew Staver, the group's chairman and dean of the Liberty University School of Law. "Certainly, they have the right to believe what they want but this is insulting."

Best-selling books by authors such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have fueled interest in "the new atheism" — a more in-your-face argument against God's existence.

Yet few Americans describe themselves as atheist or agnostic; a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life poll from earlier this year found 92 percent of Americans believe in God.

There was no debate at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority over whether to take the ad. Spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the agency accepts ads that aren't obscene or pornographic.

I have a few thoughts on this matter that I'll save for another post. In the meantime, I'm interested in your honest and respectful thoughts about this.

Merry Christmas!

September 11

Some time back someone asked me my thoughts on the events of September 11, 2001 and what part God had in it, if any. Here is how I responded.

My personal views . . . from a spiritual standpoint I think it is has been some time that we could honestly say that we are a Christian nation. Sure we have a church on "every corner" but most of those churches are empty -- and what percentage of the people who do attend church are really "fully-devoted" followers of Christ? As I look at our nation, I do not see a lot of evidence that we are following God (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Let's be honest, there are many sins that grip our nation and an argument could be made that we are on a slippery slop morally and spiritually.

Does September 11 have a link to these realities? Perhaps. The Bible teaches that we live in a fallen, evil world (Ephesians 2:1-2; 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 4:4). That is reason enough for something like September 11 to happen. Is God unleashing his Judgment on our nation? That is a question no one but God himself can answer. I suppose time will tell. 

However it seems that this event has been used of God to stir the hearts of countless people and cause them to seek Him -- and that is a positive thing in my book! People are re-evaluating their lives as never before. Will this last? I pray to God that it will! I do believe that the heart and soul of this nation is up for grabs and that the church has an unprecedented opportunity to communicate and demonstrate the love and grace of God. 

Scott, I think you would enjoy Chuck Colson's website: www.breakpoint.org. Colson is a brilliant Christian thinker and a compelling apologist for the Christian faith. His background in the Nixon Whitehouse gives him a uniquely qualified perspective on political and world issues. His most recent book is an excellent treatment of the subject of the Christian's world view (Title: How Now Shall We Live?).

Also, a study of the Old Testament prophetic books would also give you a unique view of our nation. Specifically the books of Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Zephaniah would shed some light on how God deals with a wayward nation. As you read through Amos and Hosea you may find some similarities between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and our own nation. The prophetic books I listed are fairly brief. If you are looking  for more, try Isaiah and Jeremiah.

I'm interested in your thoughts on the impact of 9-11 seven years later.