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 Fort Worth transit agency bans faith-based adsBy Katie Glaeser, CNN The message from Fort Worth, Texas: no more religious advertisements allowed, at least on its transit system. The pro and anti-religious ad battle has been front and center this holiday season. Atheist groups and the Catholic League had a billboard brawl in New York late last month, and now the fight has reached Texas. The Board of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) voted unanimously last week to formally adopt an advertising policy for all T property which includes a ban on faith-based ads. The vote was prompted after a recent ad purchased by The Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason which caused a lot of commotion in town. The ad posted on four buses reads "Millions of Americans are good without God." Joan Hunter, communications manager for The T, said the decision for the ban was not based on the content of the Coalition's ad, but rather the amount of resources the department had to spare to field concerns in reaction to it. "The demands on our time to respond and trying to engage us as a public forum was pulling us from focus on the operation of a transit agency and that is our business," Hunter said in an e-mail message to CNN. The T already had guidelines in place against tobacco and alcohol ads, some local political ads, and those deemed obscene. In a news release, The T says the new policy will "exclude any ads with religious, non-theistic, or faith-based content and all political ads." "Our policy regarding belief ads that we had was impartial and had worked without interruptions to our time and resources in the past," Hunter said. She also noted there are several other ads posted on their bus fleet right now, including one that says "Jesus is the reason for the season" and another paid for by a Catholic organization. Terry McDonald, coordinator of the Coalition, said the group's campaign was not scheduled to come out during December. It was being worked on last summer to coincide with a book signing by Harvard humanist chaplain Greg Epstein. When the event fell through, the Coalition thought the title of Epstein's book, "Good Without God," still held an important message. "The reason for our campaign is to let people who are nonbelievers know about the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason and that has succeeded very, very well," McDonald said. He said the group didn't expect there to be anywhere near this much publicity but with the media coverage of the controversy the Coalition's affiliates are seeing their memberships increase and they've received donations from across the country. Kyev Tatum, pastor of Friendship Rock Baptist Church in Fort Worth, called The T Board's vote "a dangerous precedent" because it only took a matter of days for religion to be taken out of public policy. Tatum had called for a boycott of the buses when the controversy began. "The compromise was worse than what we had before," Tatum said, "because the compromise says Christians can no longer advertise and we don't like that." Tatum, president of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said his organization's response to the ad is a new campaign called "Better with God." They're hoping to get one million supporters behind the cause. |
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"The Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason" (????) What the F is that???
It should be "The Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of FOOLS"!! Ha-ha-ha!!
Other than a few fools that come here to comment, I personally have not encountered anyone blatantly admitting ‘I’m good without God!”, so who are these millions of scattered brain Americans that this dumb fort worth colitis organization is talking about??
Nothing like advertising that you’ve been duped and manipulated by some clown that says he has the ability to rationalize and think logically. Yeah, what a joke! I guess he didn’t finish thinking, otherwise he would have known he butt was going to be ‘SILENCED’.
Good reasoning, mo rons!
Nothing like admitting you still believe in fairy tales to make your credibility and intelligence shine through. When you actually grow up and stop believing in fantasies you might actually attain some credibility. Until then, you are just another mo ron that has been duped by their pastor, preacher, religious figure, etc and believes in fairy tales still.
Nice rant...
But if you read for comprehension you would realize the DFWCOR was *not* silenced – their contract to run the ads will be carried out to completion. It was the bleating of offended believers that caused the change in policy and eliminated their opportunity to use ads on buses to get their deluded message out.
I'm sorry but atheists are not the reason that evil exists, they are not fools, neither is organized religion. everyone has their own way of finding truth, but the true evil is what you are displaying.
the hate.
I say it's better to live in a world where ideas can be tolerated and heard and debated rationally, than to be in a world, without respect, without honor, without class.
Quit arguing like a schoolchild, I will hear you out for what your truth is if you hear me out for what is mine.
we cannot live in a world of hatred for one-another.
Okay, so to prove my point about the mo rons and fools, these statements (shown below) about my comment shows total lack of understanding and certainly an absence of gray matter between the ears.
Where do these inbreeds come from?? Truly sound arguments for sterilizations, for sure.
Check it out. Enough said.
“Nothing like admitting you still believe in fairy tales to make your credibility and intelligence shine through.”
“Nice rant…”
“I'm sorry but atheists are not the reason that evil exists, they are not fools, neither is organized religion. everyone has their own way of finding truth, but the true evil is what you are displaying.”
Huh?
@Wisdom4u
Nice rant – again.
You should take a deep breath and calm down. And try to make your points rationally. And try to deal with the feeback and points made by others. For example, did you, or did you not, misread or misunderstand who caused the change of policy? Do you not understand that all contracts will be completed? Did you miss the part about at least two pro religion ads are currently running?
@HotAirAce
You've got the wrong person, here!
I don't rant, there's not need to, and especially on this board.
You seems to think that I care what the Fort Worth ‘transients’ (ha-ha) have to say and do, but think again.
I read the article, stated my comment and don’t give a rat’s a. s. s. if it’s not to your liking, control freak!
What in the heck is wrong with you?
Get a grip!
You need to know that trying to control other’s comments, and the contents thereof, is truly a sign of a blatant control freak, and I’m willing to bet that you’ve been called that by so many people throughout your life, if not to your face, then definitely behind your back.
If there’s one thing that I whole heartily despise, it’s a control freak, freak.
I feel for your family and anyone else you’ve been manipulating.
So, don’t even go there with me; I will continue to comment, like it or not, because that’s how I do things.
And it’s all because I can. Ha-ha.
wisdom, you are acting in an immature and intolerable manner, I personally do not deep you as a true representative of the christian religion.
your immature, irrational and absolute blind remarks toward atheism have been proved that there is no rational argument beyond this point,
I suggest you read my post to the fullest and absorb it's meaning, and continue to act like a civilized being, your behavior is not acceptable in any rational debate, you are not making yourself look good.
Quite honestly why cant we get along?
@ off balance has no power:
Who said anything about religion?
You can lick on this.....a...wipe
@balance is power: I like what you say; but, it does seem to me that the religious types do want some extra advantages (like atheists can’t advertise but we can) and the theists do seem to be more willing to use force (killing abortion doctors, protesting soldiers funerals, apposing gay rights
The problem with religion is not religion in and of itself, but the way in which the unscrupulous and/or indiscriminate perennially try to co-opt the role of governance within a state of law in it's name to suit their desires and against the will of the governed.
Hm? Sounds like democracy to me. Could just as well replace "religion" with any set of beliefs/ideas you disagree with.
The fact of the matter is mankind has allways worshipped gods in one form or the other. If your god has touched you and brings you peace then GREAT! but to say to others that because they don't believe as you do makes them immoral, perverted, evil, ect.. is wrong plain and simple.
Bad people do bad things and good people do good things It has allways been this way and it allways will. Religion doesn't change that and never will.
Remember your born, you live, amd you die everything else is just stuff that happens
enjoy the ride.
to live as if everything is to be loved, even your enemies is the truest of all truths.
in the bible, quoted it says that if your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him water.
I may not fully believe there is a god, but i do believe there are lessons to be learned from everyone, that lesson is that there is nothing that can be solved with conflict.
let's just all go and enjoy the ride, as you said.
@Raptor: With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people
doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.For example
George Bush
The believers should stop wasting money (such as defensive advertising) & help people who need help. The non-believers should simply learn respect. I suspect MOST believers DO spend appropriate amounts of time effort & funds to help others. Probably MOST non-believers ARE respectful. It seems many believers don't have enough faith in their denomination & wast their time searching for power. It seems that many non-believers are really quite insecure & resort to disrespect & irreverence. If both sides would get their act together they would simply agree to disagree & become a credit to humanity.
they both should simply learn to co-excist.
What you folks don't get when you talk about "both sides" is that it isn't a level playing field. Atheists are a tiny minority having to deal with Christianity being shoved in their faces on a daily basis. If they make an ad for a bus it's in in response to the boatloads of Christian stuff constantly foisted on them. To call the atheist group "aggressive" in this situation is simply ridiculous.
"America the Great"
What a laugh .... You are a nation of lost souls ... Your country is leaderless and broken.
Go back to worshipping your mighty dollar ... or what's left of it.
When all hell breaks loose on American soil you will wish there was a God that can save your worthless hides ... A higher power to believe in besides your enlightment.
fear tactic is a common form of propaganda that is usually known to backfire my friend, please try logical debate.
Like it says in the truth bible ppl in this world will do as they feel in the flesh however when god comes he will show how its really suppose to be! U guys can argue all u want and make points whether any religion just know and remember who brought us here but when that day really comes then u will all know the truth that's been standing in front of you from the day u started here! God bless all of u.
"And The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months."
REVELATIONS 13:5
Religious Fanatics are pricelessly funny. They feel that they have some god given right to be up in everyones face with their beliefs and then take offense when people take exception to their rude behavior. They forget that my right to believe what I want, is as viable as their right to believe what they want, however, their belief forces them to intrude and demand that I believe as they do.
At what point does your right to intrude in my space with your beliefs, over ride my right to not have you in my face with your beliefs?
When you can answer that question. Let me know.
- I Corinthians 7:36 “But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is
past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.”
– I Corinthians 11:6 “For if a woman does not cover her head (while praying), let her also have her hair cut off”
@Dragon: The ironic part is that the preachiest people I come across these days are atheists. heck, all CNN has to day is post any article remotely related to religion and it's flooded with atheists trolls decrying the evils of religion and belittling anyone who chooses to have faith in something/someone.
@Dave Ironic as it may seem. I am not an Atheist. I am just playing Devils Advocate. My primary issue with Christians is, they expect to be allowed to take offense at something, and then get upset when others respond in kind.
Instead of each person simply believing in whatever it is they do or do not believe in and letting the other person do the same, it seems (yes both sides do this) that they feel the need to force their opinions onto others.
The issue in the article was not the adds themselves, rather it was that Christians made a massive stink about it and threatened boycotts etc, instead of accepting that the group had as much right to have those adds on those buses as they have a right to have their adds on those buses. The Christians took offense at the adds and tried to force their views on the transit company. The transit company responded correctly by simply banning ALL faith or religious based adds (including those of atheists).
I am sure that their reasoning was much like mine. "Fine, you don't think they have the right to have adds like you do, then guess what cupcake, you just lost your right to have them as well".
Had the Christians accepted the groups right to place those adds and simple placed their own, or ignored them. They would not have lost their right to place adds on those buses as well. But instead of taking responsibility for their actions, they want to blame anybody but themselves and call it a dangerous precedent. The dangerous precedent was set however when THEY tried to force the transit company to remove the adds because they didn't like them. Why didn't they like them? Because they were 'anti' religion.
The fault lies totally on the side of the Christians who made a stink over a freedom of speech issue.
GOD is A LIE! wake up America
lol, oh do enlighten us...
I don't think that statement convinced many, other than those who already do not believe in god. please try again, this time try a little less aggressively.
and agressive approach will lead to an aggressive response.
This is utterly and completely ridiculous. The non-believers don't want the believers to be able to post their ads, the believers don't want the non-believers to be able to post their ads, yet both believe they have the right to. You can't play favorites here, either both get to display their crap, or none do. If you don't want to see a religious ad posted, then don't expect that you'll be able to post your anti-religious one.
If you have any brains, you simply look at the one you don't agree with, shake your head and walk away. Who cares what it says one way or the other? People are going to believe in what they believe in (or don't). Stop making a BFD out of it, I know 8 and 10 year olds who are more mature.
Jennifer the issue was not the athiest group wanting Religious adds taken away (they didn't) The issue was the Christians fomenting a controversy over the non-religious add on the bus and threatening boycotts etc if they were not removed. The bad guy here is (not surprisingly to me) the Christians who forgot that we all have freedom of speech, and Freedom of religion (i.e. to have or not to have one).
So personally, I think they got exactly what they deserved for opening their mouths and complaining over 4 busses having a simple basic add that is not offensive at all except to those who believe they have the right to DICTATE (derived from Dictator) to others what they can and can not do and who SCREAM bloody murder if they are subject to the same rules they themselves wish to espouse.
Glad they got foist by their own petard. They deserved it.
Dragon you are a cute wordsmith, but rhetoric aside, the atheist organization was specifically engaging in ad wars with the Christian one(s), and the ads were snide and meant to be jabs at Christian beliefs. Judging from the level of atheist trolling on this forum, I'm not surprised.
I see, Alex. Whenever christians want to talk about things, it's ok. If atheists join in, it's trolling. Talk about a double standard!
Alex, you please explain what is so snide about the phrase "millions of Americans are good without god"? You may not agree with it but I fail to see how it's snide.
Please keep on blaspheming, so Prophecy will be fulfilled to the letter.
Thanx!
Will do! Tell us Gabriel when is the day of Prophecy?
Wrong for every one of the last 2,000 years. Chances are tiny that they'll finally get it right this year.
"And The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months."
REVELATIONS 13:5
So please keep on blaspheming all of you who are destined for Hell. By every Blasphemous cyllable that dribbles from your mouths you are only fulfilling Prophecy as we speak.
And thus you are prooving God right.
Thank You!
Circular Logic is a failure.
I believe in god because my book says so. My book was written by god (but through men) so it is the truth. therefore I believe in God. Because God said he exists in this book over here (written by men).
However. You have no concrete, logical proof your God exists. You only have 'faith'. Children have 'faith' in Santa Clause that does not mean Santa Clause is actually real. When you stop believing in fairy tales you will eventually grow up.
The Bible also says that Christains (or anyone) who remarries is committing adultery. It says that anyone working on the Sabbath violates the Ten Commandments. Funny, those aren't mentioned here. It's all pick and choose from the Bible.
Observer,
No, Observer, the Catholic Church does not pick and choose.
CatholicMom,
"No, Observer, the Catholic Church does not pick and choose."
It most certainly does... and did. Who do you think picked and chose which old-timey stories/writings would appear in the Bible?
Something,
Ahh! You got me there! I wasn’t thinking that far back in time when the Catholic Church picked and chose the Books that made up the Bible! I was referring to picking and choosing verses to suit the thought of the day….and since you are a smarty, you knew that, too!
>called The T Board's vote "a dangerous precedent" because it only took a matter of days for religion to be taken out of public policy
>because it only took a matter of days for religion to be taken out of public policy
>religion to be taken out of public policy
>public policy
>public
YESSS JESUS LOVE YOU THE BIBLE TELLS ME SOOOOOO
GOD BLESS 
LOGIC LOVE YOU BRO
Tell me that you love me because you love me, not, because you want to change me or convert me to becoming one of "you".
But know this I love you also. Always have for my fellow man.
@cloudnine: The bible also thell you that Moses said unto them
“Have ye saved all the women alive?... Now therefore Kill
every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that
hath known a man by lying with him, but all the women children,
that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for
yourselves” Num 31:1-2, 9-11, 14-18
News at 11: Christians foment controversy and then are butt hurt when things don't go like they thought it should.
Freedom of Speech, is not JUST for Christians. Enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Religion is dumb and the folks who follow are mindless.
What a stupid thing to say. But then, it's the same nonsense regurgitated by your average atheist troll. Please, do elaborate with evidence and specific examples that prove your as0yet unbased and wildly generalized claim. In the meantime, I'll throw this random statement out there: "Atheists are closed-minded, arrogant tools who are bad people". Just in case you get the problem with saying such things.
lisa, do not flame.
dave, don't flame :\
i do know dave that you are making attempts at a logical debate but don't throw the name-calling technique in the fray as well, usually to people it is the most memorable thing in a statement, and the next post will likely be insulting as well.
lisa, we do not simply make a statement without providing evidence to expand upon. that is the root of all debate. don't kill it, also avoid using the name-calling tactic. It tends to not help.
Criminy...if people spent as much time worrying about how good they are living their own life and helping others as they do worrying about how someone else is living their life, they wouldn't have time for all this bickering and crap slinging, be they religious or otherwise.
I'm surpised at how nasty people are with each other. Agree to disagree and get over it. I think that was the whole point of the founding fathers. Let's worship the way we want if we want. no requirements. and you'll never draw someone to your way of thinking by belittling, patronizing and demeaning them. just a hint to both sides. Christians you are supposed to have a reason of what you believe and offer it when questioned, otherwhise you dont' wrestle w/ flesh and blood but it's a spiritual warfare so pray. Non Christians, agnostics, atheisits and any others. If you feel so badly against the christians why respond and get in a tizzy since you obviously don't agree.
People .. iT'S NOT WORTH GETTING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE UP PEOPLE, IT REALLY ISN'T
aND FOR THOSe OF YOU on EITHER SIDE WHO THINK YOUR BETTER THAN THE OTHER, GUESS WHAT YOU are not.
As a country and just as humans we need to respect one another regardless of the belief system, society would be a much better place.
I agree, this fighting is simply making both sides look immature.
let's just simply co-excist.
I'll quit believing in God when you atheists can prove He doesn't exist.
*Laugh* Ah yah, always that same argument. "You prove to me first!"
Frankly it's your problem not mine. You have to prove it to yourself.
Atheists and agnostics will believe in the Bible when you can prove that God exists. God could do that in a few seconds.
Remember this phrase Bob – remember it well. And see the logic of trying to ask someone to prove something to you.
"You cannot prove to me that I'm wrong."
The tsanami
I will believe in god when you can prove to me that he/she/it exists. Until then, sorry no dice. Oh and don't use circular logic to 'prove' he/she/it exists. Saying my book says god exists is not proof. Saying god ordered the words of my book so he exists is not proof. That is circular logic. Pointing to one to prove the other and then pointing back to the one as proof of the other.
Enjoy believing in your fairy tale.
The problem with Observer's comment is that if God suddenly appeared before Atheists it would go against His nature of love. It would force them to believe Him, and He doesn't want that. Hence why Yahweh says to come to Him with a sincere heart first, and then He will show Himself to that person. Why thing Yahweh showed me was that His Word told us that in this day and age we would see a rise in Humanism (i.e. Atheism) so I'm not at all surprised to see debate like this raging on because of advertisements (both religious and non-religious) on public buses.
oops ...One thing... not ...Why thing...
It is very hard to prove AND disprove god, seeing as theoretically he is a being beyond comprehension.
so i conclude this statement is illogical.
We do not have to disprove the unproven, Bob. And while we're at it: I'll quit believing you're a child moles-tor when you can show that you're not one. Until then: you are. How'd'ya like your own stance being used against you, Bob? Hear those sirens? That's the police come to haul you off to jail.
@Bob: I am an atheist and I will start believing in god when you can prove he exists. But I’ll go you one better. I’ll start believing in god when you show me a preponderance of evidence he exists… you don’t have to prove it. It’s a very pretty fairy tale (if you skip some parts of the bible and Christian history) and I would be delighted to discover that it is true (at least the pleasant parts)
Religion = Fighting ( We're smarter )
Atheists = Fighting ( We're smarter )
( REVOLUTION AGENDA MUCH !! )
CNN = Mission accomplished.
Agreed. The REAL news of how govt is sticking it to us is largely avoided. Thank head atheist himself, Ted Turner, for that. Funny, though - Jane Fonda met Jesus, and then she and Ted divorced.
Hey LOGIC go the BIBLE instead of reading books on how to sound so intellectual. Stop trying to use so many big words when the one that really matters is JESUS!! Go read the BIBLE you still have time. God bless
If you read the Bible, do you trash all the Chrisitians who commit adultery by remarrying? Do you trash the millions of Christians who break God's command to kill all people working on the Sabbath?
Your imaginary jesus matters to you. However, your imaginary jesus does not matter to me, nor does an imaginary omnipotent whatsit in the sky.
I stopped believing in fairy tales when I was a child. When I was a child I believed in childish things (gnomes, fairies, elves, leprechauns, santa clause, the tooth fairy, jesus, god[s], etc.) when I became an adult I put behind me those childish things.
When you grow up... you will understand. Until then, keep believing in your imaginary friends if they make you feel better.
cloudnine – hilarious dude. I've read the bible. I have the King James. It's a joke.
You need to attain common sense. And free you're hate of atheists. You need to acquire more knowledge.
cloud nine, i have read the bible, but i must say that there is more to the world than converting others and imposing others to read this.. i suggest you read a book upon thermodynamics, or biology, those are always nice, and also help the world by finding cures to terminal diseases, but i appreciate how kindly you put your statement, but no thank you.
I didn’t really become an atheist until I decide to read the bible. Man there is nasty stuff in those first 5 books
Do you now throw your support behind that single poor soul of a Tibetan whose only wish is to see the evil empire that is China do away with atheism?
There is that fine line of pushing your views. You do have to use your logic. The Catholics would jump at attacking China right there and then. It is indoctrinated to them right now that China is their enemy. It's so plain to see – religion is so messed up.