All Aboard The Atheist…Billboard?!?
Religious bigots and enemies of free speech can all relax, the Atheist Bus Campaign is over! Now all you’ve got to put up with are some MASSIVE BILLBOARDS! Mwahahahahaha!
Ok, but seriously, the next stop on the Atheist Bus Campaign (which should really just be called the “Atheist Advertising Campaign” now) is a bunch of billboards set up in strategic locations across the UK; in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast respectively. The billboards display an important message concerning the religious labeling of children:
The "Please Don't Label Me" Billboard
The new advert (and similar variations of it) makes the rightful comparison between calling a child of Marxist parents a “Marxist child” and calling a child of Christian parents a “Christian child”. We shouldn’t be labeling children with the faiths or political views of their parents; we shouldn’t label kids at all. The billboard background is made up of a combination of political and religion labels for children, all the way from “Libertarian Child” in the top left, to “Liberal Child” in the bottom right.
Of course, like the buses, these adverts don’t have an agenda (although the religious will surely interpret one anyway). We aren’t telling people they can’t bring children up in their faith; we aren’t even telling them to stop labeling their children! What we’re asking is that parents let the child decide what they want to be called, and whether that happens early or later on in life is ultimately irrelevant, just as long as the child gets the final decision.
It’s a powerful message, and one worthy of more discussion. If you want to learn more about the campaign, or support it through donations, please visit the British Humanist Association campaign page.
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If I didn't know what this was about beforehand, I would have no clue what this add is trying to convey and just ignore it. The "there probably is no god" advert was a lot better than this one.
A sign that says "don't label me" is not telling them to stop labelling ?
?What?
"Please don't label me" is a request. It isn't an order, we aren't trying to force people; we are trying to create a dialogue.
At the end of the day, nobody should have the big decisions as to what they believe is right and wrong made for them. Everyone should have the right to choose for themselves, when they are old enough to appreciate what's what. That is the message that most of us want to give out.
Hmmm. I guess you're right.
I don’t get this whole “labeling” thing. It seems completly foreign to me coming from Canada. To me the only thing this billboard is telling me is that I shouldn’t raise my children up in anything. Labeling, esppecially when conjoined with the phrase “let me grow up and choose for myself” in my neck of the woods clearly communicates: “Stop teaching your children your religion or ideology.” I hear Richard Dawkins talk about this all the time and it seems to me to be clearly a British phenomenon. I never say “they are Christian kids” or “Muslim kids” unless they say themselves they follow that religion. Otherwise I will just say they are from a Christian or Muslim family.
Really, if the Atheists had their way parents would not be allowed to teach their children their religion period. You’re completly ignorant if you think otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong: If any ideology had total sway in government they would want the same thing, Christianity and Islam included. I like the current status quo of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, both for children AND parents. Children often rebel against their parents anyway – why take away their ability to rebel against their parents religion? The last thing we need is the state indoctrincating us in EVERYTHING. Give parents some leadway.
It's not like that at all. We are all for religious education. Parent's should be allowed to teach children the religion that they believe in. They just shouldn't be allowed to force that religion down the throats of their children, it's not democratic. If we Atheists were to force our non-belief on our children you would see it as "barbaric". We don't do that though, I don't know any Atheist who doesn't want their kids to choose for themselves…I don't know any Atheist that doesn't want their kids to be educated properly on these matters beforehand.
“Really, if the Atheists had their way parents would not be allowed to teach their children their religion period. You’re completly ignorant if you think otherwise.”
Here you are assuming that all atheists think the same way. And as for your comment about ignorance, it reads “should you disagree with me you’re ignorant”. Hardly conduce to discussion is it.
I apologize and take back the ignorance comment. My bad. And it was also my bad to think that all atheists think the same way. I should have qualified that: If the Evangelical Atheists had their way….
Very few Atheists can be deemed "Evangelical". I don't know of any Atheists that actually try and preach their thinking onto others, I merely know Atheists which teach. I for example, have never tried to force my nonbelief on other people. If someone bumps into me talking about science and a disregard for the supernatural, it will always be on websites like this one, which is meant for that sort of thing. I only do this on my own turf, so to speak, so Theists come to me not the other way around.
Just wanna say thank you for the information you have shared. Just continue writing this kind of post. I will be your loyal reader. Thanks again.
NZ have now launched this campaign apparently with great success. So much so that they thrashed their $10,000 fundraising target.