ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — It looked harmless enough, but the words on a billboard unnerved so many people that a popular restaurant nearby actually lost business. The billboard was on Colonial Drive near Old Cheney Highway.
Although the popular Straub’s Seafood restaurant often advertises on it, it wasn’t their billboard. The sign was taken down after Channel 9 started asking questions.
The billboard came down around 4:00 Friday afternoon and nearby business owners are relieved. Straub’s Restaurant can replace the sign with the night’s specials.
At first glance, the sign looked like a children’s cartoon, but the message next to the fairy princess stirred emotions.
“When you condemn all religions and say they are a fairytale, that is wrong,” said Rich Stormes, a nearby business owner.
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April 1st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
“Since the sign is so close, John Russel’s customers thought the restaurant paid for the billboard.”
Elementary, my dear Watson. Such pure logic.
:\
April 1st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Wait. According to the sign’s owners, no one paid for the atheistic message placed there. So some atheist or prankster “hijacked” the space without anyone noticing? An atheistic miracle? Hmmmmmmmmm . . .
April 1st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Somebody hasn’t read their Joseph Campbell.
Religious mythology and old fairy tales have a lot in common, and the things they have in common are quite complimentary to both.
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 am
Pseudonym —
Glad you brought up Campbell. I was fascinated by his series of interviews with Bill Moyers (where Campbell was popularized), primarily because of Campbell’s presentation of “universal” (at least in the human sense, we haven’t heard from different intelligent species yet) myths which gave the same essential message in different cultures. What this says about human commentary on the human condition is nothing less than astounding. And it raises so many important questions which need researched and subsequently answered . . .
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I love that they were so unnerved by this. To me it just validates my belief that god botherers are weak, weak individuals. So weak, in fact, that they require a bearded old dude holding a lightening bolt over their head to make them do the right thing. Sad people, they are.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Michael –
I appreciate what you are saying. But don’t forget that everyone has an absolute right to “vote their dollar.” And that most individuals are followers. Geniuses make their own rules, as the saying goes. . .
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Now I’m curious to know how many of those that found the billboard offensive also had a fleeting moment of doubt among their anger. I think that was the whole point of putting it up. Now, that mysterious prankster needs to actually PAY for a month’s rental (so it can’t be taken down) and find a location away from businesses that might be affected. Otherwise, I say BRAVO!
April 4th, 2008 at 11:22 am
That billboard was awesome. Whoever did it should be proud of themselves. I have to drive down the road and see signs saying “God Listens, Talk To Him”, when not everyone agrees with that statement. Therefore, whoever put up the billboard great job! Set up a donation site, so we can put up more and get our voices heard more often!
April 4th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
“God Listens, Talk To Him”
Ahh yes, i’ve always loved the people who graffiti their favority bandname under “God listens”. Especially death metal band and the like.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
One way “conversations” are a waste of time (unless you count soliloquies, which are done for the benefit of an audience). Even my cat talked back — as best she could –when I said things to her. I can talk to house plants as well, does that count? ;)
April 4th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I choose to believe fairytales. They might be the only way to see beyond the physical. Well, besides faith
April 7th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Note: I am not 100% certain I understand your point of view from your post, but I got the impression you believe in god of some sort and were sort of sarcastically referring to fairytales from the original story. If I am wrong, please correct me.
The problem is, you believing fairytales does not allow you to see anything. Its a fairytale. You may believe you see something as a result of your belief in god, but that hardly makes it so. If someone believes they have been molested by little green men, does that make it true?
April 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pm
This entire conversation seems wrong to me on so many different levels.
First: Michael says, “To me it just validates my belief that god botherers are weak, weak individuals. So weak, in fact, that they require a bearded old dude holding a lightening bolt over their head to make them do the right thing.”
I’m not in the habit of attacking people specifically, but in this case I had to make an exception. Are you serious? Michael, one has to be seriously dense to simplify and stereotype in this way and think it is a legitimate point of view. If I made an equivalently dense statement about atheists, I would expect a talking to from my peers. Moreover, your logic is flawed.
“If someone believes they have been molested by little green men, does that make it true?”
Well, simply because you believe there is no God does that make it true? So at the very least, we are at an impass. Believe it or not some of we “God botherers” base our beliefs in something more than blind faith or fear of “a bearded old dude holding a lightening bolt over [our heads].” I would hope you do the same. There are Christians out there with their heads in the dirt who make me ill, but we are not all like that.
Second: I believe fervently that God exists, and it pisses me off that someone put up a billboard like this, but not for the reasons one might think. It pisses me off every bit as much when Christians do the same. Throwing religion, or the lack thereof, in people’s faces with an impersonal and callous billboard ad is cowardly and deplorable, not to mention ineffective. Whether one is an atheist or believes in God, one’s actions and decisions should be advertisement enough. If one’s belief system has any merit at all, it will be evident to others.
Finally: Please correct me if I’m wrong, as I don’t frequent atheist circles, but don’t atheists berate Christians (or Muslims, or Jews) for their arrogance in believing that theirs is the only true faith? That billboard ad is every bit as arrogant. “All religions are fairy tales” is a definitive statement which cannot be proven, and for one to say it is to tell me that one knows absolutely everything there is to know about everything.
I look forward to some well-thought-out replies, I want to hear what you all have to say.
peace,
Daniel
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hello Daniel,
Michael’s comment did over-generalize. That certainly was not legitimate. But his underlying point is that there are at least some religionists that couldn’t even stomach publicly displayed dissent. Those sorts are too intellectually weak to stand up to criticisms of their beliefs. They even railed against the unfounded, blanket ‘criticism’ of that billboard. If they are so afraid of even such a shabby critic, what’s that say about their beliefs?
This intellectual cowardice is not representative of all believers (to all indications, yourself included). I know many, thoughtful believers who welcome criticism and use it as a tool to refine their beliefs and interpretations and as a tool to educate nonbelievers about their beliefs.
“don’t atheists berate Christians (or Muslims, or Jews) for their arrogance in believing that theirs is the only true faith?”
Yes, quite frequently. One fine point I’d make is that atheists don’t berate Christians or Muslims etc., but Christians, and Muslims, and Jews, and Hindus, and Baha’is, and Nordic Pantheists, etc. I also think that it’s a fair criticism.
Certainly, but “all celestial teapots are fairy tales” (Google ‘celestial teapot’ if you are unfamiliar with what this means) is equally a definitive statement that cannot be proven. As is “all species of dragons are fairy tales”. Yet, I doubt that you disagree with either of these statements for that reason.
It is not up to a-religionists to disprove every religion. It is up to one of the religions to prove itself true (if possible), which hasn’t happened yet.
The behavior of it’s adherents does not relate at all with the truth of the the belief system. Even if it were the case that one belief system had followers who were demonstrably superior in their behavior, by any metric, doesn’t make that belief system true. That system may be useful in engineering a good society, but the system need not be true. Heck, Aesop’s Fables are morally instructive and are untrue.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Acually, Daniel
All religions ARE fairy tales, unless someone can prove them to be true.
you said:
“Well, simply because you believe there is no God does that make it true?”
No, but the fact that there is no evidence whatsoever of God’s existence, does.