looks like a Catholic church responded with their own...

Days after an atheist group posted a billboard mocking the Christmas holiday at the New Jersey approach to the Lincoln Tunnel, a Catholic organization has responded with its own message on the New York side.

The Catholic League has responded to an atheist billboard in North Bergen with one of their own in New York City by the Lincoln Tunnel.
“You know it’s real,” the newer billboard tells drivers passing the corner of Dyer Avenue and West 31st Street in Manhattan. “This season, celebrate Jesus.”

The sign, sponsored by the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, mimics the wording and design of a 14-by-48 foot billboard erected by an atheist group along Route 495 in North Bergen on Nov. 22.

Both billboards depict Nativity scenes. The Catholic sign, which was visible and lighted on Tuesday night, has a red background; the atheist one is blue. But the messages are markedly different.

“You Know it’s a MYTH,” the atheist sign, paid for by a national group called American Atheists, states. “This Season, Celebrate REASON.”

The Catholic League’s president, William Donohue, called the pro-Jesus sign a “counterpunch” to the atheist message.

“Our approach is positive, and services the common good,” he said in a statement issued Tuesday. “Theirs is negative and is designed to sow division. It’s what they do.”

Donohue could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but the press release said his organization decided to respond to the atheist display with a pro-Christian message at the request of a donor. The release did not say how much the sign cost.

“After Christian motorists have had their sensibilities assaulted as they exit New Jersey, they will experience a sense of joy, and satisfaction, as they enter New York City,” Donohue said in the release. “It’s what we do.”

American Atheists president David Silverman said he did not think the Catholic sign will dilute his group’s message.

“They stole our scene and copied what we’re doing, and that’s fine,” he said. “Once again, the Catholic Church is co-opting something that isn’t theirs, just like they did to Christmas. It’s a great analogy, and I love it.”

Silverman said his group’s sign is meant to remind non-believers that the Christian story of Christmas is based on a winter solstice tradition that anyone can celebrate, regardless of their beliefs, he said.

The Newark Archdiocese, which declined an invitation to put up its own rival billboard early this week, applauded the Catholic League’s decision, archdiocese Spokesman Jim Goodness said.

“I’m happy to see that a donor came through and feels as strongly as we all do that the message of Christmas is an important one and one that should be trumpeted,” he said.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/113010_Catholic_billboard_responds_to_atheist_message_outside_Lincoln_Tunnel.html

That's awesome!No need to sink to their level and start attacking.Just a simple statement that sends a message that will mock and no doubt infuriate the Atheist that put that sign up.They went to thinking they were cleaver to being the laughing stock of the city.I think if I was this Atheist I would take down that sign out of humiliation.


Well done! I salute you!

people rarely feel humiliation when they think they are 'right'

I personally feel that both religion and politics are impolite topics of conversation and though I'm sometimes drawn into to them, I always regret it afterward and rarely feel anything positive was accomplished.

I don't learn much from people who feel different from me, as I'm sure it's practically useless to attempt converting them to my way of thinking.

If others feel compelled to speak out against my beliefs, I'm mature enough to ignore them. All of my answers to life's important questions are answered from within and I don't need a billboard or an internet board to confirm or deny my beliefs.

As long as they aren't plotting or in the process of actual physical threats against me, mine, or other innocents, let them rant all they like is my feeling.

It shows them to be crass, rude and low class but there's no law against that...

I don't mind having a polite political or religious discussion.
It is interesting to find out how others think. Proselytizers
frequently find my arguments persuasive to the point where they
begin to question their message.



Just don't expect anyone to be swayed but make a good argument
and be nice.

I agree. I am quiet non biased on this topic. I personally find it equally plausible that there is or isn't a God so I think both beliefs should be respected. I also enjoy these type of debates.

It's really no different than the mud slinging during elections. Instead of presenting one's side, they have to attack the other side. Kind of like school yard bullies. It happens on all sides. IMO the argument loses value when the "I know you are but what am I" or the "I'm rubber, you're glue" starts.

I have my say, but I prefer to be quiet. My experience and beliefs have taught me not to weigh in on what I consider "lightning rod" type topics. This I consider one of those, so I won't. I have limits on this one!!!!

Actually, I rarely see Muslims squawking about this holiday, as it doesn't have any relevance to them. And the Jews celebrate Hanukkah, which is a separate holiday, and not related to Christmas. It's also a movable holiday.




One correction. The Winter Solstice is celebrated on the 20th-22nd, depending on when the switch from fall to winter falls. This years its the 21st. This is a separate holiday then the 25th. There are also several other pagan holidays that get going on the 17th, and go for anywhere from 7-10 days (that "lost time" on the calendar) to a full month.

The 25th is a pagan Roman holiday celebrating the birth of Mithra, whose story is almost an exact match to the story of Jesus. Except it predates Jesus's story by a few hundred years, so Jesus borrowed or stole the story line, depending on how you look at it. It's also the birth of Sol Invictus or the Invincible Sun, again, celebrated long before the birth of Jesus.

My point is, Christians didn't even celebrate Christmas until towards the end of the Victorian time frame. So the irony of them screaming that they are badly treated is something of a joke. The holiday was far more secular back then, and has only, I'd say noticeably, in the past 15 years or so, become a "battle" between Christians and others. Atheists happily celebrate the season, but are get royally tired of having the misleading religious aspect shoved down their throats.

the definition of something being 'shoved' down throats could be a whole other thread

I never quite understand what it means,,,,in non intimate relationship,,,how do strangers shove something down my throat?


I always thought of it as a situation with someone you have to live with day in and day night incessantly and repeatedly bringing up an issue that you dont wish to discuss,,,but it gets used so often when the majority express something that by sheer number they express much more often than a minority,,,,anyhoo,,,carry on, sorry for the tangent

oh yeah, I personally think billboards should remain a venue of free speech but that as a matter of principle they go 'too far' when they involve personal attacks on others lives or beliefs or when they have vulgar words or images,,,,

I'm not fond of billboards to begin with. I'm really not fond of all the pro-Christian billboards you see all across certain parts of the the mid west and the south. These are personal preferences, feeling, not my opinion on what ought to be.

I respect the fact that you are displeased by this billboard, but offensiveness is in the eye of the beholder. If the billboard had said "Its a myth", I would first question what they meant by "it", and possibly (depending on the answer) see it simply as a factual statement completely devoid of any offensiveness at all.

For it to say "you know its..." suggests that the billboard authors are questioning the integrity of any believer, and I admit I can see that as somewhat offensive...not in the "ought not to be said" kind of way, but in the "that wasn't exactly fair and I get that your feelings may be hurt" kind of way.

Despite these drawbacks (I don't completely agree with the billboard), I am just so, so happy to see this cultural phenomena (anti-religionists and the like putting money together to put up billboards questioning religion) gaining momentum.

Even a devout and intelligent theist can see value in a billboard like this - as intelligent theists celebrate reason as well as faith.

Yeah, thats why! No other reason!

MightyMoe, you make two excellent points here. I would say its not *entirely* about money, just as the Christian billboards aren't *entirely* about money - in both cases there are humans acting on their sincere beliefs.

But yeah - money plays a big role in all of this, and exactly according the mechanism you describe.

The really sad thing is that the leaders of both pro and anti groups make more money if they can incite their membership into judgmental intolerant hostility towards the other group....

And yet it happens. There are plenty of billboards targeting (in the marketing sense of the word) atheists, which are phrased on the assumption that atheists are in denial of their true, yet to be uncovered, love for god.



No, its an attack on Christianity in your eyes. Which makes it the 'way it must be', apparently.



Really? You are expressing opinions on billboards and you have so little knowledge of the billboards plastered across our country?

Double posted above.

You know, we keep having people come in here and declare that atheism is a religion. To make anything even remotely resembling a sensible argument, they carefully pick their interpretation of 'religion' so that they end up with simply "Strong atheism is a belief", and they equate "religion" with "having a belief".

In the more common usages of the word 'religion', its laughably false to call atheism a religion. Weak atheism doesn't even qualify as a belief.

Of course just about any quality you can find in a theist can be found in some atheist somewhere, and any quality you can find in a church can be found in some 'atheist organization' somewhere - being atheist doesn't preclude you from having a kind of atheistic religion; its just not, itself, a religion.

there is nothing that controls the direction of humankind, fate, and reality created by humans themself, more than religious beliefs and politics, so to not inspect, question, disect, and scrutinize these vigorously and tenaciously, leaves the fate of all in the hands of complacency and apathy, thus surrendering the power to control all human fate in the hands of religious zealots whom worship "their god" more than the value of other humans, and in the hands of polictical opportunists, whom would create poverty and restrain peace, if it afforded themself a lifestyle of luxury and choice.