Saturday, October 25, 2008

The Atheist Bus Advertisment

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/21/religion-advertising
This is fair game, why not, technically.
I found the comments really interesting, some were quite thoughtful.
I must say, I would not "enjoy my day" at all in a Godless world. In fact, I have "enjoyed" the last 3 days immeasurably more as I believe I have experienced, in answer to particular and heartfelt prayer and Bible reading, the help, ... Read Morestrength, guidance and encouragement of a loving and personal God in my own struggles to be the wife and mother I desire to be (patient, loving, fun, gentle, giving).
And I think it's a bit immature for several commentators to celebrate this advertisement as "hope" for all the people walking around who "grew up being forced to believe what their parents believed (strictly meaning, I assume, Christianity) and may now be "liberated into happy freedom through atheism!" There is overwhelming evidence in culture today that "young" (ahem, ahem) people today are completely at ease doing pretty much whatever they want with their lives, for better or worse.
And personally I think in the West we generally have the freedom and information to behave like adults and make thoughtful choices about what we believe about the big questions in life, instead of being "forced" and "brainwashed." I know there are adults in the West who "feel" "forced" into attending church at christmas, or into getting married in a church, but real spiritual belief is completely personal and cannot be forced upon you!
I apologize on behalf of those in the church who "force" their adult children into religious activities. I find it difficult to reconcile "forcing" someone to attend church with the behaviour of the loving, Bible-believing Christians I know. Jesus certainly never forced anyone to listen to Him (the image is almost laughable) even though our freedom to chose NOT to believe hurts Him the most.

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