Atheists’ sign sparks controversy
 I had to repost the whole article, it’s such a laugh. Christians have been persecuted throughout history! We atheists are gonna convert them all! To war! P.S. Merry Shopmas!
Atheists’ sign sparks controversy
Vernon (WTNH) _ A sign posted by Atheists in the Rockville’s Central Park has people talking, prompting calls to the town hall and the local clergy.
The Connecticut Valley Atheists posted the three-sided sign, which some call a billboard, and it was the only sign in the town center marking the Holiday season. Two sides of the display feature the Twin Towers, framed by the words “Imagine No Religion.”
This Christmas, Martha Chennelle and Amy Houser say Vernon could use a few prayers, considering the sign standing in front of town hall.
“We believe that Christ is the reason for Christmas,” said Chennelle.
“I feel like this is an attack on my beliefs as a religious person,” said Houser.
The sign, put up by the Connecticut Valley Atheist Group, which was supposed to mark the winter solstice, but the “Imagine No Religion” part of it, taken from John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” has a lot of people upset.
Houser says the sign mocks her religion during a holy time of the year. “Imagine no religion is an attack against me, as any person of faith should take it as an attack against them,” Houser said.
The town issued permits to the Atheist group to put the sign in the park. They also issued permits to a group of churches that plans to put a nativity scene and to a local synagogue to put up a menorah.
Dennis Himes, a Vernon resident, and member of CT Valley Atheists, says he was tired of seeing Christian displays.
“There are plenty of places to put up nativity scenes in Vernon. The original question that started this controversy was not whether a nativity scene would be put up in Vernon,” said Dennis Himes of Vernon. “The question was whether the nativity scene would be put in front of a church or in front of town hall, on government property.
Himes also says that the picture of the Twin Towers is meant to show that without religion, 9-11 wouldn’t have happened. A suggestion that has upset Muslims, as well.
“This is an attack,” said Houser.
Chennelle and Houser have been fighting back with prayer.
“We ultimately believe that Christians have been persecuted throughout history,” said Houser, “so this is nothing new.”
According to the Hartford Courant town officials issued the Atheists a permit to put up the sign to commemorate the Winter Solstice. Permits were also issued to local churches and a synagogue to put up their own displays.
Yesterday the town of Rockville put up a large Christmas Tree, just 10 feet from the display.
While it may be funny and all… religious people do finally have a pretty good reason to be upset this time. CVA has stooped to the level of the same bigotry they oppose.
http://atheistethicist.blogspot.com/2007/12/connecticut-valley-atheists-imagine.html
Push comes to shove.
It’s always fun to notice how their history knowledge is limited too. Sure, it was Christianity that invented the whole Xmas thing, right… not that it had been already celebrated for thousands of years, and in the Christian Rome they just recycled or stole the pagan feast and added some pseudochristianity to it. Switching it to a christian feast, and allowing a few decades or a few hundred years, with their side of the story out there, sure everyone started to believe they invented it.
Religion and ignorance go hand in hand.
Well, this clinches it. I WAS going to get that bumpersticker that says “The 9/11 hijackers prayed to god, too”, but I was pretty sure I’d be lynched for it. Now I know.
Nah, get one that says “God Let 9/11 Happen”.
Interesting that the tree which they put up to counter the Atheists’ sign(s) is a “Christmas” symbol of Pagan origin. Yeah. Look it up. It’s true. If the Christian’s are going to fight back, they may want to do some research. But why would they do that when they’re always right about everything they espouse to anyhow? It’s called “faith.”
Ugh, I hate these sheep. Mind you, I know some Christians that are good people, and can think for themselves, and come to their own conclusions, and are accepting, but these stupid, bleeting sheep suck.
Also, Christian God is mostly based off of Mythra (I *think* I spelled that right.)
Aside from that, though, Christmas isn’t really a holiday any more, unless you worship The Almighty Dollar.
^^^ good call shane jesus didn’t give us the “christmas” holiday… and besides mythra theres something like a dozen former “god’s children” in other religions that happen to have been born on december 25th. and the “yule” (winter solstice) dates back even before mythra, not to mention that the “12 days of christmas” really come from the 13 days of yule. and thats another good point by madman that the christmas tree is condemned in the bible. how ironic.
So true Matt, I have friends and relatives that are way into the Jesus thing. I just can’t bring myself to be the one to actually show them in writing that at least 20 other mythical “gods” with JC’s profile were already published before he was born. Never mind explaining the whole sun god thing. The worst thing, about religion, IMO is how the faithful all use religion to excuse their selves from responsibility, personal and otherwise. Of course as soon as something bad happens, then they say “it was god’s will”.
“Chennelle and Houser have been fighting back with prayer”.
Well that’ll show em!!
On a more serious note, when I read a story about ‘sparks’ or ‘controversy’, I often wonder just how much outrage there really is. This article quotes exactly three people. What do the other thousands?? or Vernon residents think?
Is my skepticism annoying? I’m an atheist; we kind of do that.