At least they spelled "atheists" correctly.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
-Philip K. Dick

So if an Atheist smashes his sign then nobody really did it.

Atheists don't believe in god, so atheists don't care what he/she/it thinks.

I did a poll "Are you an Atheist, Yes or No?" on a local message board highly populated with youth and the results were pretty much the same...about 63% Atheists.

I suppose if you can believe in a fantasy sky god made in your own image then it is not too difficult to pretend that many people around you don't actually exist.

Religious spite is always humourous to some degree.

And the pastor has a fake name, Sonny Manuel. For those not indoctrinated, the term Manuel has Christly signifigance. Sonny Manuel sounds like a stage name. Quite appropriate, I wouldn't put my real name on that garbage either.

Religious people are a hoot!

The "almighty" they create is as petty, stupid, and mean-spirited as they are.

whats the bit between agnostic and spiritual?

I can prove I exist, therefore, this sign is quite silly.

Can god prove it exists? I'm sure there are many ways. Choose one, and make sure it's quite obvious this time. A big bearded man in the clouds with a booming voice would do quite nicely.

I'd rather not exist than be deluded.

Something has got to be wrong with their brains. Not to be facetious, but seriously, has there been any studies on religious people's brains versus non-religious brains? There has got to be something missing there.

This sign is simply imbecilic. Or maybe it's the atheists that are the imbeciles. I dont know.

If God need to "believe", then he is not so almighty..

Ken:

A danish professor did it, and he concluded that religious people is average less intelligent.

http://danish.newsvine.com/_news/2007/02/05/554043-professor-atheists-are-more-intelligent-than-believers

Atheists do not believe in God. Therefore, God does not exist.

Quite easily done.

That's an interesting article, Keith. Good find.

All twenty two Presidential candidates profess a deep belief in god. Heaven help the country.

I think, therefore I am. Hmm. Try again theists.

By the way, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that perhaps the theists making this announcement were probably trying to mock atheists. Certain Christians believe that atheists think God does not exist only because they don't own a belief in God. Ironically, the inverse is true. Creationists think that if they don't believe in evolution, that evolution therefore is not true or real.

Now, if in fact they actually believe that atheists don't exists, not only is this an astonishing level of solipsism but it behooves me as to why they rant about the "secular progressives?" Are they going after people they know for themselves to be imaginary?

Make sense. After all, if you discount my fossilized droppings radiometrically dated to belong to Holocene Epoch and my grimy footprint on the white tiles of my bathroom, there is little evidence that I ever existed. All of my previous attempts to convince God of my existence by pointing out the fossil and the footprint were met with skepticism. The supreme being discredited the evidence as a hoax. When pointed out that the fossil was dated to indicate that it was somewhere between 2 weeks and 50 years in age, the almighty pointed out that carbon dating showed indeterminate age. I came to my senses in a mental institution where i was notified that i suffered a mental breakdown as a result of some sign, which resulted in nonsensical discussions with some imaginary being.

I took the sign's message to be more, "Obviously, atheists exist, so not believing in something doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Which... is sort of our point, right? The "belief" itself proves nothing.

My obviously sarcastic and facetious post aside, that's probably the message the sign attempts to convey. On its face, I take the sign suggests that just because atheists lack a belief in God does not mean that God does not exist. Still, can't blame me for trying to have a little fun.

I don't think this sign needs any sly comments directed towards it... its quite hilarious on its own!

The sign may not need sly comments directed at it. Unfortunately for the sign I (and many others in this discussion) felt the need to direct sly comments the sign. I apologize to the sign for being inconsiderate, but it started it with its own sly comment. I also apologize to Carmen if this comment is taken as being sly toward her, its all in good natured fun. :)

Another fine example of Christian logic!

AtheistEmpire.com

I wouldnt be surprised in general if atheists were smarter than religious believers, because religion obviously appeals to ignorance. Smart people can still be fooled though, they fool themselves, while dumb people are fooled by others.

Probably also explains why republicans are so stupid.

i think the point is that everyone believes in god...

There is an inverse correlation between science education and god belief.

I always thought it was funny that everyone who doesn't believe in God is angry and barb-tongued.

I mean, at least, I've never acted like that about other people's religion.

Why, you never get angry or make sarcastic remarks, even if just for the sake of humor? I guess turning the bright-line rule of turning the other cheek could be seen as a virtue, even if it is not followed by most members of the human race, or the type of docile behavior possibly injurious to others.

stupid Christians.

I always thought it was funny that everyone who doesn't believe in God is angry and barb-tongued.

Perhaps the anger comes from the horror religion has done to mankind throughout history and continues till this day. The irony in Christian criticism of atheists is found in their distaste for their sarcasm and ridicule, yet with a little reflection they will realize that in proportion to the religionist's damage to society, a barbed tongue is the least of your worries.

Too funny. Goodness knows religious people would be happier if we didn't exist. They would have no one laughing at them. Oops. Sorry. WITH them. Always with, never at.

Can I use this to get my creditors off my back? "But sir, I can't pay my bills, I don't exist!" I mean it's God's word versus Citibank's word - problem is I think Citibank wields more power over our laws then any God could ever dream of.

Come on - this does not prove that whoever put the sign up is stupid just that they don't have a very good sense of humor.

Susan's spin on it is right.

It's just a very bad joke... they think they're being funny and ironic.

Doug, Rod, ThomasMcCay, Matt Watt, flubber, Ken, Keith, Erick, Igor, Angie, and Stupid Git:

I think you've misunderstood their argument, such as it is. The folks responsible for that sign do not actually believe that no atheists exist. Rather, they hope that by using a particularly fantastical example of the poorly formed argument,

1. A does not believe B exists, therefore
2. B cannot in fact exist,

the absurdity of the following is made apparent:

1. Atheists do not believe in the existence of a god or gods, therefore
2. A god or gods cannot in fact exist.

Which is fine, certainly, as far as it goes. It is almost touchingly unfortunate for them, however, that no thoughtful person actually employs that argument, i.e., no thoughtful atheist believes that god does not exist because he believes god does not exist - a clear tautology.

That sign has so much irony in it it's achingly sad.

Come on... there must be something were missing here. Either A, im too stupid to understand the humor/whatever, or B the people who made the sign are insane.

Hmm...

Doug, Rod, ThomasMcCay, Matt Watt, flubber, Ken, Keith, Erick, Igor, Angie, and Stupid Git:

I think you've misunderstood their argument, such as it is.

Seems like you're arguing with yourself. I've already made that argument above, but I'll repost it for your convenience.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that perhaps the theists making this announcement were probably trying to mock atheists. Certain Christians believe that atheists think God does not exist only because they don't own a belief in God. Ironically, the inverse is true. Creationists think that if they don't believe in evolution, that evolution therefore is not true or real.

This same message was posted on the sign of First Baptist Church in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. I laughed all the way home.

i dont believe in god, who doesn't exist but god doesn't believe in atheists, thus they don't exist, and I am an atheist, so i dont exist, but bu...... I'm confused... who made the sign again?

Wow Mom!

Is this supposed to work as advertisement, or philosophy?

Erick: So Descartes was wrong, cogito ergo... I am being deceived by an evil Demon, whom I call "God"?

God!

And the good Bishop was Berkeley up the wrong tree. If I, or a sparrow, or anything Mr. Fun-loving Fundamentalist doesn't care for, falls in the forest there really is no one there to hear it, so it doesn't make a sound save the sound of sophistical argument in Orwellian langauge.

Erick again, so why does God need to send hurricanes like Katrina to punch* us-who-exist-not?

Susan, if I squeeze my lemon 'til the juice runs down my leg, Susan will make lemonade out of it. Atheists, deep down, way, way deep down inside, weeeee'll need it (and believe it).....

Gaaaaaaaaawd....

Freud to the World, subconsciously, our brains have evolved to believe it, it must be true. Optical illusions, true too, too true, to the eye, meaning the eye-brain-mind sub-module vice-president in charge of visual perception. But the CEO uses better judgment, I hope.

Susan's interpretation is the most rational. Rationalize lies and get on with it.

Okay.

There is a quasi-scientific way to test the marquee hypothesis (Susan's interpretation), using polygraph, and brainwave scanning lie-detector tests. Connect those professing atheism up, ask 'em. Ask also the Hindu polytheists. Evolutionists? Does it really seem more plausible?

Are you sweating?

But be sure to also test the born-agains, rapture-mongers, etc.

And ask questions about optical illusions and logical paradoxes and psychological paradoxes...

.

*does 'punch" come from punish, or from a (Hindu)cognate with "pent-" (five=fifst=fist)? Does God have five fingers? Or a penis/sword to smite us with?

Doug: displays his ignorance by implying that nobody could smash a sign. It is a phallusy. The acts of violence committed by Nobody could be counted on one (evil?) fist:

The big "O", "0"-mega, zero-mega.

if GOD don't exist, then why do you atheist spend so much time trying to fight him

Because He exists in the sense that He is an Evil Idea, a Delusion in your mind.

Why do mechanics spend so much time tuning-up cars? Why do piano tuners tune pianos? Why if there is a leak in you boat would you bail out? Our world is sinking into ignorance.

If your mind was a road filled with cracks the pavers would be out fighting the entropy, chip-sealing. That's us.

Raymond:

I'm not an atheist, but speaking personally, I've got no beef with God, Zeus, Allah, Yaweh, Jesus, or any other gods and/or godesses.

My beef is with their fan club.

"The business of a man and his God should remain the business of a man and his God" - Tommy Jefferson

Long live the 1st Amendment! Long live our unalienable right to believe, or not believe, whatever we wish.

N1, wrongo! I don't think they believe I don't exist, I doubt that anyone has such a stupid take on it.

It's just impossible to read such a silly sign without making silly comment.

Having spent a number of years steeped in and surrounded by that sort of horse shit, I had no difficulty understanding their point. I just like responding to horse shit with horse shit sometimes.

And the Pastor, that speaker for ultimate 'truth', still uses a stage name. :)

they're all a bunch of idiots anyway

I see this as just a rewording on the somewhat known quote:

"God is dead" - Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead" - God

http://atheism.about.com/library/weekly/aa042600a.htm

isn't it rather childish and a cheap-shot to relish over such an obviously ridiculous statement on a billboard and all chime in with glee, "christians are idiots" and use the same rhetoric back against those particular idiots? how terribly clever.

to be fair, there are fools and idiots of every belief or disbelief.

to be fair, there are fools and idiots of every belief or disbelief.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that perhaps the theists making this announcement were probably trying to mock atheists. Certain Christians believe that atheists think God does not exist only because they don't own a belief in God. Ironically, the inverse is true. Creationists think that if they don't believe in evolution, that evolution therefore is not true or real.

I think the sign meant this:

People who claim being atheists are not really atheists, they are just wandering lambs who haven't found their sheppard and haven't opened their eyes to see the truth yet. Falala-lala-lala-lala (chimes and stucco angels)

Of course, I don't agree with it, bc it's the usual condescending "if you saw someone who was starving and had been once starving yourself.." BS, and I don't expect church leaders to actually be able to derivate a proper syllogism without messing it in the premise or the 2nd line ...

I don't agree with the sign. To me, it's using fear to try to woo people into seeking out a religion. For me, I sought something stable, or at least, something a little more reliable than someone telling me, "Believe in so-and-so or you'll go to hell!" I mean, even Jesus said to not believe in him because he said so, but because of his works. Well obviously we can't see his "works", so we have to go off something different. My beliefs are set in of what evidence points towards most. So this is not really a comment to the picture, but to those who speak up without doing the research. I would say, if you want to be respected and confidant, not just pretend to be, seek out the evidence, and not what you or others tell you. Popular media is not a credible source.

Wait, which god?

Two-Celled Life?

Many single-celled forms of life exist, but no known forms of animal life have 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells (a). Known forms of life with 6–20 cells are parasites, so they must have a complex animal as a host to provide such functions as respiration and digestion. If macroevolution happened, one should find many transitional forms of life with 2–20 cells—filling the gap between one-celled and many-celled organisms.

a. E. Lendell Cockrum and William J. McCauley, Zoology (Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1965), p. 163.

Lynn Margulis and Karlene V. Schwartz, Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth (San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Co., 1982), pp. 178–179.

Perhaps the simplest forms of multicellular life are the Myxozoans, which have 6–12 cells. While they are quite distinct from other multicellular life, they are even more distinct from single-celled life (kingdom Protista). [See James F. Smothers et al., “Molecular Evidence That the Myxozoan Protists are Metazoans,” Science, Vol. 265, 16 September 1994, pp. 1719–1721.] So, if they evolved from anywhere, it would most likely have been from higher, not lower, forms of life. Such a feat should be called devolution, not evolution.

Colonial forms of life are an unlikely bridge between single-celled life and multicelled life. The degree of cellular differentiation between colonial forms of life and the simplest multicellular forms of life is vast. For a further discussion, see Libbie Henrietta Hyman, The Invertebrates: Protozoa through Ctenophora, Vol. 1 (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1940), pp. 248–255.

Nor do Diplomonads (which have two nuclei and four flagella) bridge the gap. Diplomonads are usually parasites.

http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes19.html#wp1012455

Embryology 1

Evolutionists have taught for over a century that as an embryo develops, it passes through stages that mimic an evolutionary sequence. In other words, in a few weeks an unborn human repeats stages that supposedly took millions of years for mankind. A well-known example of this ridiculous teaching is that embryos of mammals have “gill slits,” because mammals supposedly evolved from fish. (Yes, that’s faulty logic.) Embryonic tissues that resemble “gill slits” have nothing to do with breathing; they are neither gills nor slits. Instead, those embryonic tissues develop into parts of the face, bones of the middle ear, and endocrine glands.

Embryologists no longer consider the superficial similarities between a few embryos and the adult forms of simpler animals as evidence for evolution (a).

a. “This generalization was originally called the biogenetic law by Haeckel and is often stated as ‘ontogeny [the development of an embryo] recapitulates [repeats] phylogeny [evolution].’ This crude interpretation of embryological sequences will not stand close examination, however. Its shortcomings have been almost universally pointed out by modern authors, but the idea still has a prominent place in biological mythology.” Paul R. Ehrlich and Richard W. Holm, The Process of Evolution (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963), p. 66.

“It is now firmly established that ontogeny does not repeat phylogeny.” George Gaylord Simpson and William S. Beck, Life: An Introduction to Biology (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1965), p. 241.

Hitching, pp. 202–205.

[continue]

why is no one engaging this guy? where's erick?

dude, erick would kick your ass. :)

As an (admittedly rather old) biologist I would like to say that in my student days I was told the phrase was "Ontogeny REFLECTS Phylogeny" - I hope the difference is clear. Try googling this phrase and you will get quite a few modern references.

Another example of the Strawman argument, methinks.

Wow, there's a whole lot of fail here...

The sign isn't saying God doesn't exist. It's saying that the argument 'Atheists don't believe in God, therefore God doesn't exist' is flawed.

There are plenty of things to nitpick about that, but if you're going to make fun of something try and understand it first, mmkay?

The sign isn't saying God doesn't exist. It's saying that the argument 'Atheists don't believe in God, therefore God doesn't exist' is flawed.

Only one problem: no atheists I have ever known have ever made that argument.