Sidewalk Graffiti April 3, 2011

Sidewalk Graffiti

By Guest Contributor
April 3, 2011

I’m told that the sidewalks at Illinois State University are home to several chalk ads for a “campuswide worship event” taking place soon…

Someone wrote this message nearby one of those ads:

I love that there’s a response… though I’m not sure this is the most effective one.

What would you have written instead?

(Thanks to Summer for the pic!)

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What Are Your Thoughts?leave a comment
  • Alt+3

    God is as real as Dumbledore?

  • I cannot resist saying: What, Harry Potter is not real?!

    I do not think there is any short and easy atheist one liners that I particularly like.

  • There have got to be atheist one-liners out there that beat the Christian ones… I drive by a church that uses those “pithy” Christian slogans on their sign every time I leave my apartment… It is so painful to read…

  • I think this one is very effective 😛

  • d’Armond

    If we agree that a response is appropriate in the first place (and I think it is), what’s the purpose of the response? To sway believers? Won’t happen. The audience is other non-believers. A short, non-offensive one liner is perfect. It let’s people know there are non-believers out there, and it will make people smile. It’s informative and funny. The only other thing I might add is a reference to a student organization for atheists, a counter-event, or some other “advertisement.” But even without this, there’s nothing wrong with what’s written.

    What more do you want?

  • Miles McCullough

    The evidence of your eyes is all you need to know what is true.
    The evidence of your heart is all you need to know what is right.

  • If I had to suggest some, I’d say:
    “No gods, no masters.” (this has a nice civil rights message to it)
    “Freedom depends on Freethought”
    “An unelected, all-powerful ruler is either called a dictator or god.”

  • Richard P.

    God IS real
    but only in your mind.

  • Kamaka

    “Any deity that requires worship is unworthy of it”.

  • Suzanne

    If I had to choose.. I’d much rather Harry Potter be real. As long as I get to go to Hogwarts, that is.

  • edd

    ‘I have a personal relationship with reality.’

  • NewEnglandBob

    Pray to god or think for yourself

  • Cortex

    “This week, we’re worshiping [insert own name here]! Sacrifices of top-shelf gin and pizza rolls only, please.”

  • Cthulian Dreams

    I actually have a desktop image that reads “God and religion are just another form of magic. You don’t believe in Harry Potter, do you? Then why believe in Jesus? Harry Potter could kick Jesus’ ass. He beat f***ing Voldemort.”

  • Pay attention to that niggling doubt at the back of your mind.

  • Rhodent

    I like d’Armond’s idea of putting information about an atheist gathering next to it. It offers an alternative but in no way demeans or even makes reference to the original ad.

  • Transplant

    An oldie but a goodie: Question Authority

  • AxeGrrl

    Perhaps someone with basic art skills could have drawn this on the sidewalk:

    belief info map

    🙂

  • Alice

    Isn’t this the same thing as when that Muslim student group changed the Muhammad drawings into Muhammad Ali drawings and didn’t you call that intolerant vandalism? This chalk troll completely changed the message, censoring the original sentiment. What is the difference other than this one being on your team?

  • Eskomo

    It doesn’t look like this square was changed. It looks like a response to the square left of it.

  • Rieux

    Alice-

    Huh? Where do you see a changed message? The whole “Harry Potter” line is written in the same handwriting. Look at the “s”es; look at the “o”s in “God” and “Potter.” One person wrote the whole thing.

    You’re trying a bit too hard to find an intolerant atheist here. You’ve made him up out of thin air.

  • I’m with Suzanne. I would way prefer for Harry Potter to be real than God. In Hogwarts it’s generally considered rather good form to resist tyrants and think for yourself. Sounds like Hogwarts beats heaven, hands-down!

  • Just add “What if you’re wrong?”.

  • JoeBuddha

    Isn’t this the same thing as when that Muslim student group changed the Muhammad drawings into Muhammad Ali drawings and didn’t you call that intolerant vandalism?
    I didn’t see him saying that, and a lot of atheists seemed to think that it was a clever response. Besides, this drawing wasn’t changing someone elses; apples to oranges, IMHO.

  • OverlapingMagisteria

    “Zeus, Thor, Vishnu, God, Allah, Ra.
    Is there really any difference between these?”

  • God is
    really
    make believe

  • Steve

    “God is as much use as a chocolate teapot”

  • Gra’ma Banana

    How about:

    “Don’t spend your time listening to others opinions, donate your time to helping others in need.”

  • Jeebus

    I hope you’re worshipping the right one.

  • jolly

    I would go with the classic that I first saw in a toilet almost 30 years ago. A man without a god, is like a fish without a bicycle.
    Or just one of the more nasty lines from the bible.

  • Alice

    Rieux-

    I’m not looking for anything. I really like this blog and I know that it’s author is a thoughtful person. I could have sworn that during the “Everybody Draw Muhammed” thing that that happened, but it must have been on some other blog I read and I’m getting them confused because I can’t find it now. Now I feel really silly.

  • grumblekitty

    The problem is, I think a lot of fundies are enough afraid of stuff like Harry Potter that it kind of makes an argument that they DO believe in Harry. Remember the big hooha over the books when they first got popular? People wanted them banned because they were about witchcraft, and encouraged devil worship. Telling THOSE people that god is as real as Harry is kinda useless.

  • woo

    My girlfriend goes there, and she saw this and told me about it. She’s not really as much of an atheist as I am, she just likes Harry Potter.

  • Drew M.

    @Rieux

    Huh? Where do you see a changed message? The whole “Harry Potter” line is written in the same handwriting. Look at the “s”es; look at the “o”s in “God” and “Potter.” One person wrote the whole thing.

    Look at the a’s.

    I think it’s one-author line as well , but it isn’t a leap to think it’s an altered message.

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