The Scary Atheist Aerial Banners July 4, 2011

The Scary Atheist Aerial Banners

By Guest Contributor
July 4, 2011

We’re getting the first images of the American Atheists aerial banners that have gotten so much negative publicity this past week…

Wow… Can you believe the way some atheists shove their message down everybody’s throats…?

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  • Angel

    When I showed this to my husband and asked him if he considered this as “shoving atheism down throats”, he immediately yelled/sang back “YOU CAN’T TAKE THE SKY FROM ME” and then laughed maniacally.

    So while not actually getting a yes/no answer, I prefer to think he provided some deep philosophical message and he isn’t the giant fanboy who is demanding that I shut off my computer so we can watch a Firefly marathon.

  • NotYou007

    Not sure if this is the same one posted over at

    American atheist, INC.

  • MH

    Please link to the video when Fox news has a freak out story about this.

    Also when a lobster restaurant has a plane with their banner on it, are they trying to shove lobsters down our throats?

  • Brad

    At work today, I thought of these banners while speaking with a very nice, very old couple who offered to bring be a copy of the new testament. When they first came into my store, I noticed that the man had lost all of his fingers on his right hand. We talked for about 45 minutes about a problem he was having and during this conversation, God was the reason for the problem he was having and would eventually be the solution, god was also the reason I was so helpful to them. I said nothing about God but I made several uncomfortable comments that started out with me saying “I’m glad to lend a hand” followed by “Keep your fingers crossed this works” and then later, I asked him if he was, “handy”. The conversation was extremely friendly and fun but I realized I had said several things that were not appropriate so I felt a little bad. When we finished talking, he said, “Are you sure you don’t want a copy of the new testament?” I said no, I have a copy at home and then I stuck my right hand out to shake his right hand and after a second or two, he stuck out his left hand. At that point I told him I changed my mind and would love a copy of the new testament. He went out to his car and got me a copy and after he left, I read some of it again. I am no worse off than I was before, my mind has not changed and will not change but these damn banners keep weighing on it. What if I had a wonderful interaction with some christian stranger and I asked him if he would like a copy of one of my favorite atheist books? It probably wouldn’t work out the same way (I’ve actually been kicked out of a book store for asking for a Dawkins book before) and that makes me a bit sad. The banners are great and people really do need to relax.

  • Axora

    This is so scary! It makes me just so angry! *heavy sarcasm*

  • Lefty

    Brad: … and then I stuck my right hand out to shake his right hand and after a second or two, he stuck out his left hand.

    Some amputees are quite adept at this; if you offer the left hand rotated 180 so the thumb is pointing down, the sensation can be nearly identical to a regular right-handed shake. Apparently this gentleman was no so adept. Perhaps no one has let him in on the secret.

  • aerie

    Desensitization works; just not as quickly as we would like.

    I think Mae West said ‘those who are so easily offended, should be offended more often’.

  • walter

    There is nothing wrong with being sensitive. I applaud you for behaving like a good human being. We, atheists, need more friends among those who believe. What goes around, comes around.

  • Helen

    Well McDonalds and Hungary Jacks have banners..Doesn’t mean I want to have it for lunch..!! At least us Atheists don’t knock on peoples doors trying to convert…

  • Those damn militant atheists. First, they fly banners. Next thing, they’ll be hijacking planes to fly into churches. They don’t call them, “Militant”, without reason, you know.

  • I loved the comparison with the Lobster ads shoving lobster down our faces. I don’t find airplane messages any more pushy then the ads from a local church that get sent to us every few months. It is certainly less pushy then the church ‘outreach’ caller that called us four times in two days inviting us to their church because we just moved (across town but he didn’t know that) I do think most organized religions are inherently insecure so just the mention that non-believers are organized makes them uncomfortable. I do find it hypocritical that ‘they’ can proselytize, rather aggressively and just mentioning that you or I chose not to believe counts as trying to ‘convert them’. I really think they just imagine the DEVIL is involved!

  • ms. mascara

    man, i wish somebody would shove some lobster down my throat.

  • Charles Black

    The churches would probably be saying the same thing if for example the pilots were flying messages saying for example “Muslims are your friends” & other pro Muslim messages.

  • vexorian

    I personally think “is patriotic” may be easily misunderstood as “to be patriotic, be an atheist”.

    Perhaps “atheism is not unpatriotic” would say what the banner means to say without leading to that sort of confusion. Though I admit it sounds silly. It is not like theists are entitled not to get offended anyway.

  • Annie

    I just did a google search to see if there was any interesting news about the planes. I read this article from the Blaze (not familiar with it), which was written on the 1st. I only made it through the first ten comments before I was ready to cry. We have a long road ahead of us…

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/atheists-to-fly-july-4-airplane-banners-in-27-states-god-less-america-atheism-is-patriotic/

  • Kandy

    God is the King of the Sky, don’t they get that?

  • I may or may not be Christian, the jury is still out on that. If I am, I am from the “live and let live” camp which seems to be a minority cult.

    I do not see that a plane towing a banner, regardless of what is said, is pushing anything done my throat. I notice the plane, read the message (maybe), and go on my way. Not only do I not see it as an not pushing something down my throat, I don’t even see it as an attempt to.

    Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing, “It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” I will add, “nor push something down my throat.”

  • Alex

    Maybe next time the banner should read EAT MORE BABIES, atheists. org

  • *Snigger.* The Toronto Star used to have a cartoonist, Sid Barron, whose work always included a little airplane, generally towing a banner that said, “Mild, isn’t it?” This is equally mild.

  • Chris

    I think xtians are easily threatened if this threatens them.

  • Marguerite

    “I only made it through the first ten comments before I was ready to cry. We have a long road ahead of us…”

    Wow, those are indeed scary and disturbing comments. Amazing how many people wish others dead (anonymously) for daring to express an opinion.

  • Can you believe the way some atheists shove their message down everybody’s throats…?

    Without the sarcasm this may well be exactly what some are saying.

    “I don’t care, I’m still free. You can’t take the skies from me”

    Thanks for the reminder Angel. I may have to have my own Firefly marathon.

  • I can just imagine the Fox “News” freak out. It will almost certainly include something about how we evil atheists are trying to ban their bible.

  • This is just a waste of money. And it’s bad for the environment. Those are the reasons I think it’s stupid.

  • SeekerLancer

    I can see it now:

    “I was sitting enjoying my patriotic BBQ on a beautiful 4th of July when all of a sudden the sky was pierced with cold, soulless black letters spouting the tenants of atheism.

    I quickly dropped my hamburger which tasted like dust in my mouth after the hellplane soured my appetite and grabbed the children as fast as I could. We ran into the house and went to the basement, shaking with fear and praying as we waited for this spiritual storm to pass.

    Thank the Lord that the twisted hum of the plane’s engines eventually died down to a quiet din before disappearing. I went outside first with a baseball bat to make sure everything was okay, but nothing had changed. God’s warriors had overcome this direct assault on our very souls. The atheists had lost once more. Praise the Lord!”

    That’s the kind of scenario I imagine.

    On one hand I think this campaign is about as silly as the post I just made. On the other hand I understand part of the purpose is to try and get people riled up so that something as simple as flying plane banners gets blown up into a national media frenzy. For some reason I feel like this isn’t going to get much attention but we’ll see.

  • Tom Bourque

    I done saw them atheist holdin’ them poor christians heads up toward the sky as those banners went over, forcin’ them to view their heathen message!

  • This was a really bad idea. Neither religiosity nor atheism are patriotic. Atheism, as you all know, is merely a lack of belief in any gods. AA has made atheists look like idiots. Thanks. :/

  • Nordog

    Tim, you beat me to it.

    Saying “Atheism is patriotic” is like saying, “Strawberry milkshakes are racists.”

    In each case, the one has nothing to do with the other.

    Perhaps a better banner could have read, “Happy 4th of July to you from American Atheists!”

  • Thilinab

    Patriotism is an obsolete concept.

    And what does being religious or not have to do with patriotism?

  • Nordog

    Why is it obsolete?