A pastor's paid ad about our Atheists of Florida meeting

[VietnamVet-BRIGHT]

My friend Andy brought this interesting ad to our Atheists of Florida - Lakeland chapter meeting on Sunday (12/20); he's provided an image of it so that it may be posted here.  Also, his transcription of the text is included below the image.  

Though the ad was run in a local newspaper as a paid advertisement for a church in Tampa, it was really more of a pastor's commentary about our Atheists of Florida- Tampa chapter meeting that he had attended a week prior.  

BTW, I've inserted a correction to a minor error in his report of an audio excerpt of what I had said at the "Meet the Atheists" town hall meeting in Lakeland Nov 23 (that meeting was to handle community inquiries of our "Don't believe in God?" billboard there). Also, he evidently didn't realize that it was also me that uses the term "invisible alien" instead of "God" when referring to ... the invisible alien.        

An Atheists' Meeting j. T. smith

Last Sunday December 13, 2009 at the invitation (via email)
of atheist Andy Young, Jerry Elmore (who assists in the
preaching duties at the Nebraska Ave. church of Christ) my wife and I attended an Athesists' meeting in Tampa. We heard
just what you would expect from unbelievers in God - ridiculing,
making fun of and blaspheming the God of the Bible.
All of the participating speakers had their smart remarks
to make and jokes to tell to get a laugh out of the audience. One
referred to God as "an invisible alien." Another who said he
was a Jewish Humanist related an incident when one was asked
what he would say if there was a God when he got to judgment?
He simply threw up his arms and said he would say "sorry."
The newly elected head of the atheist party of Florida related
another incident that happened in Lakeland on November 23
when they had a panel discussion with visitors. He said one
man told him, "When I look at you I see the image of God." He
said I replied to the man, "when I look at you I see the image of
an evolutionary serpent." And, so it goes.
The truth of the matter is, seventy-five to a hundred years
ago the majority of the people held some belief in the Biblical
teaching of the morality prescribed by God. Crime was less, the
home and family were in-tact. In later years, however, humanism,
and atheism, have promoted evolution, homosexuality,
drinking alcoholic beverages, lying, divorce and premarital sex,
et.al. Why not? After all, we are only educated animals.
The obvious conclusion is, atheistic teaching is at the root
of it all. Their teaching: every person may do that which is right
in his own eyes. The Bible Says in Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Let us
hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep
His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Every
•man shall give account to God (II Corinthians 5:10).
We welcome your questions & comments. E-mail http://atheistsofflorida.org/

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[Ultima22689]

I don't get religious people, if Jesus turned out to be real and he had his second coming and all of that he'd probably be amazed and ashamed at most Christians I'm sure, this stuff is ridiculous.

[Will]

The truth of the matter is, seventy-five to a hundred years ago the majority of the people held some belief in the Biblical teaching of the morality prescribed by God. Crime was less...

100 years ago crime was less?! Holy cow, what an oversimplification. 100 years ago, the number of US laws was somewhere in the low thousands. Now? It's in the hundreds of thousands. To suggest simply that crime is higher now is intellectually dishonest. So what about the important stuff? Violent crime is lower, that's for sure. 75 years ago, we were in the middle of the Great Depression, and as any educated animal can tell you, crime very often stems from poverty. For anyone thinking, "Whoa, wait, we're heading into a depression now," you're obviously an especially educated animal and you get a cookie (not a zombie wafer).

the home and family were in-tact.

Here's the thing about "the family". Some couples aren't well suited for long-term matrimony. If they have divorce available to them, they can leave the dysfunctional and unhealthy relationship. 100 years ago, however, divorce was not quite as socially acceptable as it is now, meaning that people were trapped in loveless marriages. Thanks to religious dogma rooted in 2000-year-old social standards, mature men and women were forced to stick with whomever they chose (as virgins) when they were teenagers for the rest of their lives. I'm sure that was just wonderful for them.

In later years, however, humanism,

Humanism is about human rights, equality, justice, and truth. How awful that these ideals have spread!

have promoted evolution,

Evolution isn't an ideal to promote, it's fact. Facts don't need to be promoted, they just exist whether you want them to exist or not.

homosexuality,

I wish more people would actually get to know gay people. They're actually quite nice. Maybe T.J. Smith is afraid that he'll like gay people too much?

drinking alcoholic beverages,

Like communion wine?

lying,

Like when Jesus said that the end of the world would come within the lifetimes of the people he preached to?

divorce

Like what Christians disproportionally do?

and premarital sex,et.al.

Speaking as a bit of a connoisseur of "premarital sex, et.al.", let me tell you, you're missing out. As fun as it is to put on a $60 suit from Sears and sing Bach tunes with lyrics written by Martin Luther inside a building built in the 1970's with fake stained glass, it just can't stand up to vaginal intercourse. Vaginal intercourse is good people.

Why not? After all, we are only educated animals. The obvious conclusion is, atheistic teaching is at the root of it all.

There's no such thing as "the atheistic teaching" much the same as there's no race called "gentiles" and no channel called "off".

Their teaching: every person may do that which is right in his own eyes.

Not really. The social contract is something most atheists I know are more than aware of. Also, because we "believe in" evolution (a.k.a. understand evolution as fact), we can study and learn about the evolutionary roots of human behavior, including altruism. We don't get it from a mythological figure, we get it from what really happened.

[VietnamVet-BRIGHT]

I don't get religious people, if Jesus turned out to be real and he had his second coming and all of that he'd probably be amazed and ashamed at most Christians I'm sure, this stuff is ridiculous.

Fortunately for Christians, God and the Jesus characters are no more real than Peter Pan and Wendy; hence, Christians will experience the same wonderful after-life fate as we atheists do: to "return" to that pre-pre-natal unconscious non-existence (ie: we've all been "dead" before) leaving our remains as archeological substance for future scientific inspection, all of which will not, in any case, survive time nor the future convulsions of the cosmos.

IMHO
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[Ultima22689]

I don't get religious people, if Jesus turned out to be real and he had his second coming and all of that he'd probably be amazed and ashamed at most Christians I'm sure, this stuff is ridiculous.

Fortunately for Christians, God and the Jesus characters are no more real than Peter Pan and Wendy; hence, Christians will experience the same wonderful after-life fate as we atheists do: to "return" to that pre-pre-natal unconscious non-existence (ie: we've all been "dead" before) leaving our remains as archeological substance for future scientific inspection, all of which will not, in any case, survive time nor the future convulsions of the cosmos.

IMHO
.

Ha, nah, a large sum of atheist will (hopefully) enjoy being cybernetic immortals and will laugh as Christians and most other religions die off with them.

[VietnamVet-BRIGHT]

Ha!!! ... the preacher man took out another paid ad and corrected what I had said ...

Atheists Rebuttal to December 19 Article
In a rebuttal to our December 19 article on Atheism, the
Director of the Florida Chapter of Atheists wrote on their Website
that I misquoted him in the article - and indeed I did.

I reported, "He said one man told him:
'When I look at you I see the image of God.' He said I
replied to the man, 'when I look at you I see the image of
an evolutionary serpent'." He actually said, "I see the
image of an evolved reptile'."[/b]

Now even though, The American Heritage Dictionary says,
that the basic meaning of evolution is to evolve, and one of the
meanings of serpent is a reptile, I yield to the gentleman's objection.
I did not correctly quote him.

jpg of the ad (thanks Andy) ...



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[onlinej]

I don't get religious people, if Jesus turned out to be real and he had his second coming and all of that he'd probably be amazed and ashamed at most Christians I'm sure, this stuff is ridiculous.

Fortunately for Christians, God and the Jesus characters are no more real than Peter Pan and Wendy; hence, Christians will experience the same wonderful after-life fate as we atheists do: to "return" to that pre-pre-natal unconscious non-existence (ie: we've all been "dead" before) leaving our remains as archeological substance for future scientific inspection, all of which will not, in any case, survive time nor the future convulsions of the cosmos.

IMHO
.

What are you talking about?! I am Jesus... and I exist, as I've established in a different thread... I also eat snickers, and that's an extra proof of my existance. Now I challenge any Christian or jew, or muslim, or something in that area, to prove that I'm not.

Also, I'm in need of disciples so, if you want me to teach you internet marketing or whatever fishing is equivalent to nowadays, let me know.