Friendly Atheist

I like how she jumps right into “AND WHAT DO THE CHRISTIANS THINK??” Because, you know, Muslims and Jews don’t have opinions, obviously…

The clip of the young woman at 1:37 (1st of 3 Xians) was excerpted from a slightly longer clip that I saw last night. In the slightly longer clip, she goes on to say, “God is not just about killing people…”

We have a candidate for unintentionally funny Xian comment of the year. Not to mention one of the easiest setups for any atheist who happens to be on hand.

I have a theory as to why Faux News cut out that part of the clip for this report. It’s because they wanted to leave enough time for the lawyer at the end to say he knows his porn.

@Amy-Jean Fox News doesn’t recognize other religions in this case because of the implied “Christian Nation” notion.

I love that he automatically assumes she’s familiar with the porn flick he mentions.

Mike, some Fox News pundits and guests do occasionally mention Jews in their bid for tokenism. Or they appeal to Judeo-Christian founding, conveniently forgetting the whole the codified-slavery-into-the-constitution bit. I don’t recall any Jewish names listed in the Philadelphia Convention, so we’ll have to blame that on the Christians.

Why not just put the raciest and most violent verses on a banner? Especially the stories about incest. I also recall a passage where a father sent his daughter to be raped by a mob and the daughter died. Some passages from Leviticus are a hoot, like wow, you needed commands against bestiality to be written down to know it’s wrong?

Whoa, that one girl got yaoi for her trade-in! Quick, where's a holy book I can grab?

I'm not sure why you call this a “shit fit.” That seemed like a pretty accurate and reasonable description of the atheist group's motives and reasoning.

Well, yes – but you could say that just as justifiably about people who give away Holy Books.

You're always going to get that reaction from someone, it doesn't mean that the campaign is a 'fail'. Given that that kind of sound bite is what a reporter would want, obviously they were going to find someone to say it. Now, if ALL the people reacted that way, it would be a campaign fail.

I'm not as down on this campaign as some people – to be honest, it depends upon the attitudes at the actual stall. There's nothing wrong with having an in your face headline, if it is just used to attract people to the stall, whereupon you explain in a calm reasonable manner what you are trying to point out. You know, something along the lines of:

“We just want to point out to those people who claim to be Christians without having read the entire Bible that there is a lot more to the holy book than the fluffy stuff. Each of these holy books has content in it that can offend people just as much as pornography can, in fact, far more so, but yet there are many people who don't realise that.” (etc.)

The problem comes when the conversations themselves are aggressive and offensive.

As an aside, that is possibly the most unbiased I have ever seen Fox News.

I'm not much for porn, I'd rather trash the trashy campaign and instead do a trade in day with exchanging holy books for science books. Or books on secular human rights campaigns. Or something more utilitarian than smut.

Third point first: porn, tobacco, liquor are legal so giving any of them to +18 yr. old college students is morally neutral.

2nd: the atheists are starting a dialog about what the bible means – it means nothing and gives you no pleasure while porn means nothing and gives you pleasure.

A store that sells porn, tobacco or liquor does not advocate porn, tobacco or liquor. The atheists advocate thinking about what you choose to spend your time doing – setting in your room frapping to porn or the bible.

Third point first: porn, tobacco, liquor are legal so giving any of them to +18 yr. old college students is morally neutral.

2nd: the atheists are starting a dialog about what the bible means – it means nothing and gives you no pleasure while porn means nothing and gives you pleasure.

A store that sells porn, tobacco or liquor does not advocate porn, tobacco or liquor. The atheists advocate thinking about what you choose to spend your time doing – setting in your room frapping to porn or the bible.

It wouldn't make a lot of sense to perform a trade for something of greater value. The point of the campaign is to equate the bible and pornography as having the same value. You aren't much for porn, and I'd suppose you're not much for holy texts either. So not much reason to participate in the exchange if you don't have any books to trade in the first place.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

So you're saying that a store doesn't advocate something by selling it?
Oh ok. So that means these stores, since they don't advocate the product, don't actually care one way or another about what they're selling. So any advertisements you see a store posting, isn't actually the store advocating the product in any way. No that is just the store. Putting up something for absolutely no reason. And they don't care at all if anyone buys it or not.
And who are you to say reading the bible gives no one pleasure? I'm all for free thinking, but free thought ends when you decide to characterize everyone's thoughts for them. Like saying reading the bible gives no pleasure. And to address your third point, just cause something is legal doesn't mean it is morally neutral. Those are to completely different scales of judgement. Since you've probably never read a bible, here's a quote. “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Matthew 22:21. Law and morality are two different things, despite the fact they can go hand in hand occasionally.

The only thing Id have to say is a bit biased on the news report is that they only got opinions from the Christian students, I would have liked to hear what the campus athiests had to say.. ;P

the adult who trades the bible for porn gets more pleasure from the porn than the bible. These are both the works of man. One is more fun than the other depending on your bent. Read the bible. Enjoy the porn. Neither activity has a moral value.

WOW this is worst idea of the century. Even if you are an athiest it doesn't mean you've waved goodbye to all morals and are an utter animal who is obsessed with porn! Stupid idiots.

Porn for Holy Books is not a fair trade, as porn is of a much higher moral standing. Porn does little more than relieve sexual tension, while religious texts have inspired all manner of atrocities throughout history and to this day (just ask any Catholic in the developing world currently dying of AIDS because they were “morally obliged” to refrain from using a condom). It's also great that the students are using porn as it generates media interest and consequently gets the argument in the public domain.

Porn is anti-woman, actually. But I agree that it is nowhere near the level of offensiveness of the Bible.

It's pretty disproportionate to call the Bible pornographic just because it discusses some very naughty acts indeed. Yes, it's amusing that many Christians don't know it's in there, but it would take a very sick mind to find the Bible appeals to prurient interest. Come on; is anyone _really_ getting aroused by the Song of Solomon?

Didn't think so.

Why not ask some Muslims as well? They're affected just as much as the Christians? Or actually ask the Atheists why they're doing it?
It's an awful report. I don't watch the news that often over in Britain, but I was kind of unnerved by the amount of emotion that went into even the woman's first few sentences. I mean, even stuttering, as in out of disbelief, at what was going on? I'm sure it's impossible to do unbiased reporting, but at least make an attempt at it.

I have to back the earlier comments. I'm an atheist and I normally berate Fox, but I don't see how Fox News is throwing a “shit fit” or any type of fit for that matter. I actually thought it was rather reasonable coverage. At the end the anchor or the legal expert could have easily stated it was legal but morally wrong, but neither does and both even joke a little. This could actually be used against anyone saying Fox News is biased.

Usually I find stuff on your site reasonable, but your post on this is not reasonable. The further we go from reasonable the more we fall into the same trap the religious extremists have fallen into.

They might have done better if they had handed out “religious porn” from a “lucky dip”. Then run a game to see if the students could identify which holy book it came from – stuff from their own religion which they did not know about, or stuff from another religion which they also did not know about.

Well, considering that they were trading Bibles and not copies of the Koran or the Torah and its various accessories, Muslims and Jews wouldn't be terribly affected, thus talking to them is not quite as relevant. It would be like talking to a string theorist about pop culture's opinion of loop quantum gravity. Ok, I can see Jewish people getting a tad annoyed, because their major quarrel with the Bible is the likely part that is common to both religions, however..

What exactly is “hard porn”, and where can I find it in the Bible?

If it's not intended to make me hot, it's not porn.

John,

Christianity is a fantasy! And it is CLEARLY false.

Your problem with pornography is that much of it objectifies women? Do you even know the numerous forms of objectification and devaluation of individuals and groups that is advocated in the bible? I can contend that a lot of pornographic fantasies sprang from the unnatural suppression of sexual identity from bible ideologies.

Christians are setting society back. Certainly isn’t worth all the death and destruction inspired by it. Grow up and get over god.

This is Fox News people (and don’t call it Faux News, because what the f–k is FOH NOOZ?), why would they even have to attempt spin or bias? You have the audience on your side once you say “Atheists.” Now I don’t complain overmuch in the face of adversity, but it is a fact that Atheists are the most hated minority in America, if not the world.

This campaign is creative, only time will tell if it is effective. Personally, I’d rather fap to the incest stories, the pay to marry a virgin stories, and the male-domination-over-women stories in the Bible, but I’ve got strange tastes in porn just like everyone else. I can’t fap to the shoops in a Playboy.

Not everyone has the same tastes as I do though. So… trade your smut for smut! Will trade out my Bibles for softcore mags. Must be 18+ and have valid ID to receive a Bible. Softcore Bibles only, no literal versions will be given out.

Perhaps they could trade out porn AND science books, then place the holy books on two halves of the table to show which books are traded out more. Then it either tell people that almost nobody actually reads their holy books and would rather have porn, or it would show that atheists would rather learn science than look at porn. Let people interpret the data however they want to.

I think the reporter missed a point (or intentionally misrepresented it) when he said that the atheist group was “equating porn with religion.” No… they were not. They were equating the bible to porn… and the koran to porn. That’s a pretty huge difference, in my opinion.

I get that feeling this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Weasel News, this is custom designed for shock value, jus to get on the news. I see a rosy career in PR for the students involved…

She says she doesn’t understand what this as to do with god ,. i guess she never read the bible , its full of absurdity’s and smut, for example ,.
for the black girl , send this to your mom and dad.
EXODUS 21:20-21 – According to God’s law, it was wrong to beat a slave to the point of death. But if the slave survived and got back up within a few days, the beating wasn’t punishable, because the slave was the property of the master. (God endorsed slavery.)

And what about this little gem.
GENESIS 34:13 – Shechem had premarital sex with Jacob’s daughter Dinah, which angered Jacob’s sons. Shechem and his father, Hamor, agree to circumcision for the men in the city in order for Shechem to marry Dinah and make Jacob’s other daughters eligible for the men of the city. Three days later, while the men are still enduring the pain of circumcision, Jacob’s sons attack the unsuspecting city, killing Shechem and Hamor with swords, looting the city, seizing the flocks, herds, possessions and wealth, plundering the houses and carrying off their women and children.
What about this fine fathers decision to give his daughters to a mob.

GENESIS 19:6- In Sodom, Lot’s home was assaulted by a homosexual mob seeking to have relations with two angels. Lot volunteers his virgin daughters to the crowd, saying “you can do what you like with them” as long as the guests are left alone.
Then apparently it was ok with god because.

GENESIS 19:26: God, apparently un-offended by the proposed rape of Lot’s virgin daughters, turned Lot’s wife to a pillar of salt for the heinous crime of looking over her shoulder.

just to mention a few silly things in that rag called the bible.

Forgot to comment on this.

did no one notice that it isnt Fox news but MOX news?

Did you not notice that “Mox” news is just the website that presented the clip? And that during the entire exchange there is a little Fox News logo in the bottom left corner?

I agree that this was an excellent PR move. Shocking, marvelous, and attention getting. Though I would have probably opted for handing out science books in brown paper bags and infographic flyers of hypocrisy in religion. Then it would have been a pious porny pun.