Help me understand this bumper sticker.

In big letters it said:

National Athiest Day
April 1

Then in very hard to read letters it said:
The FOOL hath said in his heart there is no God (Ps.14:1)

I would've thought it was a sticker advocating their Atheism until I got close enough to read the small verse. So I was a little confused.

They're calling atheists fools.

I didn't even register April Fools. Who's the fool now? :silly:

a fundie kind of thing. You know them--if ya ain't with them, you're a goddamned atheist.

Basically it's implying that those who don't believe in God (read: those who don't believe in "their" God) are fools and destined for hell.

Dee

was there a Jesus fish there too?

Again I was reminded April Fools day is Apr. 1! Duh!

They're trying to use a line from a religious poem to prove that their god exists. Sort of like quoting Smurfette to prove that Papa Smurf exists.

They're also calling a lot of people fools, but Jesus is said to have done it (Matthew 23:17), so I guess that makes it okay.

All I'm saying is that Jesus calls the Pharisees "fools" (or at least it always gets translated that way), so I'm sure the fundies have no problems calling atheists fools. Even if it completely turns atheists off to anything the fundies might say.

I think someone has to be pretty insecure in his own faith to have a bumper sticker like that.

And I don't think people should go around doing that for a couple of reasons:
1) It totally turns off anyone who isn't a Christian. And that is not what Christianity is about.
2) Jesus says not to judge others.

People feel superior for being a Christian and that is horrible to me. It is why Christians get a bad name. They sure aren't going to get people to join them with that holier-than-thou attitude. They preach about WWJD and then turn around and do exactly what He says not to do. But it somehow is okay for them to do that b/c they are "Christians". That is not what I believe a Christian is. It is one thing to profess your love for Jesus, but quite another to put others down b/c of your love for Jesus.

"Sort of like quoting Smurfette to prove that Papa Smurf exists."

Wonderful! A lady I work with tries to save me all the time, generally quoting Bible verses. ACK!

They do that b/c they feel it is their duty as a Christian to spread the Word. They forget, however, that they often come off as judgmental hypocrites. I am a Christian and I do not try to force anyone to be one. If they ask, I gladly tell them what I feel and believe, but I try in a very non-judgmental way!

The best word to describe my belief is deism. But, as in politics, I try to learn as much about religion because I don't think there is one "true" way, but there might be.

having questions and trying to learn as much as you possibly can about religion. It only increases your knowledge and helps you make a better decision for yourself.

You see what I'm getting at, but if you can come up with a better pair than Smurfette/Papa Smurf, go ahead.

Another thing I've seen is the use of a particular verse in one of the shorter epistles as proof that the entire Bible is true. You can't use a source to prove its own validity, but that escapes a lot of evangelists.

For those who haven't seen it:

=========================

This morning there was a knock at my door. When I answered I found a well groomed, nicely dressed couple. The man spoke first:

John: "Hi! I'm John, and this is Mary."

Mary: Hi! We're here to invite you to come kiss Hank's ass with us."

Me: "Pardon me?! What are you talking about? Who's Hank, and why would I want to kiss His ass?"

John: "If you kiss Hank's ass, He'll give you a million dollars; and if you don't, He'll kick the shit out of you."

Me: "What? Is this some sort of bizarre mob shake-down?"

John: "Hank is a billionaire philanthropists. Hank built this town. Hank owns this town. He can do whatever he wants, and what He wants is to give you a million dollars, but He can't until you kiss his ass."

Me: "That doesn't make any sense. Why..."

Mary: "Who are you to question Hank's gift? Don't you want a million dollars? Isn't it worth a little kiss on the ass?"

Me: "Well maybe, if it's legit, but..."

John: "Then come kiss Hank's ass with us."

Me: "Do you kiss Hank's ass often?"

Mary: "Oh yes, all the time..."

Me: "And has He given you a million dollars?"

John: "Well no. You don't actually get the money until you leave town."

Me: "So why don't you just leave town now?"

Mary: "You can't leave until Hank tells you to, or you don't get the money, and He kicks the shit out of you."

Me: "Do you know anyone who kissed Hank's ass, left town, and got the million dollars?"

John: "My mother kissed Hank's ass for years. She left town last year, and I'm sure she got the money."

Me: "Haven't you talked to her since then?"

John: "Of course not, Hank doesn't allow it."

Me: "So what makes you think He'll actually give you the money if you've never talked to anyone who got the money?"

Mary: "Well, he gives you a little bit before you leave. Maybe you'll get a raise, maybe you'll win a small lotto, maybe you'll just find a twenty-dollar bill on the street."

Me: "What's that got to do with Hank?"

John: "Hank has certain 'connections.'"

Me: "I'm sorry, but this sounds like some sort of bizarre con game."

John: "But it's a million dollars, can you really take the chance? And remember, if you don't kiss Hank's ass He'll kick the shit of you."

Me:"Maybe if I could see Hank, talk to Him, get the details straight from him..."

Mary: "No one sees Hank, no one talks to Hank."

Me: "Then how do you kiss His ass?"

John: "Sometimes we just blow Him a kiss, and think of His ass. Other times we kiss Karl's ass, and he passes it on."

Me: "Who's Karl?"

Mary: "A friend of ours. He's the one who taught us all about kissing Hank's ass. All we had to do was take him out to dinner a few times."

Me: "And you just took his word for it when he said there was a Hank, that Hank wanted you to kiss His ass, and that Hank would reward you?"

John: "Oh no! Karl has a letter he got from Hank years ago explaining the whole thing. Here's a copy; see for yourself."

From the desk of Karl

1.Kiss Hank's ass and He'll give you a million dollars
when you leave town.
2.Drink only in moderation.
3.Kick the shit out of people who aren't like you.
4.Eat right.
5.Hank dictated this list Himself.
6.The moon is made of green cheese.
7.Everything Hank says is right.
8.Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.
9.Don't use alcohol.
10.Eat your wieners on buns, no condiments.
11.Kiss Hank's ass or He'll kick the shit out of you.

Me: "This appears to be written on Karl's letterhead."

Mary: "Hank didn't have any paper."

Me: "I have a hunch that if we checked we'd find this is Karl's handwriting."

John: "Of course, Hank dictated it."

Me: "I thought you said no one gets to see Hank?"

Mary: "Not now, but years ago He would talk to some people."

Me: "I thought you said He was a philanthropist. What sort of philanthropist kicks the shit out of people just because they're different?"

Mary: "It's what Hank wants, and Hank's always right."

Me: "How do you figure that?"

Mary: "Item 7 says 'Everything Hank says is right.' That's good enough for me!"

Me: "Maybe your friend Karl just made the whole thing up."

John: "No way! Item 5 says 'Hank dictated this list himself.' Besides, item 2 says 'Use alcohol in moderation,' Item 4 says 'Eat right,' and item 8 says 'Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.' Everyone knows those things are right, so the rest must be true, too."

Me: "But 9 says 'Don't use alcohol.' which doesn't quite go with item 2, and 6 says 'The moon is made of green cheese,' which is just plain wrong."

John: "There's no contradiction between 9 and 2, 9 just clarifies 2. As far as 6 goes, you've never been to the moon, so you can't say for sure."

Me: "Scientists have pretty firmly established that the moon is made of rock..."

Mary: "But they don't know if the rock came from the Earth, or from out of space, so it could just as easily be green cheese."

Me: "I'm not really an expert, but I think the theory that the Moon was somehow 'captured' by the Earth has been discounted*. Besides, not knowing where the rock came from doesn't make it cheese."

John: "Aha! You just admitted that scientists make mistakes, but we know Hank is always right!"

Me: "We do?"

Mary: "Of course we do, Item 5 says so."

Me: "You're saying Hank's always right because the list says so, the list is right because Hank dictated it, and we know that Hank dictated it because the list says so. That's circular logic, no different than saying 'Hank's right because He says He's right.'"

John: "Now you're getting it! It's so rewarding to see someone come around to Hank's way of thinking."

Me: "But...oh, never mind. What's the deal with wieners?"

Mary: She blushes.

John: "Wieners, in buns, no condiments. It's Hank's way. Anything else is wrong."

Me: "What if I don't have a bun?"

John: "No bun, no wiener. A wiener without a bun is wrong."

Me: "No relish? No Mustard?"

Mary: She looks positively stricken.

John: He's shouting. "There's no need for such language! Condiments of any kind are wrong!"

Me: "So a big pile of sauerkraut with some wieners chopped up in it would be out of the question?"

Mary: Sticks her fingers in her ears."I am not listening to this. La la la, la la, la la la."

John: "That's disgusting. Only some sort of evil deviant would eat that..."

Me: "It's good! I eat it all the time."

Mary: She faints.

John: He catches Mary. "Well, if I'd known you where one of those I wouldn't have wasted my time. When Hank kicks the shit out of you I'll be there, counting my money and laughing. I'll kiss Hank's ass for you, you bunless cut-wienered kraut-eater."

There's a score they don't often post.

I can see the outrage if I proposed a bumper sticker like this:

NATIONAL DAY OF FAITH - APRIL 1
The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. - Oscar Wilde

But a lot of "Christians" (which I am one) tend to be hypocrites. And that is sad b/c that is the view a lot of people get.