[Vision2020] Whack-a-Dos On & Off the Council At It Again

[Joe Campbell]

Ted,

Do you really think that the posters are geared towards children as
opposed to adults? I thought the message was (to adults): Don't act
like children. Believing in God -- the claim says -- is like believing
in Santa Claus.

Forgetting about whether or not what the poster says is true -- a
point about which we might disagree -- don't you think it is more
geared towards adults than children? Why would children what to give
up childish beliefs?

Best, Joe

On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 4:13 PM, Ted Moffett <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote:
> First Amendment, of course.  As though this needs to be emphasized and
> debated?  Scary!
>
> The responses against this humanist billboard might in part be explained by
> the fact that sometimes "the truth hurts," as it's said.  And given the
> anti-scientific intellectual brainwashing (on evolution, age of the Earth,
> sexuality issues, anthropogenic global warming, et. al.) that many religions
> inflict upon children, which I consider a form of child abuse, perhaps there
> is a need to counterbalance this form of "education," which might in part be
> the intention of those paying for the billboard.
>
> But to take the other side, if someone put up a billboard aimed at 4 year
> olds enlightening them to the truth that Santa Claus is a fantasy, some
> might consider this to be a cruel robbing of children of innocent childhood
> fantasy.
>
> To some children, religious concepts or fantasies are a source of comfort.
>
> I recall feeling comforted by my "guardian angel" when I was a child, though
> there is no such entity, that I know of... On the other hand, questions
> about the safety of an environment where a child would need a "guardian
> angel" are a clue regarding what motivates human beings to indulge in
> religious fantasies about a world they do not understand and find
> threatening.
>
> I think it likely that some religious concepts have their origins in
> attempts in less scientific less modern times to comprehend and control a
> world humans did not understand and thus sought "supernatural" explanations.
> ------------------------------------------
> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 5, 2012 at 12:08 PM, Saundra Lund <v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm>
> wrote:
>
>> To me, the most hilarious part of the article was "Throw the Evidence
>> Away"
>> Carscallen thinking he's in any position to call anyone or anything else
>> "classless."  Oh, pot -- kettle is looking for you  :-)
>>
>> From Tuesday's Daily News:
>>
>>
>> Councilors reaffirm 1st Amendment rights of Humanists
>>
>>  By Brandon Macz, Daily News staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, December 4,
>> 2012 12:00 am
>>
>> A Moscow resident took city councilors to task a second time in a
>> separation
>> of church and state and marketing issue regarding an American Humanist
>> Association billboard he says has caused his young daughter harm.
>>
>> Judd Wilson first approached the council during its last meeting to
>> complain
>> about the sign at the southern end of town that states, "I'm getting a bit
>> too old for imaginary friends," and depicts a young girl on it. This time
>> he
>> said he took offense to receiving no response from the city save for its
>> attorney Randy Fife, whom he referred to as "The Lawyer."
>>
>> Wilson said councilors lacked sympathy for the impassioned speech he gave
>> about a medical emergency regarding his daughter and how his Christian God
>> saved her life nor had they done anything to discourage billboards
>> attacking
>> religious faith from being erected in the city. He added Mayor Nancy
>> Chaney
>> had supported proclamations positive toward homosexuality, but never for
>> Christianity.
>>
>> "It seems you have no interest in doing anything for my daughter," Wilson
>> said.
>>
>> Council President Dan Carscallen repeated Fife's public response to
>> Wilson's
>> initial comment last month by stating the council has no power to regulate
>> the content of billboards.
>>
>> "Honestly, in my opinion, I think the sign is classless," he said. "To me,
>> I
>> choose to ignore it."
>>
>> Wilson said the council should set a community standard to discourage
>> groups
>> like the AHA from placing billboards in Moscow.
>>
>> Councilor Wayne Krauss said he was offended Wilson didn't think the
>> council
>> cared.
>>
>> "First of all, I really don't know what you expect us to do," he said.
>> "You
>> know what the First Amendment is. You know what it stands for. ... We know
>> what we can do and we know what we can't do."
>>
>> Councilor Walter Steed said he outright didn't like billboards of any
>> substance, and particularly didn't care for the Humanist one, but there
>> was
>> nothing that could be done.
>>
>> Greg Evans of Princeton said he didn't have a problem with most Humanist
>> signs.
>>
>> "I've found them amusing. I've found them enjoyable in a way," he said.
>>
>> But Evans said he did not like the sign in Moscow because of its direction
>> at children, adding it included a link to a website with sexually explicit
>> content for teenagers. This would be the AHA teen webpage, which includes
>> a
>> link regarding sexual education for humanists.
>>
>> "There seems to be a real interest in arguing spirituality and religion in
>> this country," Councilor Tom Lamar said. "I get really tired of arguing
>> religion."
>>
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ----
>>
>> Brandon Macz can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 238, or by email to
>> bmacz at dnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonMacz.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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