But we allow them to use the front door


CNN describes American Atheists as calling out religion; that term again.

American Atheists has a long history in using billboards to call out religion and get its message out. During the political conventions in August and September, the group put up billboards attacking Mormonism and Christianity, taking aim at the faith of both presidential candidates.

It’s such a standard idiom by now. I don’t think it can be seen as particularly ideological, let alone loony.

Anyway. The Mormons say it’s all a misunderstanding, of course.

The billboard, which American Atheists says will follow the Romney campaign for seven days, features two messages on Mormonism: “No Blacks Allowed (until 1978)” and “No Gays Allowed (Current).”

The first line is a reference to the church’s practice of denying lay priesthood to black male members until 1978.

Though the church did not allow black male members to be ordained before that year when the church head says he received a revelation to reverse the policy it did allow blacks and members of all racial and ethnic groups to be church members.

Ah yes but that sounds more liberal than it is, because all “worthy” white male members are lay priests, so excluding non-white males is pretty unmistakably racist.

This mobile billboard, however, is a departure from the standard American Atheist tactic of multiple billboards on multiple religions. According to Silverman, this is because Romney’s faith hasn’t been addressed enough in the 2012 election.

“We all understand the implications of having a Christian president. We do not understand the implications of having a Mormon president,” Silverman said. “We are not taking a position on the election, we are taking a stance on ignorance.”

Oh but we’re not supposed to decide on the basis of things like that. We’re supposed to figure out which one we want to have a beer with, and vote for him.

 

Comments

  1. kosk11348 says

    We’re supposed to figure out which one we want to have a beer with, and vote for him.

    Well, that’s easy then. Mormons don’t drink alcohol. Neither do Muslims, yet Obama does. Could that mean he’s actually a Christian as he claims??

  2. sc_770d159609e0f8deaa72849e3731a29d says

    Is ‘call out’ a loony term? I hadn’t seen the phrase used recently, but the main references I know are eighteenth and early nineteenth century, when to call someone out was to demand they fight a duel- reflected in the phrase ‘taking aim at the faith’- which is an appropriate analogy for atheists’ attitude to religions, I’d have thought.

  3. F says

    the phrase ‘taking aim at the faith’- which is an appropriate analogy for atheists’ attitude to religions, I’d have thought.

    In this context, the concern is taking aim at faith insofar as it influences government, which it isn’t supposed to do at all. Not that I necessarily defend AA and their usually rather bad billboard signage.

  4. Timon for Tea says

    “but the main references I know are eighteenth and early nineteenth century, when to call someone out was to demand they fight a duel”

    That is still what it means in the UK – well, nearly, it’s an invitation to a fist fight, not a duel. What else could it mean?

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