The three that seem to be most provocative are:
1) There is Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.
2) Why believe in a God? Just be good for goodness’ sake.
3) You Can Be Good Without God.
The United Church’s response to the first one has been to say, “There is probably a God. Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.” While there is no question in my mind that God means for us to live a life of abundance and therefore gratitude, what gives me pause with both statements is that they seem very flippant. They belie the fact that some things should be worried about like war, hunger, disparity and environmental degradation. It should be “There probably is a God. Now enjoy your life, but worry sometimes about the big things.”
Concerning the second and third statements, being good for goodness sake is fine. You can definitely be good without God. I have met many fine atheists and was, in fact, one myself for many years. However, being open to the presence and power of God makes being “good” take on many other dimensions.
Prayer, in particular, provides a challenge to being good, a guidance that makes me move beyond my own human preconceptions about what is “good.” Believing in God and being part of a faith community that wrestles weekly with what it means to be “good” also challenges me to broaden my outlook as I dialogue others with whom I often may not agree. We can all be “good” contemplating life sitting on our living room couches, but sitting next to “old so and so” while lovingly disagreeing with them really is where the rubber hits the road.
Finally, I fundamentally disagree with Halifax Regional Transit Authority not allowing the ads to be in their bus shelters. Free speech is foundational to a democracy and atheists or humanists have every right to say there is no God. I welcome the debate. Anytime we get people talking about God over the water coolers in their workplaces and around the supper tables is a “good” thing.
What do you think? Please click the comments link below and post your opinion.
I agree with free speech. Yes, people have the right to think there is no God if that's what they want to do.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the ad campaign is that it's just plain tiresome and annoying. Just because I believe in God doesn't mean that I'm a worrywart and I don't enjoy my life. I'm relieved that we don't have to see this campaign on Halifax buses.
God is alive and well throughout North America because of this discussion. People are thinking, reacting, feeling,talking, arguing... God's word is being wispered and we are contemplating being GOOD. Life is good. I too wish Halifax Metro Transit would get out of the morality business and let this discussion go local. I take the bus, I would love to overhear a child ask their caregiver "What does that mean, that sign about God?"....
ReplyDeletewait a minute.... this is my first time blogging... i was getting exited about the notion of free speach... but wait... my comment must be filtered... it will be "visible after approval" mmmm...... GOD certainly works in mysterious ways!
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside... context is always the most important thing to me when considering highly emotional and controversial issues. GOD helps me to desire to understand the other.
ReplyDeleteThis campaign was thought up by a brittish journalist and designed by academics and a Humanist Organziation in response to another bus advertising campaign that generated just as much pain as this one. From the original ads people were sent to a website that insisted non-christians would "spend all eternity in torment in hell" among other things...
I like middle ground... it works.
How about a United Church of Canada Campaign on Halifax Buses that tells us all, quite simply, that God Loves loves us all and all our opinions.
There is, no doubt, endless opportunities for discussion about this ad. I think, first, as always, about the language of any sex/gender discussion and how difficult it is. I always want to ask the individual I'm talking about and/or talking to - how they identify themselves. Is the person in the ad transgendered? Transsexual? Woman? ... This is vitally important, yet often impossible.
ReplyDeleteMy emotional and spiritual response is anger. I am, as always, a bit flabbergasted at pop cultures expectation that it be absolved of its sins with a pretty statue, a sincere smile on a craggy face, and a kind word.
There, there, all better now.
Maybe we should send this week's serpent off to check on the interest rates at the bank of inclusion!