10.21
Last night on his show, Sean Hannity mentioned a new pro-atheism ad campaign going on in the New York City subway system:
If you’ve been riding the New York City subway lately, you may have seen some curious ads plastered on the walls, spreading the word that you can live a great life without God.
Ads like this one are hitting New York City subways, courtesy of a $25,000 ad campaign launched by the group Big Apple Coalition of Reason. According to a spokesman for the group, the ads are meant to inform New Yorkers that, “A million of us have found or created natural morality and lead good, productive and meaningful lives without appeal to religious dogma or God.”
Wow, how incredibly informative.
Can you imagine the outrage if a Christian group put pro-God ads in the New York City subways?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568839,00.html
Hannity’s argument is that intolerant leftist New Yorkers are okay with atheists buying subway ads but would be outraged if Christians did the same thing. The problem with this thinking is that Christians have been putting up pro-Christianity ads in the subway for years and nobody cares.
Christian advertising isn’t as omnipresent as Dr. Zizmor’s rainbows, but the average straphanger has seen plenty of it on the train. There are ads for all kinds of competing churches, each offering their own flavor of Christianity and their own path to salvation. One ad even extols the virtues of giving up your life and becoming a Franciscan monk. Meanwhile on the platform, the Jews for Jesus hand out pamphlets, the Latter Day Saints hand out tracts, and the Scientologists give stress tests. There’s even a semi-permanent proselytization center in the Times Square station (among other places).
Of course, Sean Hannity doesn’t factor this into his argument because he doesn’t ride the subway and has no idea what he’s talking about. Christian subway ads exist and New Yorkers couldn’t care less, just like we don’t care about Dr. Zizmor’s potions or ZONI’s English lessons.
The photo above was taken today, by me. There was no outrage spotted on the scene.
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This post was mentioned on Reddit by thejesusfish: Ah, good old Dr. Z. When I was a kid taking the subway to school, I aspired to one day become a famous doctor known by one letter.
Also, those damn ZONI “Learn English” ads were only ever in Englis…
=== popurls.com === popular today…
yeah! this story has entered the popular today section on popurls.com…
Remember Andy Pettitte’s christian ads from 10 years ago? They’ve been around forever. Hannity just likes to make shit up.
Wow, I think you may be onto something here!
RT
http://www.anonymous.ua.tc
love this… hannity is a douche
Hannity sees ugliness everywhere he looks because it is inside him.
[...] Sean Hannity attacks New Yorkers for accepting pro-atheism subway ads but points out how pissed New …subwaysights.com [...]
“Of course, Sean Hannity doesn’t factor this into his argument because he doesn’t ride the subway and has no idea what he’s talking about.”
Actually, Sean Hannity doesn’t factor this into his argument because it would damage his argument. You’re giving him too much credit if you think he’d actually change his view to match reality.
I’ve never seen the ads and don’t care about them, but I hate that booth in Times Square. When I’m tired and going to work, the last thing I want is for a homeless person to lecture me about a pamphlet on The Lord.
I have only heard evangelical nutcases loudly preaching their religious views in the middle of a subway car. In all my years of riding the subway, never once have I heard an anthiest try to show an entire car the error of their ways
Oh, Sean.
What a little background research could do for the credibility of your show. Of course, if you did that, you wouldn’t be the brunt of so many great internet memes.
Thanks, Dr. Zizmore!
selective outrage, as usual.
I must say that as an atheist, I find it all pretty annoying. Why the need to proselytize? (or however that word is F&^%$*(ng spelled)?
Can’t we keep reason cool, and for a select few?
Those pregnancy-counseling hotlines? Clearly not religious at all.
via twitter @ drtobiasfunke “Not sure who Sean Hannity is, but as a professional analrapist, I think he should drop trough and get a proper spanking. http://is.gd/4wsAP“
I belong to the Religion of Dr. Zizmor.
Thanks be unto you Dr. Zizmor!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol7rxFCvpy8
Amen!
[...] Re: A Flowchart to Determine What Religion You Should Follow Looks like religion has gone commercial now. Pro-atheism Ads: Sean Hannity Defames New Yorkers [...]
Best to ignore that guy. The more we talk about what he says and thinks, the more credibility it gives him. He’s not worth paying attention to.
great article
Sean, you are just a liar that makes stuff up. You lie!
Writer, the photos show a homemade Christian ad. Show a photo of a real media ad or your argument does not hold water.
Well said, Bob.
Great work. I do love it so when people call Hannity and Co. on their elitist bullshit. If only Faux viewers wouldn’t be too scared to check these claims themselves.
There are two things to keep in mind when considering whats been said here.
We have the freedom of speech in the United States. Deal with it. People LOVE freedom of speech when it guarantees their personal right to speak and believe what ever they choose and worship any “Magic Man in the Sky” but as soon as someone comes along to speak about their NON-beliefs… theirs a problem.
bob nance & “patriot,” those “homemade christian ads” are permitted to be in the new york city subway system, likely thanks to either a permit or simple indifference – that is, for free or at greatly reduced prices than the actual ads that run on the subway.
the picture in question is from the times square subway stop, one of the single-busiest in the entire system.
christian evangelists: free or greatly-reduced advertising.
athiest “evangelists”: $25,000 for an ad campaign, but free publicity when sean hannity and you look stupid making a fuss about it.
but just to fulfill your pointless request, here’s the franciscan ad, mentioned in the post, that was placed in the subway system. http://www.hnp.org/vocation/
you lose; have a nice day.
Also, there were a number of legitimate, purchased subway ads at one point advertising AskSeekClick.com, a program started by the River Church of Manhattan. I went to their events, enjoyed myself, and ended up joining a world religions study group.
Our group included Christians, agnostics, Buddhists; we had a lovely discussion of everything from Christianity to Islam to Taoism, and no one told anyone else that they were going to hell.
Lawrence, you are going to hell. For fraternizing with the enemy. Shame on you, fire and brimstone or a great flood upon you. Well, actually the church might just take you back. Hear they’re desperate for new members. Just made it easier to convert. Does anyone else think the Vatican is run a little like a corporation?
yea looks like sean is wrong here. However are there actual christian ads? or just people with thier own signs and handing out literature.
Very true. In fact, I think these atheist ads are probably in response to the sheer number of people and images we see in New York telling us we must accept God.
I have lived in NYC for ten years and I promise that there are paid ads for Christian groups all over the subway. There are ads promoting church groups; ads offering Christian-sponsored counseling to women considering abortions; ads for muslim groups; ads promoting holiday services at various churches. So it has been for years and so it will likely always be. And New Yorkers really don’t care.
Outrage? The other day, on a NYC subway train, I noticed a religious advertisement talking about how the blood of Jesus can wash your sins away. I am an atheist; I am not outraged; I just think many religious people are moronic and naive.
And atheists pretend to be rational and intelligent, but in fact they are not. They are not really ‘a’theists, because ego is their god — they are just too afraid to admit it.
And you are entitled to your own beliefs and opinions, rain. And that, right there, is the difference between us.
Honestly, I am an athiest… or better yet agnostic. What I don’t understand is the stigma athiests give to christians for trying to broadcast and recruit for their religion. I think its wrong and ridiculous. But isn’t this the route that athiest are now taking… I mean come on, no one really knows the truth.
ok i live in nebraska and we have full highway billboards all black with short sayings on them in huge letters that are simply signed “God”. and they are more or less a huge joke around here. I am an atheist i guess and around here, you just keep you head down.
ok first i live in the Midwest i am a agnostic and since i can remember i have seen pressure from schools, local government, billboards etc. and if any atheists or agnostics say anything about those ads they are quickly told to find god….and fast where iam from rationalists are made the villain in all quarters not until i left for the army did i even know that nice and tolerant religious people existed outside of my family all i can say to the atheist ad campaign is dont let them hold you back
RAIN, U R SO STUPID FOR SAYING WHAT U SAID ON 2009.10.23 18:08 DOESN’T SURPRISE ME THOUGH
Seriously Hannity? Seriously?
[...] as Subway Sights — a blog about the NYC subway system — explains, “The problem with this thinking is that [...]
[...] as Subway Sights — a blog about the NYC subway system — explains, “The problem with this thinking [...]
Pics of God ads on the bus and subway (I took the “Medicine of Christ” one about 2 weeks ago), here, here and here, and here.
[...] the presence of Christian advertising in the New York subway system, such as was photographed here (courtesy of the Subway Sights blog): Yes, Seanie, Christians do advertise in the NYC subways … [...]
[...] what the site Subway Sights had to say about Mr. Hannity’s regurgitations: Hannity’s argument is that intolerant [...]
electronic cigarette said: 2009.10.23 18:34
The whole point to the article is that Christians have been advertising on the trains and nobody gave a stuff – Hannity is claiming a double standard which doesn’t actually exist.
In other words – the “atheists” you are trying to paint as objecting so mightily to Christians trying to convert people have been putting up with it for years on the subway without much comment.
Maybe if you were more concerned with the truth than masturbating about how reasonable an agnostic you are, you might have noticed that in the post.
electronic cigarette represents the entire problem in a microcosm. Obvious bigots like Hannity, anyone who isn’t already a bigot themselves will see right through it. But EC’s argument is superficially compelling — until you actually pay attention to what is going on here.
If atheists ask for equality, they are accused of hypocrisy, of asking for “special rights”. This is a time-tested technique of oppression, isn’t it?
Besides, electronic cigarette: agnostics are always saying how “nobody really knows” and that one ought not to share their opinion with anyone else — but isn’t that what YOU did just now? Act like you know (that we don’t know) and push your opinion on us???
Anyway, “nobody really knows” shows that you don’t even understand what atheism is. Atheism IS the belief that nobody really knows. We just don’t say that everything is a coin flip. Nobody knows, but we can assign probabilities…
Ya gotta remember that SH isn’t talking to NuYawkers who actually ride the subway. He’s peppering the many easily-delude-able people, who watch him uncritically, who have probably never been in a subway anywhere, with outright lies. Out of their ignorance, those folk will swallow ‘most any swill poured out. SH’s cynical fomenting of “outrage” ranks right up there with “death panels” and “birthers” to whip up the emotions of the fact-free stunted beliefs of the ditto-heads. But facts about pro-Christian ads, as represented and described here, don’t cease to exist because they’re ignored.
“Christian subway ads exist and New Yorkers couldn’t care less, just like we don’t care about Dr. Zizmor’s potions or ZONI’s English lessons.” So how come we can’t apply the don’t care attitude to what Hannity says?
[...] as Subway Sights — a blog about the NYC subway system — explains, “The problem with this thinking is that [...]
[...] group put pro-God ads in the New York City subways? What outrage.” But as Subway Sights noted, Christians have been plastering the 41st St. walkway at Times Square with pro-Christianity [...]
[...] as Subway Sights — a blog about the NYC subway system — explains, “The problem with this thinking is [...]