Freethinkers at The Sign

Donald Morton, Darrell Henschell, Doug Krueger, and Dr. Bill Harter talk about the sign, atheism, and freethought groups.



You can talk to these guys on The Fayetteville Freethinkers forum.

We're in the News!

Earlier, this week, three freethought groups in Northwest Arkansas put up a Coalition of reason billboard. I attend two of these groups, so I am very proud, though the part I played was so minuscule as to be almost nothing.

Here's a local news video featuring a very good friend, Darrell Henschell.

In a few minutes, I am heading out to the site of the sign to get my picture with a bunch of other freethinkers.

This is how you treat hate groups.

When the notorious Westboro Baptist Church protested the Twitter offices, there was this counter-protest waiting for them.

Click on image or here to see original photo.

New Coalition of Reason Billboard

I wish we could get one of these put up in Harrison. It'd drive the hatemongers nuts.

HT to Hemant Mehta at Friendly Atheist
Tampa Bay CoR webpage

My Prayer Sign Suggestion

Since I've been accused of being hateful for pointing out bible verses being used in hateful ways, I have a suggestion for a prayer sign.

I know that the bible is full of brutality and hate, yet there are some very good verses in there. You just have to search through all the smelly oysters before you find the pearl. If Christians want to use the bible in a "Christ-like manner", I suggest searching out the enlightened verses instead of using poems written by evil tyrants. There's an entire industry of publishers that will do that job for you. You just have to read the study guides and use the nice verses.

My suggestion is one of my favorite verses in the entire bible. I had to search for it again because I forgot the reference. Christians, enjoy. This one is for you, because this is what our country really needs.


Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. Romans 14:19

Prayer Sign Update

The sign that I wrote about earlier has now changed. I don't have a picture but, it now says,

Ephesians 6:12

Pray for our
Nation

The new verse is a famous verse. It's still ominous. At least it's not specific and doesn't call for anyone to die.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

Psalms 109:8

Here's a sign that is posted outside of a local business. I took it at night becaue I wanted to write this article before it gets taken down. I had to bump up the brightness and contrast. If I get a chance to take a photo in the day, I'll post that as well. Despite the photo being very low quality, it is quite readable. I guess that's what counts.

Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Psalms 109:8

A sign that suggests prayer for my country, with a scripture reference, seems pretty harmless at first. That is, until you look up the verse. These people really are praying that our president dies so that Biden can take over his office. In my opinion this is hate speech. I'm very sure (though I have no proof) that it's because our president is black.

The traditional credit for writing this verse goes to King David. The same man who wrote the anti-atheist verse, Pslams 14:1. Do people really want to take advice from a man who had his best friend killed so that he can screw his wife? Do people really want to take advice from a man who chose to have 70,000 of his people die instead of himself being exiled?

Note: As far as I know, The Ranch House Cafe is not affiliated with the business that put up the hateful sign. So, please don't send them any complaints.

Note: CafePress removed t-shirts with this inscrpition on them.

Edit: I took a better picture of the sign, so I replaced the night time one with a better, yet still low quality, day time picture. This time I had permission to take the picture. If you still want to see the crappy night time pic, click here and here.

Creation Conference Reminder

The first lecture is on Friday at 1900 hrs. at the Durand Center in Harrison, AR. A few godless heathens will be there. I plan to go, however, I may have to stay home if I am sick that day. I you plan on going, email me. Maybe, we can meet up before the lecture so we can go as a group.

My Favorite Church

My favorite fundamental baptist church is now judging those christians that accept established science. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Shiloh Baptist Church may be a little intolerant. It may be time for me to visit again. I wouldn't dream of trying to stop what they're teaching. I just want to know what they're teaching.

Take a look.

IF YOU DONT
BELIEVE IN GENESIS
YOU DONT BELIEVE
IN JESUS

I know lots of christians that will be disappointed to hear this. He doesn't actually mean The Book of Genesis, he means creationism. Replace Genesis with creationism in the message and that's probably closer to what this minister is trying to say.

Do I have to remind everybody that christianity does not equal creationism? There are a several denominations that accept established science. Even one of them is a fundamentalist denomination! Take a look at The Church of The Nazarene.

Click here to see the other side of this sign.

More Signs

Shiloh Baptist Church responds to the prescence of freethinkers (me) in their town.

"The ultimate free thinkers believe on Jesus"

Obviously Heath hasn't read the common definition for freethinker.

Freethinker: a person who forms opinions about the world on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief.

Here's a billboard that asks an important question.

"Where are you going? Heaven or Hell"

What is it with christians and false dichotomies? (Branson? Springfield?) The scripture reference doesn't even meantion Hell. It meantions "The Wrath of God" instead.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36

Maybe, the wrath of God is Hell, maybe not. They can't prove that it is, let alone that this God exists in the first place.

PS: The flea market is a great place to shop. I bought a Courier and Ives platter for my wife's birthday there. If you ever get to Harrison, you should check them out. I doubt they had anything to do with the sign above theirs.

I blacked out the phone numbers because I don't feel that anyone deserves harassment. So, I didn't take the chance of posting the numbers.

Shiloh Strikes Again!

Click picture for 1024x768 version.

"Atheism is a religion. Evolution the creed. Darwin the prophet. Scientist the priest."

Every line of this sign is wrong. What else can I say? Does Rev. Kirkpatrick think the best way to reach unbelievers is to insult them? Stereotypical statements like this makes me like religion even less than I did before.

I think it's time that I become a little more active in promoting positive atheism to counter this kind of misinformation.

P.S.
I also took a picture of the other side of the sign. At first glance, the sign has an unremarkable statement and scripture reference.

Click picture for 1024x768 version.
So, I looked up the scripture reference and here's what it says,

"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:" Proverbs 1:8

Hmmm, I think it takes a lot of spiritual guidance to get to what the sign says out of that. I think the verse above that one is much more appropriate.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7

I know it's a simple typo. I make them all the time myself. It's just funny that it takes an atheist to catch that error. I bet if one of Kirkpatrick's parishoners had looked the reference up (instead of taking everything their pastor says as truth), that mistake would have been corrected before I read it.

Here's another typo that took an atheist to catch.

What is he trying to say?

I just don't get it. Maybe, a christian can give me a clue as to what this is supposed to mean.

"God made man in his own image. Now, man returns the favor."
Click to download 1024x768.

More Crazy Signage

Remember that infamous picture I took last summer? Well, someone is now nailing up nicer printed and laminated signs to the telephone poles at the same intersection.

I have to say that the signs are now much nicer then the usual signs. Still, they need some work, but the signs are much nicer than their content.

I am somewhat familiar with the first website in the list. Visit it if you dare. On RaptureReady I found this little gem of an article.

What Atheism REALLY Is

We need to understand that Atheism is a religion in and of itself. Though Atheists may disagree, their beliefs are just one more lane in the Wide Gate and Broad Way that leads to Destruction (Matthew 7.13). In essence, Atheism is really Satanism in disguise. Anything that the Devil can use to lead people away from Jesus Christ and from Eternal Salvation, he will (and does) use. Atheism, in its rabid opposition to Christianity yet eerie silence towards Islam, New Age, and other world religions, is showing its true colors that it is nothing more than Satanism in better looking terminology. The Bible makes it clear that anything that denies Jesus Christ his rightful place as God is of the devil. This, sadly enough, includes Atheism.

In one glorious paragraph Lovelace accuses atheism of being a religion, of being Satanism no less, and of being exclusively anti-christian. It's really hard to read such drivel.

Just for the record, here's two links to anti-islam atheistic writings.
What We're Up Against
Pat Condell's Godless Comedy

I also critize Mormonism, Sikhism, and Seventh Day Adventism (among a few others).

I plan to visit each of the websites and to write about the juicy articles I find, over the next few weeks.

P.S. I haven't forgotten about the bible verse. I think it'll make a nice future Jesus Said It article.

I agree!

"If Jesus had an ordinary birth, he had an ordinary death."
640x480 of this photo 640x480 of another photo

Ironically, I agree with this statement. The question is, "Did he?"

Note: The pastor of this church (whom I have met) often puts up funny messages on his sign. I'll try to snap a photo anytime he puts an interesting message up. Enjoy.

Jesus is wha?

Orginal article here.

I know what this guy reads when he's not reading the bible.