We’re Not Rivals
Press January 22nd, 2009An article was published recently in the National Post claiming that the Humanist Association of Canada and the Freethought Association of Canada have nothing in common except that we don’t believe in god. It also mentioned that we’re “rivals” and that we’re essentially fighting over who can have the best campaign.
This just simply isn’t true. HAC and FAC have no tiff with one another, especially not one that would make us “rivals”.
Two rival atheist groups will attempt to peddle their different views of non-belief to Canadians through separate advertising campaigns on public transit.
We are not rival groups. We are different groups, with different mandates and who focus on different priorities. Every organization that has called telling me they are going to do their own atheist bus campaign, I have supported whole heartedly because it just means more buses with our messages being displayed. This is not a competition, the humanist group wants a different message than ours – and I don’t think that all freethinking groups need to be lumped into one. The more messages – the better.
The humanists doing their campaign is amazing, and I hope that this can spread even farther across Canada. The more messages, the more dialogue!
It should also be noted that the National Post has made other factual errors in their article, they claimed the UK campaign raised $20,000. This is not true, according to converstion rates today the UK campaign has raised about $261,429.65 CAD so far.





January 22nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I really hope these two campaigns can be merged. Athiests have not had much of a voice until now.
Let’s make it as loud as possible.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Katie,
This is typical of the National Post…we will not find too much sympathy amongst it’s readers when it has fundamentalist Christian writers like Barbara Kay amongst it’s flock.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Why hasn’t the Toronto Star done an article yet? This seems right up their alley.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:33 pm
fundamentalist Christian writers like Barbara Kay
Are you sure? From the bio page at her website:
Barbara has served on and chaired many communications, cultural and fundraising committees at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts and the Jewish Public Library. She was Chairman of Jewish Book Month for several years. She is a past president of the Jewish Public Library. As well, she served on the officers’ group of Canadian Jewish Congress/ Quebec Region.
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Josh,
So maybe I’m wrong about her religion, but she sure loves to pander to them…Have you read her review of ‘Religulous’?
Anyhow, if you can defend them…you’re one of them!
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Another example of the close minded media. They know that people should be given choices. But in this case they don’t approve of atheism being a choice, in their mind.
So they are trying to “protect” them from this “evil”.
In reality, they are keeping people blinded, delusional and worse yet, in their own reality of the bullshit news they provide.
This isn’t about right or wrong, its about being able to make a choice.
Who said that we HAVE to believe in any god? Who said we need to follow a religion? Who said there is a god? What is god?
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Oh the joys of misrepresentation.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:06 am
Here is an example of what Barbara Kay writes:
http://www.barbarakay.ca/archive/20081217Quebecnewcurriculum.html
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:30 am
Here is an example of what Barbara Kay writes:
http://www.barbarakay.ca/archive/20081217Quebecnewcurriculum.html
and more:
http://www.barbarakay.ca/archive/20070725thegodthatwhined.html
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:06 am
Another atheist bus campaign?! That’s great news! I’m heading over there to give them some support too!
w00t!!!111
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:12 am
These people don’t let quaint things like facts get in the way when writing anti-atheist articles.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:04 am
Josh…I want to thank you for setting me straight earlier. I also need to clarify that I wasn’t suggesting that you defend fundies…that was aimed at Barbara Kay.
Second, I want to apologize to all for not getting my facts straight at the beginning. I assumed Barbara Kay was a Xian..that was inaccurate and It won’t happen again. No…in fact she believes in reconstructionist Judaism and does not have a literal interpreationof the bible.
However, based on the the multitude of articles advocating intolerance against atheists and her constant Quebec bashing (actually she bashes anyone that doesn’t think like her, but that happens a lot in Quebec) and the fact that she is a key contributor to PTBC (Proudtobecanadian.ca) – an ultra-conservative, anti-abortion, anti-homosexual, anti-freethought advocacy group…she kinda gives me a rash..and I let myself get carried away…
Once again..sorry and I won’t let it happen again.
Now…back to our regular programming…for pure entertainment, you should all visit a site calle Fundies say the darndest things…Google it…it is really, really funny.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 am
It should be pointed out that the editorial board is somewhat diverse on the National Post. They have Colby Cosh, who isn’t religious, as well as a catholic priest who’s a lot more reasonable than Barbara Kay.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:49 am
The Globe and Mail is the only paper to have the foresight to include an atheist in their online forum. It is too bad they have not moved forward to include one in their print edition. The National Post and especially The Toronto Star are quite lame and backwards in their approach to the huge atheist demographic.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
What about fundraising t-shirts like in the UK?
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Nick, I heard they are getting T-shirts soon, can’t remember where I read it…
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
So, no God ? OK, what’s life all about then ? Let’s all just do whatever we want ?? and then die ? This is a recipe for Anarchy if you ask me.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
What is the purpose of life then ? Have a fun time. Do whatever we want ? Or is there no purpose ? Please tell me. I am searching. I am asking you for answers. In God I had a belief and purpose, a moral Code, a compass, and direction, a goal and desire. If He is not there I have nothing. Where do I get these things now. I am lost. Please help me. Maybe it’s money ? If so please send these donations to me I need it.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Offgrid-living. Why does there need to be a purpose? Is it not enough for you to be here, now. Make the best of it.
As I said in previous posts..being good makes sense. Society has this way of keeping abnormal (in keeping with the statistical sense of normal) at the margins. If cooperation and being good is normal, then anarchy is avoided.
However, as Onfray posits, we need to review are current moral values to ensure that they are supported by reason. We need a reason-based ethic that is not obscured by dogma.
So there you have it…the underlying motivation for the ad campaign…there probably is no devinely inspired meaning to life, now stop worrying and enjoy your life. Life is what you make it…make it count.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Offgrid-Living:
You want it, you got it.
The purpose of life is to enjoy creation. Live long and learn your place in this universe. Do not blind yourself with old ideas. It may be that humanity’s existence isn’t special in a universe full of life’s chemical elements, but each human is special just in managing to be born. Do you know how hard it is just to make it from the maternal womb to the maternity room? Far more humans have narrowly missed being born than all that have lived and died. Feel special, if you must, because your just being here is quite an extraordinary feat.
Looking for meaning and a goal? Stop being selfish and a glutton. This is not about you and you living eternally. This is about sacrifice. This is not about you, just as living a better life was not about your ancestors. Your ancestors moved here so that their descendants could live easier. And although our lives are easier they are not as easy as they could be, so we must work to make OUR descendants’ lives even better. And so on. This is the evolution of prosperity. We make our lives better so that an even better life springs forth.
This will eventually lead to something on par with heaven on earth. This brings me peace. Imagine a Bible that said: “Follow these orders so that others can live in heaven. You of course will die long before it’s available, sorry.” No one would follow that! It’s about you, right? And your reward. It’s all about you. How commendable.
What if it is not? You could take pleasure in knowing that your descendants will live in this utopia, or if you choose not to have kids know that you helped get others there.
Or live according to an ancient set of ideas that do not blend well with modern times thus making the lives of others worse. Spread hate for homosexuals. Force all women to have their babies regardless of their situation. Suppress the natural proclivities of other humans to satisfy the orders of a dusty book. If that’s what it takes to get YOU into heaven so be it. I’m glad our suffering could help you live eternally.
That’s all free of charge. My gift to you. Hope you feel better, live well, and cast your chains.
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Yes, it was unfortunate the way the Post played on such a minor issue. Pat O’Brien, HAC President, and I, are good friends and colleagues. He and I were both clear when interviewed, that we support multiple bus campaigns. Canada has lots of cities, and humanists/atheists have lots of different messages to get out. To suggest that all atheists should want to prioritize the same message is to plow over the differences of 25% of Canadians. It’s as discriminatory as suggesting that all jews, muslims, blacks, whites, men or women, should think the same thing and have the exact same message to get across. Discrimination of this overt sort is still acceptable against certain groups though.
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Tom – Thank you very much for responding. I try not to live by Dogma. But I can believe what you say and I can also believe what Jesus has taught: “The Kingdom of God is within you / among you”. I believe and I Love. I do not hate. But like you I am also a hypocrite, I am struggling to learn, to find my purpose, and I have learned much from the works of Jesus, the Buddha, my Native elders, and many other wise teachers. Rather than not believe in God, the Great Creator, I’d rather believe that we are all divine. Our souls are like sparks or shards of light that have decended to earth from a great light. And when we die, our spark of light will rejoin with that Great Light. Wherever that may be. This is my belief so I live unchained knowing that I and you are linked by this same light. We are brothers, we are sisters of the this Light. So live well, love one another enjoy, prosper, try to be good and we’ll all be together again some day.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Offgrid:
I appreciate your sentiment, but I am not a hypocrite. I do not claim to be anything that I am not. As a Deist, I acknowledge that our universe did not come from nothing. But my theism ends there. I do not pray. I have no book to cherry pick. I live without a God. God’s existence does not matter in this universe. It is apparent that God has lost his keys to get back in.
I merely live my life for the good of our species. I want to see it thrive and prosper. My moral code is based on this, and then some, for I tend to be nicer than I should. I’ll do my part for as long as I am here, but keep your eternal life for at death I will be tired and looking for darkness.
Remember to make good choices and relish fortuitous happenstance. They are all you need to appreciate life. Peace be with you.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Very well spoken Tom,you have hit the nail on the head i guess you could say.your thoughts put into words come across very clearly and easily understood.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:29 am
Tom
Peace be with you also. Thanks for your honest and heart felt reply.
Keep doing unto others as you would have them do unto you and you’ll do OK.
And so will everybody else….
January 24th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Offgrid – I can live with your point of view because it appreciates life and does not preach.
The only difference appears to be our belief in what comes after. You appear to have faith that there is something undefined afterwards, whereas I don,t see any evidence for that, hence I cannot reject the null hypothesis…oblivion.
Oblivion does not scare me because if that is what awaits me, I will have no knowledge of it. It also tells me that I should try to make the most of my time as a conscious, sentient being.
I think that we have far more in common than not and I welcome your open inquiry because that, in and of itself, demonstrates that you are not under the thumb of dogma.
Time to stop worrying and enjoy life, rather than fret about what comes after because there is only one way to find out….and it doesn’t come from a 2000 year old book.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Tom,
Have you read Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite ?
This is the darkness I seek. I believe you are already there.
Your thoughts are also very close to Meister Eckhart.
You have found all you need.
Enjoy.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:52 am
Richard,
In a way I find that many atheists are closer to the things Jesus taught than are most “so -called” Christians. What did He say ? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your MIND. If God is the Great Creator, Love Creation. Love your neighbor as yourself, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If we all lived this way there would be no problems. Use your MIND, your heart and your soul to love all of creation. God is in that stone. You too are that same God. Now they are sure to crucify me. Peace.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Tom – unfortunately we are all hypocrites.
We all say one thing and do another. We all lie. It is the human nature.
Unless you are perfect. But maybe you are. I know I’m working on it.
January 24th, 2009 at 2:19 am
I guess I’m a-Theist also.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:32 am
Now they are trying to separate us by bringing up our differences… we should stay together and be united…
January 24th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle." –A. Einstein
January 25th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Woops – my apologies – I see the comments are back. I think this campaign is great – it will get people talking and discussing and searching for truth. Too many people believe without questioning. Questioning is important. It will lead to answers and to the ultimate truth. The fact that you are willing to spend so much money on placing these banners on busses shows that you are driven by this quest also – how important it is to question these things. To search. To learn everything. To live fully. Bravo.
February 6th, 2009 at 6:27 am
First time commentor but long time reader. Excellent blog you have going here, where is your RSS feed?
February 13th, 2009 at 2:34 am
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