Row erupts over humanist poster in Belfast

Source

THE war of words between atheists and religious believers has entered a new chapter with the launch of Northern Ireland’s first ever humanist advertising campaign. The British Humanist Association (BHA) yesterday unveiled a billboard with the slogan: "Please Don’t Label Me. Let Me Grow Up And Choose For Myself." Located on one Belfast’s busiest routes, the poster is a follow-up to its atheist buses campaign that ran earlier this year in parts of the UK. The giant poster, at the junction of Great Victoria Street and Bruce Street, shows a photograph of a young girl against the backdrop of “shadowy” descriptions such as Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu or Sikh.

What is wrong with religious people? Can't our children grow up to be free in life? Or do we need to scare that if they don't believe in their "God" Then they would go to Heck! This is just wow!

I remember this poster from earlier this year with the campaign in the UK. Dawkins got behind it.

It offends religious folk because they indoctrinate their children.

I'm glad people like Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris are speaking out, someone has to!

We will never reach our full potential while we cling to the notion that some supernatural being is coming to save us and that there is a 'plan' for us.

We are in control of our own destiny not some invisible sky fairy.

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


Well, if people haven't noticed they can be a little sensitive when it comes to religious matters in Northern Ireland!

As sympathetic as I am, I think they were ill advised to launch such a campaign in such a sensitive place.

I agree with the poster ...

"Mommy, Daddy why do you treat me like an atheist?"



"Well dear, about four years ago your mother and I saw this poster on a wall...."

reply to post by Freeborn


I respectfully disagree. It is most important where blind religious indoctrination is most rampant (though I didn't realize Northern Ireland was so non-humanist).

That anyone would be offended by something so logically mundane is exactly why this type of social education is important.

There's nothing wrong with displaying the poster. Humanists have a right to advertise their beliefs just as much as anybody else does.


What I personally don't get is the lack of logic on the poster.

One of the categories it suggests you shouldn't label your child is ''atheist child'', yet that is what the child is, unless it has a belief in a higher power.

So, a child has to be one or the other: either an ''atheist child'' or a ''< insert religious > child''.

The advert doesn't appear to make much sense, in that regard.

"Atheism is a science based comfort faith". true. and guess who said it for 10 cool points?

reply to post by pirhanna


I can understand why you would disagree; address the issue where it is most entrenched.
Yet I think there is more chance of gaining acceptance in to mainstream circles by focussing on areas more accustomed to new or challenging ideas.
As in most things this may then gradually spread to other areas.

Religion in Northern Ireland was long used as a tool to prolong The Troubles.
As such faith is an integral part of it's society.
Renouncing one's faith can be seen as renouncing one's culture and heritage and all those who fought for it.

reply to post by Sherlock Holmes


What about 'Agnostic' child.

Labels are becoming so tedious,everyone seems determined to label and pigeon hole everything and everyone.
Many Atheists are as locked and blinkered in their beliefs as are many Theists.

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


OFF TOPIC: You think you can make the T&A on that chick in your avatar any bigger??

ON TOPIC: Why can't they have Humanist posters in Belfast? There is no law that restricts the freedom of religion in Great Britain so they can post that if they want. I don't see the problem with it except they know if they kids read it they may think to themselves, "They're right! Why should I have to be what my parents are?". They are afraid people might actually learn something new.

Originally posted by Freeborn
What about 'Agnostic' child.

Labels are becoming so tedious,everyone seems determined to label and pigeon hole everything and everyone.
Many Atheists are as locked and blinkered in their beliefs as are many Theists.

Yeah, but in the poster it also lists ''agnostic child'' as an example of a label that you shouldn't attach to a child.

That is why it doesn't make any sense, to me, because a child's religious or non-religious belief, by definition, must be able to be labelled as theist, atheist or agnostic.

So if someone was to ask a parent whether their child was religious or not, the parent - if answering honestly - would have to label their child as one of the definions that the poster is objecting to.

Why does there have to be a label at all? Can't a child just be called a child? Does it have to have a social adjective attached to it, or have I missed something?

Originally posted by Sherlock Holmes

Originally posted by Freeborn


Yeah, but in the poster it also lists ''agnostic child'' as an example of a label that you shouldn't attach to a child.

That is why it doesn't make any sense, to me, because a child's religious or non-religious belief, by definition, must be able to be labelled as theist, atheist or agnostic.

So if someone was to ask a parent whether their child was religious or not, the parent - if answering honestly - would have to label their child as one of the definions that the poster is objecting to.

Children can't possibly have a religion. They can't understand the complexity of the real meaning of any religious doctrines until they are older. To say a child belongs to such and such a religion means simply that they are being indoctrinated into their parents' beliefs.

Simple, drop all the labels and let children simply be children.

Originally posted by wcitizen
Children can't possibly have a religion. They can't understand the complexity of the real meaning of any religious doctrines until they are older. To say a child belongs to such and such a religion means simply that they are being indoctrinated into their parents' beliefs.

But if that is so, then the child would have to be labelled as an ''atheist child'' !

My point is, that if answering honestly, a parent can't avoid labelling their child on this issue.


There are also parents that indoctrinate children with humanism and atheism, as well as some of the political ideologies that the BHA claims that parents don't do.

Originally posted by wcitizen
Why does there have to be a label at all? Can't a child just be called a child? Does it have to have a social adjective attached to it, or have I missed something?

Well, it's unavoidable.

If a parent labels their child as a ''good boy/girl'', then what they mean is that the child succesfully apes the moral values and behaviour that they've indocrinated it with.