Heaven or Hell? You choose (on Highway 65)

[stellinacadente]

I have been driving thru Alabama on Hwy 65 Northbound in Alabama most of the day on Sunday and it really cracked me up to see this ads signs...

"Heaven or Hell? You choose"

"If you don't go to church, you'll go to hell..."

I mean _seriously_???

It really made me wonder about the capacity of elaboration of the indigenous crowd... or do they think that strangers are brainless?

Most of all though it really made me sad because in these ads I could see the past thousands of years of "dark ages" in which this choice between heaven and hell has thrown the human kind into...

Fear seems to be the only and last argin that keeps the Church (the institution, not Christianity as a religion, I don't believe any good christian would have anything to do with _any church_) of any sort from collapsing... and in IMHO it would be just as well...

so that mankind could go back to feeling as opposed to fearing all the time...

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

The sign represents a false dichotomy.

That is, the author of the sign assumes that there are but two possible choices.

Furthermore, it's a case of hubris: for the author also assumes that *his* religion is *the* religion.

Even among the various flavors of Christianity, there are recognized more than 33,000.... then there's the 1000's of non-christian religions from which to choose.

A bit of math, and the odds of being "right" (if god is such a stickler...which makes no sense) are less than 0.002% chance.

No, the sign is just a lie.

Which is too bad, really, for it will only serve to turn away the more thoughtful viewers...

[beagle]

We could always start the atheist bus adverts in Alabama  . Though to be on the safe side maybe the first few should be on the side of a tank.

...or do they think that strangers are brainless?

Was it Dawkins who said there's not one passage in the Bible in praise of intelligence? No idea it if it's right; might just be the Aramaic/Hebrew equivalent translates into "wisdom" or something instead. From what I vaguely remember there was a lot of emphasis on "simple faith" and not asking questions (but that may just have been the interpretation of our Religious Education teacher after a quiet life, and who can blame her in a South London Secondary Modern?).

[Swatopluk]

The gospel of John begins with 'In the beginning there was the Logos'. The translation 'word' is quite misleading. In classical Greek 'logos' meant among other things 'logic' (!) and rational (abstract) thought , i.e. it was the polar opposite of (blind) emotion, stupidity etc.
Therefore 'logos' could be translated as '(cold) intelligence'. So, God is identified as the (dis)embodied intelligent mind that became embodied in Jesus. Since God is usually considered good (although irascible*), intelligence could be considered as valued. One could of course argue that with an intelligent Overlord the serfs can be brainless but that would not really vibe with "in his own image".
---
Btw, given a lot of people that allegedly went to heaven and the rather boring description of heaven, hell might be preferable.
Missionaries had trouble with the Inuit at first because the idea of a hot hell was very appealing to those that live in the cold  .

*which is actually clearly non-'logos'

[Opsa]

Don't think all Alabamans are like that, though. Just the blowhards. There are probably a lot of cool people like yourself there that simply have better sense than to try to scare people into running into their church for cover.

Let there be enlightenment. If there is a creator, He or She put beautiful things here and personally, I'd rather focus on those things and be happy about them rather than live in fear of the Almighty's Giant Slapping Hand. Call me a heathen, but I prefer joy.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

"Seek not out the things that are too hard for thee, neither search the things that are above thy strength. But what is commanded thee, think upon with reverence; for it is not needful for thee to see with thine eyes the things that are in secret. Be not curious in unnecessary matters: for more things are shewed unto thee than men understand" (Sirach 3:21-23).

[Pachyderm]

I'd rather focus on those things and be happy about them rather than live in fear of the Almighty's Giant Slapping Hand.

That's what the monastery needs! A Giant Slapping Fin, mounted next to the door, to smite the evil-doers.

The only problem would be stopping BB from standing in front of it, pantaloons round his ankles, with a list of Bad Things to Say. Not quite the advert the HOT needs...

[Griffin NoName]

Ha!  I know an Alabamaman and he is not like that ! 


well,  I knew (not biblically) him but we lost touch, so I should have said "used to know", but that didn't read so well.

[The Meromorph]

Come to think of it, I used to know a lady from Alabama, and she wasn't a bit like that either, cute as a very cute thing, though, and the sound of her accent just creamed me every time she spoke... 

And then there's Lynyrd Skynyrd...