I don’t really think god has a media consultant. But there are lots of people out there want to apply for the job. In Pasadena, near where I take my car for service, there’s a giant billboard that always has either a quote (”what part of thou shalt not is unclear?” -God) or a verse (”for god so loved the world…”). The billboard also always has splotches that appear to be the remnants of balloons filled with paint and thrown; this generally makes me feel better about the presence of the billboard.
A recent post at a site I like discusses the fact that God bought ad-space on the subway. She argues that, since the subway is publicly-run, it might violate church/state.
What do we think about this?
Personally, I’m okay with God buying ad space as long as Satan can, too. The problem is, if someone wants to take an add out advertising to convert children to homosexuality, God would complain (in the person of the same people who take ads out in his name)…does this mean that I should complain about this innocuous-looking ad?
9 responses so far ↓
1 Miko // Jan 5, 2007 at 10:44 am
Elise: I’m baaaack!
2 Watt Mahoun // Jan 5, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Personally, I’m okay with god’s ad campaign ’cause I’m sure I’m not the only one who appreciates a regular jolt of WTF to remind me to keep on truckin’.
3 Elise // Jan 5, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Ok, I got curious if I could find pictures of “God ads” online. I haven’t come across any, but I did find a page with a list of God messages, and a “Signs from God” spoof site.
There’s only five, but they’re rather funny. Check it out here.
4 Elise // Jan 5, 2007 at 11:56 pm
P.S. Miko, glad you’re back.
5 Miko // Jan 6, 2007 at 9:24 am
me, too
next time I take my car for service, I’ll snap a shot; I was thinking as I was writing this that I should have a pic up…
6 amelia // Jan 6, 2007 at 4:13 pm
here’s info about the “God speaks” ad campaign:
http://www.godspeaks.com/AboutTheBillboards.asp
i saw the “keep taking my name in vain and i’ll make rush hour longer” billboard in pennsylvania once, on my way to amish country. it provided immense comic delight. it’s hard to imagine these people think anyone takes these signs seriously…
7 Jonathan // Jan 8, 2007 at 8:02 am
I heard about these signs before, but never cared to look them up and see what they were all about until now. I don’t exactly know what the people were thinking when dreaming these up, but most of them seem either mean, comical/mean, silly, or just stupid. I’m with amelia - I can’t see how anyone takes these signs seriously unless they are aimed at an audience that I’m not aware of.
This seems to me to be the very opposite way that Christ took when talking to people who didn’t know him. He seems to vent his anger at the dogmatic ‘religious’ though - so it would ironically seem that many of these signs (especially the mean ones) might be more appropriate if aimed at fundamental Christians than non-Christians, if one were following Christ’s example in outreach tactics.
8 Miko // Jan 8, 2007 at 10:28 pm
amelia: thanks for the link! These ones are cute, but there are other more…forceful…ones out there, too.
9 shana // Jan 10, 2007 at 9:02 pm
As much as I love the separation between church and state, I can’t say I have a problem with “pro God” ads.
It’s like the bible refrences on the botton of “In and Out” cups.
They make life more intersting.
A few years ago, there was group that purchased ad space for poetry.
T.S. Elliot above the freeway, it was fantastic.
The God Stuff is kind of like those Foundation for a Better Life ads.
In other words mostly harmless.
I should also state for the record you can no sooner convert someone to homosexuality, then you can change the color of someones skin.
So if people want to waste their money on ad space for that (or more amusingly, ad space to convert people to hetrosexuality) well, I could see how many people would find it hurtful or annoying, but that is the price of a free country. People can spend their money on anything.
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