I agree with most of what the billboard says.  I only need to add a couple words:
  An educated person knows the Bible is fiction.

It would be helpful for someone preaching education to actually do little research before writing an article. But since, except for one or two writers, Smile Politely traffics almost exclusively in watered down platitudes of the sort seen here (e.g.  “Many of us religious folk need to stop condemning and converting others and start understanding and appreciating others.”), I won’t hold my breath.

It’s hard to know where to start with this ill-informed article. Does the author know that accompanying “that person” to a his place of worship is not always an option? This sort of church-tourism is a uniquely American thing that is often frowned upon by people who take their religion seriously, and don’t want wide-eyed nonbelievers intruding on what they consider sacred.

As for talking to members of other religions as a means of education, let me tell you - it is overrated. People are either very informed or very uninformed. The former, unless they’re recruiting, usually don’t want to talk about faith with someone ignorant and the latter are no help at all (and sometimes worse than no help).

And are you kidding me with this Ash Wednesday thing? You’re suggesting that people who go to church every Sunday don’t know about Ash Wednesday? Just where is it you pretend to go to church?

Finally, the author fails to get remotely specific (not even telling us what books about world religions we should read) about any religion but Christianity. But he at least alludes to Judaism and Islam as some of the other “world religions.”
Can he not know that “the Bible” is a very imporant book in both of those major faith traditions? (The Old Testament for Jews and both Old and New for Muslims.) And that serious members of those religions are often entreated to get to know better their religious texts?

Damn, dude - practice what you preach. Read a book or two before writing.

Pete.
My name is Pete too.
Awesome.

My name is not really Pete. But I wish it was.

Oy vey, Cassie - haven’t you been embarrased enough in the comments section of SP? Please stop writing. Please - so that I can stop writing back. (You’ve proven time and again that a sampling of one can actually tell us a great deal.)

But, to your “point”:

You’re telling us your “ultra Christian,” church-going cubicle mate has “no idea” when Ash Wednesday is? No idea? Really?

Then what is it you think makes him an “ultra” Christian? He sounds like a fairly mediocre Christian to me. In fact, he sounds like someone making the billboard’s point for it - that guy needs to do some reading. And before he approaches someone else’s religion, he needs to get with his.

And, as you’ve now betrayed, that’s our young seminarian’s real example, right? Ryan is actually studying his own religion (and, I presume, reading the Bible) before he imposes himself on others. 

So maybe the billboards are more clearly in line with his philosophy than he at once thought. Hmm. It sounds like a couple of people haven’t thought things through.

Of course, what do I know. I didn’t think literate adults needed to be told that Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, either.

Geez, Pete, calm down.  Jesus wants you to be nice to other people.

Roland: I’m not excited.

And what makes you think I’m pro-Christian? I’ve demonstrated only that I’m anti-dumb people.

Jesus wants you to be nice whether or not you are Christian.
And don’t sell yourself short.  You are more than just anti-dumb people.  You seem to be anti people in general.

You make two sound points, Roland. I can’t argue with either one.

I bet half (probably way more) of the people that pass that billboard beleive 9-11 was carried out by “al-qaeda” or religious extremists. Recently I have seen countless articles or mention of “American taliban,” or “white al-qaeda” (if you don’t beleive me just ask and I’ll post tons of examples). There are gov. “terror” and “no-fly” list millions long. Facebook just had to retract its policies b/c folks just wouldn’t stand for complete and total disrespect of privacy. Warrentless wiretapping is legal and has been supported by our current president. The world is in complete economic dissaray and the same people that caused it are providing the solutions. And a billboard floating in the sky says you are dumb if you don’t know the bible, while the writer says yer dumb if you don’t know all the Bibles. But I think yer dumb if you don’t know the words of a man actually still living - Ladies and Gentlemen We’re Floating in Space -

While I probably wouldn’t agree with the ultimate purpose of this billboard, the statement is true, and is not exclusive. While the bible may contain some historical fiction, understanding its meaning is essential to understanding history and morality. I would also read the Q’uran, and the reflections of philosphers and writers like Liebniz, Tolstoy, Solzhenitsyn, etc. to get the essential point – Abrahamic religions place moral law above man’s law. Hinduism, talmudic Judaism and other esoteric doctrines are the reverse, which is why they lead to communism, nazism, zionism, genocide.
The whole hipster-slacker-worldly viewpoint has a name – Sophistry. It is possible to understand the will of God, to define good and evil and live accordingly. I’m not a “Christian” but Christians are not necessarily intolerant and uneducated as you might like to believe. At their best, they are acting on what they feel is a moral responsibility to fight moral relativism and the decay of society.

I couldn’t care less about religion, but comment-happy cranks (with bonus personal attacks!) like Pete #1 keep the site-traffic flowing.  IMO!