Answers in Genesis Commercial

[Spector567]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miULdI-qocg

Please watch the 15s clip first, to get the full effect of there message. I’m interested to see if your response is the same as mine. (the clip is safe for work)






My Response:

WTF!!??

Please forgive me for the profanity but seriously what other response should I have. What response did you have, even knowing what I was going to show you was surprising?

How on earth does this get by the sensors. How are they allowed to air this. It is literally a threat.

Ok I suppose they could be saying something about youth crime rate or something. I suppose they could be trying to promote something else. However, it that was the message there were 1,000 other effective ways to get that across without doing what they did.

A well washed, clean white kid with a crew cut pointing a gun at me looking like a Hitler youth, than a calm and cool message telling me if I don’t think as they do I don’t matter…. I’m certain that was a threat. I’m certain they see it as a threat as well.

Answers in Genesis (AIG) Has always been a major thorn in the collective sides of rational thinkers. With there web pages full of quote mining, false and outdated facts and huge funding. All wrapped up in professional complexity that any layman would take what was said at face value. Pretty web pages, with instruction on how challenge Atheists (how they refer to anyone who believes evolution). How kids can bring up the idea with there friends to convert them. Christian children books, creationist authors, funded museums with people riding dinosaurs.

There mission statement to “arm” creationists with the tools they need.

Free speech be damned they just pointed a gun at and said they would pull the trigger.

[Ubi Dubium]

Plus, even from point of view of the other rubbish they put out, this ad is still pointless.

If their god exists, then everybody matters to him, and this commercial makes no sense.

If god does not exist, then nobody matters to him, and since we are not all members of the Hitler Youth its obvious that "not mattering to god" does not have the results they threaten.

The only way this commercial could be logical is for it to be about some other kind of god. One that exists, but isn't particularly benevolent, and does not actually care about all of his creations. That's the only way that "If you don't matter to god" could be a valid statement.

[PantyGnawer]

Before we foam at the mouth could someone provide evidence that this was actually created by AIG?

It could easily be a spoof. The youtube account only lists one other video from this user and its just another equally vapid 15 second short.

[Spector567]

Hmm good point. I'm behind a firewall currently so I can't check. However, I found this origenally through a couple of other blogs who had my simular 3 letter response. None of the commenters on the post or the youtube bring this up, also There are probally several other more humours ways to spoof AIG as well. Expecially since there more known for people riding dinosaurs and other things much more easily spoofable. However, valid point.

[daftbeaker]

If it was them someone's done a parody

I like the little smiley at the top.

[PKMKII]

The point here isn't to convince non-believers that because they don't believe in the christian god, they don't matter to anyone. It's to convince people who already believe that they don't matter to anyone that the trick to getting others to care about them is to find jesus. There's a pattern of religious outfits targeting emotional despondent and lonely people; typically, it's not this blatant though.

[Ubi Dubium]

Or the point is for the believers to help themselves continue to feel smug and comfortable, and to scare those who might be doubting to keep them safely in the "flock". I don't think it's aimed at those who don't believe at all. Just another variant on fire and brimstone, and Pascal's Wager, and all those other ways they try to use fear to control people's minds.

[PKMKII]

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. Putting pressure on those already within the "flock" is a technique typically found in non-proselytizing religions (such as Judaism) and in cults (such as Scientology). I find that, typically, within protestant fundamentalism, competition and camaraderie are used to keep followers "in check," but not out and out fearing monger. I do agree that this ad is trying to use fear to control people, but I think the target audience are the fearful, depressed, lonely, for-lack-of-a-better-word "unconcious" or "involuntary" non-religious; people who aren't part of a religious group, but it's because they've simply never given it much thought, as opposed to the non-religious who are actively non-religious (like a lot of people here).

[Almighty Doer of Stuff]

I just flagged it. Was that a good idea? A bad idea? A turkey club sandwich?

[fueledbycoffee]

Well, there are an awful lot of websites that are convinced it's real.

[Spector567]

See there is the trick right there. There are Two Video's.

http://www.youtube.com/user/aingenesis
The first video was posted around the same time the site was created a response fallowed about 4 months later and for some reason I seem to remember this commercial on TV however, I could be imagining things.
The Second video The majority of response happen in the last couple of weeks, with a few screw dates in the middle.

Seems kinda odd to have 2 video so spread out.

Both have a religious bent that is impossible to take as parody of anything.
Both are exactly 15s long perfect TV spot times.
I've searched this out and am unable to find a uniform source or repeat post (one christian forum seems to have many names).
If it was a fake spamed there would be several posts all the same like what RM did.
I also haven't found anyone who doubted it's authenticity.

At the same time I haven't found it on there site.

This leads me to one of 2 conclusions.
1. It's a fake but it's such a believable one that even those who are supporters of AIG believe that it could be a perfectly valid commercial and thus think it's real and have no problem with it. Hence why non-of them have spoken out against it. they should have found it by now.
2. It is aimed at everyone else, displaying a scared kid and gang violence as ways to scare people into staying in there religion. Young earth Creationists actually do believe that you don't matter unless you take the bible literally. If it was aimed at there own flock you'd think it'd be on there website.

Eitherway it's a worry some prospect.

[zinc alloy]

Can I just ask you an honest question and I don't mean to sound naeive but I can't tell if you're joking or telling the truth? Are there really people in the US who believe people rode around on dinosaurs? Or are you lot just joking about? I know there are some who think the Earth is only a few thousand years old but that must be very few people, surely. The rest just ignore the fact they know the Earth is millions of years old so they don't hurt their brains.

I've honestly never come across anybody in England who thinks dinosaurs were around a few thousand years ago co-existing with humans.

[Ubi Dubius]

Are there really people in the US who believe people rode around on dinosaurs?

Yes. Including my fundy brother, my last boss, and several of my college friends. Check out the Creation Museum near Cincinnati (actually in Northern Kentucky, I forget which town, probably Covington). It has an extensive website of their own and there are several reviews out there as well. When fundy brother's family visited Washington DC recently, they wanted to see anything but "that awful Smithsonian Museum of Natural History".

[zinc alloy]

Wow!
I find that incredible.
Funnily enough one of my brothers is a recently converted Christian. And he's the better brother of the two.
He seems happy with his new found beliefs but I would fall off my chair laughing if he ever came out with such nonsense. In fact, when I see him next I must question him about it.
I'm sure he would laugh at that idea too.
It was my brother who bought me the Gospel of the FSM from my Amazon wishlist so he is proof that not all Christians are without humour .

[Spector567]

This view known as young earth creationism is hopefully a minority. The problem is they are the "moral minority" They take the bible literally and how does someone in there own religion argue with them and tell them they have taken it too far. You can't, and if you do it's a badge of honor for them because they are "more christian" than you.

How on earth would a politician, or any public figure stand up in a crowd of people and say "i don't believe in the bible", he wouldn't actually be saying that but they will make it look like he's saying that so even the politicians have to support the creationists.

What makes these people an actual threat is fairly simple. They will bend the facts, in order to fit there belief and since there belief is so far fetched it is not hard for them to believe what ever supports there belief and who ever does so. You can't outright tell them that they are teaching falsehoods because it's freedom of religion not liable.

And there is a continual contest to see who can out Christian the other in some blind attempt that the increased crime rate, teenage pregnancies, war, pollution and violence is some how a reflection of less faith and not the increased media coverage and break down of the education system and social systems.