{"id":73,"date":"2009-11-25T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-25T16:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/?p=73"},"modified":"2010-10-21T17:52:05","modified_gmt":"2010-10-22T00:52:05","slug":"surely-you-people-can-do-better-than-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/surely-you-people-can-do-better-than-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Surely You People Can Do Better than This?"},"content":{"rendered":"

S<\/span>o, today in the Seattle transit tunnel, I espied an advertisement on the side of a Metro bus that kind of flabbergasted me.<\/p>\n

It was an image of Jolly Old Saint Nick, with bright happy red text that proclaimed, “Yes Virginia… there really is no God”.<\/p>\n

There’s an image of it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I was utterly offended, though not perhaps for the reason you might think.<\/p>\n

Having done school marketing, I’m very much aware how much money was spent purchasing this ad. Let’s just say it was not inconsiderable.<\/p>\n

You might think they’d have thought the actual ad through a little better.<\/p>\n

Leaving aside that it makes a claim that is scientifically unverifiable, thus undermining their entire “free thinking” position, it’s a terrible ad.<\/p>\n

Is the best way to proclaim such a definitive anti-theist statement really to use as your spokesman a fictional character based on a Christian Saint, referencing a fraudulent editorial about a fake letter?<\/p>\n

It would seem to call your veracity into question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, today in the Seattle transit tunnel, I espied an advertisement on the side of a Metro bus that kind of flabbergasted me. It was an image of Jolly Old Saint Nick, with bright happy red text that proclaimed, “Yes Virginia… there really is no God”. There’s an image of it here. I was utterly offended, though not perhaps for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rant"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1aGBK-1b","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2802,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/ad-multos-annos-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":0},"title":"Ad Multos Annos!","author":"Thom","date":"16 April 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"As he was mobbed by Bavarian well-wishers on the occasion of his 85th birthday celebrations, Pope Benedict XVI today said, I find myself on the last stretch of my journey in life, and I don\u2019t know what is awaiting me. I know, however, that the light of God exists, that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pope Benedict XVI"","block_context":{"text":"Pope Benedict XVI","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/pope-benedict-xvi\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/bbday-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":29,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/ad-multos-annos\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":1},"title":"Ad Multos Annos","author":"Thom","date":"16 April 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I will have some thoughts on the Triduum, particularly the liturgical celebration thereof in my parish, in a day or three. For now, I join the rest of the world in wishing the Holy Father a very happy 80th birthday.","rel":"","context":"In "Pope Benedict XVI"","block_context":{"text":"Pope Benedict XVI","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/pope-benedict-xvi\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90907,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/ad-multos-annos-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":2},"title":"Ad Multos Annos!","author":"Thom","date":"16 April 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"is the 92nd birthday of Father Benedict, once Pope Benedict XVI. Happy birthday! Obviously, we don't know how history will judge the life and works of Pope Benedict XVI. As for me, I think that in a century or so, he will be enrolled amongst the Doctors of the Church.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Moments in Time"","block_context":{"text":"Moments in Time","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/moments-in-time\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1500.844.jpeg?fit=1198%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1500.844.jpeg?fit=1198%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1500.844.jpeg?fit=1198%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1500.844.jpeg?fit=1198%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cq5dam.thumbnail.cropped.1500.844.jpeg?fit=1198%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":88896,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/ad-orientem-training\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":3},"title":"Ad Orientem Training","author":"Thom","date":"23 September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"At our parish of Holy Rosary, we sometimes celebrate Mass on the High Altar. This method, where for much of the Eucharistic prayer the Priest and the people are facing the same direction, is known as ad Orientem. For many years, we have celebrated Mass this way at the Solemnity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cardinal Sarah"","block_context":{"text":"Cardinal Sarah","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/robert-cardinal-sarah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_2344-e1506187007228.jpg?fit=1200%2C957&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_2344-e1506187007228.jpg?fit=1200%2C957&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_2344-e1506187007228.jpg?fit=1200%2C957&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_2344-e1506187007228.jpg?fit=1200%2C957&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_2344-e1506187007228.jpg?fit=1200%2C957&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87241,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/corpus-christi-retrospective-part-1-ad-orientem\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":4},"title":"Corpus Christi Retrospective Part 1: Ad Orientem","author":"Thom","date":"02 June 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This year my parish continued its tradition of celebrating our Corpus Christi Masses on the high altar. This obviously means that rather than facing the congregation through much of the Mass, the priest is facing the same direction they are: towards the altar, toward the tabernacle, towards the Lord. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cardinal Sarah"","block_context":{"text":"Cardinal Sarah","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/robert-cardinal-sarah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/closeup.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/closeup.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/closeup.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/closeup.jpg?fit=960%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44390,"url":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/abdication\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":5},"title":"Abdication","author":"Thom","date":"11 February 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pope Benedict XVI Attends Prayer Service In Washington","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/benedict-240x297.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions\/117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thomryng.com\/amateurmonk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}