Atheists drive Chevy's.

Hopefully the stations are charging them the appropriate rates for issue political ads, which are significantly higher than regular spots.

Freeway Ford here in Denver displays "HE HAS RISEN" and "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS" at Easter and Christmas. They're a huge dealership - but its baffles me why any business owner would want to divide their demographic base by turning one half off so much in hopes of securing another half.

@jamesdenver: Why would they want to divide their demographic base? Simple: fundamentalists would rather buy from a fellow fundamentalist.

@jamesdenver: It is possible that the business owners genuinely want to celebrate their beliefs on those holidays instead of trying to secure or alienate customers...

Just to be clear, I have no idea if the pictured car was purchased at Kieffe & Sons, but it is a Ford, and I can only hope it was bought as is.

One really has to wonder how many individuals this fool managed to offend. It might be rather, ah, optimistic of me to think so, but I would hope at least half of this "86%" would find his words completely inappropriate.

For that matter, why does believing in God make one a Christian according to this man? Did I miss a memo?

Freedom of speech does mean freedom to say all sorts of crap. And if it's advertising they paid for the privilege - probably quite a bit.

I imagine the controversy the ad is stirring up is helping the business.

Of course you need to put God on money to validate its existence. That's why christians completely freak out when you remove God from the currency.

And btw, the original Pledge didn't have "god" in it in the first place. Same reason why God isn't mentioned in the Constitution...it DOESN'T BELONG THERE.

Would a car salesman BS you?

I refused to buy American cars after they chose to sing Bush's tune about nationalized health care. Japanese cars are cheaper because their government shoulders the medical care liabilities. American car manufacturers wanted this too, but wouldn't say so publicly.

I say, screw them. Let them die earlier and meet their "god" as soon as possible. I'll drive a Camry.

Why should we change the currency...
It would be best in the interest of the rest of the taxpayer's money that isn't being stolen to keep it as it is.

@Anybody that thinks "God" should be removed from currency, pledges, etc
Does it really bother you that much that it says a word (in your case, doesn't exist) on the currency? Is their a totally different reason as to why I'm clueless and think this is a waste of everybody's time? (Don't mean to come out sounding harsh, just wondering)

If you don't like the prayers, just don't pray 'em...

@Pinkpuppet: You're lookin' at one right here.

I'm not a regular Charlie Church or anything, but I believe what I believe, and I believe this ad to be offensive in the most caustic way possible.

On another note, that audio clip sounds like it came straight out of GTA IV.

Jackasses like this make me ashamed to be Christian. As I said in another comment thread, what they need is a loving, Christ-like BITCHSLAPPING. I would certainly never shop there, because I'm offended both as an American, who believes deeply in freedom of religion, and as a Christian, who believes deeply in loving my fellow friggin' man regardless of race, creed, color, or UNHEARD-OF LEVEL OF STUPIDITY. (phew, I sort-of feel better now.)

To be honest, I tend to avoid shopping at places that self-consciously proclaim themselves Christian as a rule because that's so often code for "We can't be bothered with accounting because God takes care of that kind of thing" or "Customer service seems hard, so we'll just talk about how we love Jesus and hope that brings us customers." One of my areas of legal specialty is in religions non- and for-profits, and while many of them are headed by people who are truly deeply good people (about half of whom think God will take care of the details and end up getting their asses sued as a result), many of them are headed by charlatans and hucksters using Jesus to sell shit. Buyer beware.

Also, @jamesdenver, go freak them out by talking about when Jesus's birthday really probably was and how "FEAST of the Nativity" does not mean "BIRTHDAY" but "relatively random day we've assigned to be a feast." (If you're dead curious, I can explain why it got picked, but it's dull and has to do with monks who don't know how pregnancy works.)

I saw this in a picture online:

Christianity:
The Belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.

Makes perfect sense...

As a catholic, I find that hilarious, and ironic, when compared to the idea that evolution is a fairy tale.

Then again, as a catholic, myself (And the Vatican) have taken the stance that God and evolution are not mutually exclusive. God uses evolution. There. I have my cake and get to eat it too. A tasty cake at that.

In part 2 he'll start telling people that God spoke to him and said he has to sell 1000 new Ford F150's by August.

I believe religion to be a deeply personal issue. In some countries it would be incredibly offensive to out of the blue ask "Are you Saved?" or inquire about my church denomination (if I had one,) or hand out Jack Chick tracts to me on the bus. In our country religion IS a dinner table discussion - but I still think its over the top crass to incorporate your religious beliefs into a non-religious based business - (like cars of all things.)

I'm not a flaming ACLU left wing anti-Christian either. I find it equally absurd to spaz out over "In God we Trust" on a quarter, or "Merry Christmas" on the city hall marquis in rural Iowa.

I don't really understand how this is postworthy. Sure it's a dumb ad, but so what? He has the right to say it - and it's not even that vitriolic. "Sit down and shut up?" I've heard far worse come out of the mouths of christians and non-christians alike, on national tv and elsewhere.

@Lamburger Helper: The costs of changing the design of currency are a valid concern (but hey, maybe we can just take "In God We Trust" our while we're redesigning our currency to not discriminate against the blind), but to answer your question: Yes, it really bothers me that it says that on our currency. It also bothers me that it doesn't bother more people, and it REALLY bothers me that people like Michael Newdow are dismissed as kooks for arguing that maybe its unconstitutional to make children recite a pledge of allegiance that declares our country to be "under God."

@Lamburger Helper: Most atheists I know don't care about the God thing on the money, or the addition of God in to the pledge of allegiance (incidentally, it was added during the "Red" scare when clearly, if you didn't want to say you swore to god, you were a "Damn Communist"). I know I just sort of, mumbled over that part in grade school. The issue with prayer and schools and what not is that it alienates the other students that aren't Christian (Muslim, Buddhists, etc) because they either aren't praying, or are asked/forced to leave the room during prayers.

If all religious people were like Eyebrows McGee above, there would be lots less wars, violence, bombings, etc. Lets not forget that for every terrorist attack on US soil, there have been many bombings of clinics and threats on doctors lives.

It is the dealerships $, they can spend it how they want.

Personally I am amused by such ads as they do little to inspire me to purchase from the dealership, but whatever floats your boat.

People at both extremes of the argument are obnoxious. And anyone who includes this type of message as part of their business is a poor business person, plain and simple.

@donkeyjote: Yup Catholic here; and I chortle at the protestants every time they freak out :P.

Sounds like one of those bulls*it forwarded emails from a bible thumper. good thing that I don't live there. or buy POS Fords, for that matter.

Christians have always been such hopeless suckers for ANY con-artist (no matter how crazy the scam) that merely claims to support their superstitious fantasies.

This is no different. Any stunt that might raise car sales is worth a try, for sure. These guys obviously know that a christian and his money are easily parted.

Car salesmen are hardly what anybody would consider the most "moral and ethical" group around, which is what makes this whole thing doubly funny.

Yeah, if he wants to show how much of an idiot he is by running these ads on the radio, that's his perogative.

But, pinkpuppet, that "logic" also caught my attention. "Did you know that 86% of pet owners have mammals as pets? Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of pet owners have mammalian hedgehogs as pets, we at..."

Believing in a god != being christian.

Likewise, the number of atheists is probably much higher than statistics show. I know many who are just afraid to say it due to family or other outside pressure. Either that, or they are an atheist and try to convince themselves that they're not.

Welcome to the USA home of free speech as the ad says, if you don't like they're opinion buy elsewhere. That's what makes this country so great, a freedom to choose and freedom of speech. I'm tired of people who are afraid to speak they're mind.

Anybody notice that somewhere in the middle of the ad, "86% of Americans believe in God" somehow turns into "86% of Americans are CHRISTIANS"? Yep, either you're a Christian or you're an atheist, evidently. Idiots. I'm guessing this dealership is somewhere in the 'middle' portion of California -- the 'Red-State-within-a-Blue-State' portion. 'Cuz if this were airing anywhere near L.A. or San Francisco, you can bet they'd have been firebombed by now.

Does Kieffe really think God gives a crap about buying and selling cars?

If there is a God, he/she seriously has more pressing issues......

My non-Christian VW driving self is amused. What next, ads making insults at women, minorities?

Any business that is more worried about pushing religion is unprofessional in my book. If they are this clueless about operating a business I generally think they are equally clueless in other aspects of their business.

When did religion go from "love your fellow man" to "I'm right and you're evil"?

It's just amazing to me that Ford would turn a blind eye to the dealership's antics. After all, in the end, it is the Ford name that is tarnished by being associated with someone who is seen as off the wall.

@shockwaver: "The issue with prayer and schools and what not is that it alienates the other students that aren't Christian (Muslim, Buddhists, etc) because they either aren't praying, or are asked/forced to leave the room during prayers."

Heck, it was Catholics and Mormons who challenged school prayer in the first place, because the Protestant-oriented prayers were inappropriate for them.

Little personal story: When I was assigned (by rotating jobs) to lead the pledge in 2nd grade, I pointed out that one of my classmates wasn't pledging like he was supposed to, and my teacher (who was Jewish, incidentally) took me out in the hall and gently explained to me that he was a Jehovah's Witness, and that they didn't pledge allegiance to anything but God. Even at 7 I felt like a complete and comprehensive ASSHOLE, and I really think that was the first moment when I really realized that being tolerant and indeed kind to people of other religions was mandatory for people of good will and for Americans who believed in the ideals of the U.S. On the flip side, that's probably part of what drove me to majoring in theology and going to seminary because I was just so friggin' interested in how religion drives people.

But again on the flip side, I grew up as a minority (Catholic) in an area that was about 40% Jewish and nearly 30% Asian (mix of Asian religions and Christinaity, primarily Korean Methodism), so my experience was not typical for Christians in the U.S. But as I always tell my students, it's EXTREMELY INSTRUCTIVE to live as a religious minority for a while and they really ought to try it before whining about being an "oppressed" majority.

"If all religious people were like Eyebrows McGee above, there would be lots less wars, violence, bombings, etc."

I am flattered by the sentiment, but the world probably doesn't need quite as many bitchslapping as I'd hand out. :)

I'm sorry, but I find it very difficult to believe that 86% of American's believe in God. As in the Christian God. Maybe 86% of Americans believe in A God or higher power, but not necessarily the Christian God.

@ClankBoomSteam: What also got me is the idea that they seem to think 86% of Americans all think the same. Guess what, pals, we all have different opinions on things.

@Lamburger Helper:
You know, I'll admit it straight up, I'm an atheist libertarian which makes my point, maybe not that interesting to some but to others it may be. I honestly have no problem with people being religious, it's their choice, let them live life as they please.

As a result of this, and with the current government trying to force religious ideals on everyone (abortion, god said I was going to win, gay rights, etc.), it has to start somewhere to get these people to realize that "Hey! There are other people here that don't believe in a deity!".

Back in high school, I refused to pledge allegiance, partly because it had god mentioned in it and partly because I didn't care for the direction that our country was headed in. Care to guess what happened? My teacher tried to write me up for it. It took the student teacher that was there to convince her otherwise.

And, I didn't really care until I got more and more into my adult life and I realized how stupid people are about the origins of the US (you know, the whole founded on Christian principles which is complete BS). So, now, every thing that they've had or try to gain, they're going to have to fight for. I frankly have had it. They kept pushing and pushing, so now, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, others are pushing back. People have their limits. My part is working with the ACLU and getting my law degree to practice constitutional law (before any one gets their pants in knots, the ACLU helped defend Falwell's point of view in a religious issue, but I guess that's not widely recalled).

So yes, it's all just a matter of being pushed to the limit. Religious dogma has no place in Government because, by definition, the government is in place to protect the minority from the majority (read the Federalist Papers..they're quite interesting..and sometimes used by the Court in their rulings).

``Monsieur l'abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.'' - Voltaire

I dont believe in God and I dont believe any form of religion should be taught in schools however I dont think the money of the pledge needs to be changed.

This guy is nuts and sooner or later his company will start losing money because of views and ads such as these. CA isnt Alabama...no offense to anyone in Alabama is implied =0

@Lamburger Helper: It bothers some because it's a strong declaration that non-Christians are second class citizens. Christians are a lot more bent out of shape about not being able to impose their beliefs on the general populace.

@joshthephenom: Technically, God would be the Protestant, Catholic, Christian, Methodist, Jewish, and Muslim god (they are all the same). Buddism isn't a religion, so they don't count.

@dipsy30: But, the Ad says.... we don't like your opinion, so shut up.

Personally, I am not Christian. I'm not a big fan of religion and this guy makes me want to puke.

That having been said. He has the right to do whatever he wants with his business. He could put up a big sign that says: "I don't serve black people here!" and he'd have every right to do so. He'd be justifiably punished severely by the public backlash, and he'd be put out of business almost immediately.

I like how the public, in matters of commerce, can police itself in that way.

He's really only hurting himself. I'd say that no atheist is going to buy a car from him, nor are about 3/4 of the Christians in his community, because they aren't about religious intolerance.

He's really only branding himself as a mind-numbingly inept businessperson.

How sad that this dealership is promoting a backasswards ad into a WWJD? What would Jesus Drive? Certainly not a Ford...personally I believe HE would go the Amish route. Horse & Buggy.

Funny how in most of my experience both business & personal I've been cheated by those that say their "Christian" and proceed to show how much they love me by screwing me out of my money!

@Televiper: Yea, apparently their freedom of speech is greater then everyone elses freedom of speech.

@Daniel Alderman: Uh, no he can't. That would be illegal, as in criminal.

@Lamburger Helper: The court system has various "tests" like the "Lemon Test" which help determine what's right and wrong. I'm going to offer a test I've used for quite some time. It's called the "Satan Test".

Would it bother you if the US currency said, "In Satan We Trust"? Would it bother you if, every morning, the school led the students in a pledge which included the phrase, "...one nation, under Satan..."? It's just a word, right?

Oh, wait, I promised myself I wouldn't get involved in the "freedom of speech is also freedom from speech" thing. Ahem. Deep breaths. This is clearly the consumer's fault! There, much better.

@DieBretter: "you know, the whole founded on Christian principles which is complete BS"

Well, it's not *completely* BS -- the First Amendment is deeply based on John Milton's Areopagitica, which provides THEOLOGICAL defense of the necessity of free speech and free religion. (Contra the continental defense of the necessity of free religion, particularly in France: It will make us all stop killing each other. Milton suggested it's a moral necessity, in Christian theology, for us to all choose a religion (or not choose one) freely, and that it makes God HAPPY for us to do so.)

But the part that they totally fail to recognize is that these Christians (and quasi-Christians, if you like) WRITING the Constitution RECOGNIZED THE NECESSITY OF FREE RELIGION and rejected the concept of a state religion. Yeah, it's likely that Jefferson, et al., were thinking of "not-Christians" as Catholics, Deists, and a handful of Jews, but they still got the broad point correct, and that's something Christians should be PROUD of, that the recognition of the necessity of a free conscience grows out of a Christian tradition of thought.

But this whole "the founders were Christian, you must love teh Jezus!!!!!!eleventy-one!!!!!" totally misses the goddamned point and shows a total ignorance of the traditions of theological inquiry in which our founders were steeped. (But then, ignorance of theology is sort-of a hallmark of the current breed of "Asshole Christian," so it's not exactly surprising.)

@Daniel Alderman: ""I don't serve black people here!" and he'd have every right to do so."

He certainly would not. We went over the the Civil Rights era and its attendant legislation not that long ago on Consumerist.

@Televiper: It seems the religions that are into self promotion and recruitment are the most annoying ones.