Atheist ads rolled out on buses in Des Moines on August 1st but were quickly removed after complaints started rolling in. Reportedly, they came down on the 3rd. According to a report on KCCI.com, transit authority officials are claiming that they took the ads off the buses because they were never meant to be there in the first place.
The ads, which read, "Don't believe in God? You are not alone," reportedly were never approved to be placed on the buses, according to a transit authority spokesperson.
However, that is not the story that Randy Henderson, president of the group (Iowa Atheist and Freethinkers) that wanted the ads placed, told. He said, "'When [advertising director, Kirstin Baer-Harding] met with us on May 27, we showed her the ads and asked if this could be controversial and she said she didn't think so. She thought it was a nice ad, a safe ad.'"
Baer-Harding reportedly said that "'[t]he ads mistakenly got put on buses.'" Now I ask you... how do ads that were never approved get made and then placed on buses? Maybe that is true but it seems more likely that the ads were pulled in response to the complaints that the transit authority reportedly received following the placement of the ads. It seems they are trying to "save face."
However, they maintain that "...DART has the final say on any advertisements and its board decided at the last minute that it didn't like the content." Further is was reported that the ads got through accidentally because of "...last week's chaos with the DART-pedestrian crash and the release of its first hybrid bus."
Henderson said that they were initially told that the ads had been approved. He said they only received a short e-mail about their ads being pulled after the agency received numerous complaints. He has tried to contact the transit authority about the matter to no avail. They are waiting to hear from them before deciding what to do next. But, Henderson said "'[w]e have our rights to free speech and we feel those have been violated.'"
Comments
I am amazed that atheists are made out as intolerant when every single example of protest to a government because of speech that isn't liked is not by atheists against Christian speech but Christians against atheists. Mind you I don't mean Christian moderates and the average Christians but the most conservative Christians.
I hope the atheists got their money back - so that they can advertise elsewhere whilst benefiting from this free publicity.
Always look on the "Bright" side of life.
It wasn't an ad for atheism as it reads anyway. It was an ad for nontheism, those who do not believe in a god. The bus itself does not believe in a god. Clearly there was no atheist ad to begin with. No loss to atheists, but the moron who wrote the ad failed twice, once in writing an ad that isn't about atheism and again in when it was removed.
If you do not believe there is no god, you are nonatheist.
If you do not believe in a god, you are nontheist.
Atheist ads were approved in Bloomington, Indiana though.
Jerome is almost correct. Some atheists ARE starting to make a fuss about "one nation, under god" in the Pledge of Allegiance. One of them did battle on FoxNews recently; the video is on YouTube. But in general, he's right: atheists appear to be far more tolerant than Christians when it comes to free speech.
Personally, I'm deeply offended by the prayer said before Town Council meetings in my Town, but I don't speak out against it. Just doesn't seem worth the bother.
I'm confused. I thought "free-thinkers" were able to look and consider ALL ideas and beliefs. Why is it that there is such a focus on eliminating any possibility of God? Either this is blind hypocrisy to your own definition or "free-thinkers" have chosen to be just as narrow as they claim God believers are.
John,
"I'm confused. I thought "free-thinkers" were able to look and consider ALL ideas and beliefs. "
You are indeed confused. Freethinkers believe opinions should be formed on the basis of reason, logic and science and that they should not be influenced by dogma, authority or "tradition".
And BTW, did you even read the ad? It doesn't tell others whether or not they should believe in gods as you suggest. It says to people who are already non-believers, "You're not alone". Why is it that so many believers find that offensive and challenging? Do believers like the idea of non-believers feeling isolated and never connecting with one another? Does that make them more vulnerable and easy prey for religious recruiters?
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