Examiner.com

An atheist group using what amounts to a really good marketing idea to get their message out once again held an event trading holy books for porn. And no, they aren't "pro porn," they say it's a straight across trade, "smut for smut."

And of course, they are right.

"Smut for Smut" was a three day event held on the campus of the University of Texas, San Antonio by the group Atheist Agenda March 2,3, and 4. It was quite a success, garnering international attention, as well as wide coverage on American media.

On the website Atheist Agenda explains what they are doing:

" We’ve set up a table where people can stop by and donate their religious reading material and – if they desire, and if they are old enough – receive a number of porn magazines. This can include fundamental texts like the Koran, the Bible, or Dianetics; religious apologia and self-help like Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life and Lewis’s Mere Christianity; or those unnerving little tracts that Jack Chick makes."

And why:

"It’s symbolic. Pornography is vilified by the religious community, but in reality the values espoused by religious doctrine are far more reprehensible. So, in effect, it’s trading something appalling for something less appalling. We also like to get people to think, to talk to us, and to debate with us. That only works when they understand just what we’re doing,"

And yes, they only gave around porn in a brown paper bag, after checking ID's to make sure people were over 18, and advised them not to look at the porn in common areas. Funny, none of those restrictions were placed on the more appalling literature.

Hopefully, events like this (getting people to think before they become so indoctrinated into religion that they are almost unreachable) can show more people the folly of religion.

It is heartening to see atheists in Texas taking action, especially in light of what the Texas Board of Education is trying to do with regard to school textbooks. One day, Texas can lose it's image as a theocratic hotbed.