Advertising Atheism

June 26, 10:15 AMPortland Humanist ExaminerMicha J. Stone

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Atheists are advertising atheism. Across the country and around the world the New Atheism message is being spread. Slogans such as: “You don’t have to believe in God to be a moral and ethical person,” and “There probably is no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” are appearing or have appeared on buses everywhere.

Right now in New York a series of posters on city buses promoting atheism is intended to make people think. The ads, which say “You don’t have to believe in God to be a moral and ethical person,” underscored by the URL for the New York City Atheists Inc. Web site, will appear on about 20 city buses. The ads will remain on buses for about a month

In Indiana an atheist bus ad campaign has just been completed. Transpo, the public bus line in South Bend, Indiana, held a board meeting to discuss advertising policy for their buses. The board voted unanimously to put into place new advertising policy that would exclude certain types of ads from appearing on the sides of their buses. Apparently the board voted to deny ad space for the promotion of "cigarettes, churches, politicians, guns or porn."

In Finland bus drivers with deep religious convictions contemplated taking action against an international advertising campaign by the non-religious. The prospect of driving buses with advertisements proclaiming “There probably is no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”, caused a stir among religious drivers, some of whom had threatened to refuse to drive vehicles with the slogan. But the threats proved hollow, and the buses are rolling. The campaign, sponsored by the Freethinkers Association, and the Finnish Humanist Association is part of an international atheist bus campaign. Similar ads have also appeared in Barcelona and London.

In Alabama, heart of the Bible belt, a 14x48-foot billboard emblazoned with the John Lennon message: "Imagine No Religion," against a stained-glass window backdrop, has just gone up on I-20, near the Riverside exit en route to Talladega. The billboard should be up for a month.

The billboard is part of a national educational campaign sponsored by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics), which works to keep church and state separate. The state/church watchdog has 13,600 members, and the Alabama Freethought Society is an FFRF chapter.

Atheists are advertising, speaking out and being heard. This is good news for all free thinkers, agnostics, atheists and humanists. Indeed it is good news for the country and the world. Religion, in particular the religions which uphold the God of Abraham, are responsible for much of the worlds suffering and misery. The sooner we can move beyond the ignorance and superstition of religion, the better.

Image of Billboard up in Alabama