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New atheist bus ad: Yes, Virginia... there is no God
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Starting this week, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is sponsoring 100 ads on Seattle buses that feature a picture of Santa Claus and the words, "Yes, Virginia... there is no God." This is a play on the famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" answer to 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon in the New York Sun newspaper in 1897. She had written to the Sun, saying, "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?" The atheist bus campaigns are a relatively new phenomenon. They began with one in the United Kingdom just last year. Since then, bus campaigns have occured in various cities in the United States, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia. The original bus ad in the UK read, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." This new FFRF slogan in Seattle is considerably more provocative... by design.
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Dan Barker, Foundation co-president said, "Most people think December is for Christians and view our solstice signs as an intrusion, when actually it's the other way around. People have been celebrating the winter solstice long before Christmas. We see Christianity as the intruder, trying to steal the natural holiday from all of us humans."
"We nonbelievers don't mind sharing the season with Christians, but we think there should be some acknowledgment that Christians really 'stole' the trimmings of Christmas, and the sun-god myths, from pagans," added Foundation co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor.
According to its website, the 14,000+ member Freedom From Religion Foundation "is an educational group working for the separation of state and church. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism."
The 100 "Yes, Virginia... there is no God" ads will appear on the exterior of the Seattle buses. There will be an additional 300 interior ads featuring 6 quotations from 5 famous non-believers; Richard Dawkins (scientist and author of The God Delusion), Clarence Darrow (defense attorney in the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial), poet Emily Dickenson, actress Katherine Hepburn and actress Butterfly McQueen (played the maid "Prissy" in Gone With the Wind).
The bus campaign is timed to coincide with the FFRF's 32nd annual convention in Seattle, Nov. 6-8, 2009.
Photo Credits:
1) Angry deity (from Monty Python)
2) The FFRF bus ad
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- Atheist Nexus (exclusively non-theist social network)
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