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Two rival atheist groups will attempt to peddle their different views of non-belief to Canadians through separate advertising campaigns on public transit.
The Humanist Association of Canada said this week it will launch a campaign in Vancouver and Toronto and one other city to send the message "there is a real and viable alternative to religion."
Last week, several atheist groups, through the Web site atheistbus.ca, said they would be running a transit ad blitz similar to one launched recently in London, England. It will also use the same slogan as the British campaign: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." They have raised $16,000 and are now waiting for permission from the Toronto Transit Commission to put their posters on city buses. The campaign could begin next month.
Pat O'Brien, president of the Humanist Association, said his group considered working with atheistbus.ca but decided a pure atheist campaign would be too negative. "Joseph Stalin was an atheist," said Mr. O'Brien, who considers atheism an element of humanism. "He was not a humanist. We want to send a positive message. Atheism is what you're not; humanism is a positive world view."
The group is running a contest on its Web site to help create the catchiest slogan. They hope the posters will be up in the spring.
Mr. O'Brien said that whatever slogan is chosen, it would have to get across the notion that "you can be good without God" as opposed to just saying there is no God.
Like atheists, humanists eschew prayer in the secular arena and the mixing of religion and public education and want absolute separation of church and state.
Justin Trottier, executive director of the Centre for Inquiry Ontario, an atheist group, is working with atheistbus.ca and said he agrees atheists are often lumped in with such monsters as Stalin but that is something they have to overcome. And he has no problem with another "atheist" group running their own campaign.
He thinks that both ads will help convey to atheists and those opposed to religion in public life that they are not alone and there are groups through which they can make their voices heard.
"Atheists need to be a force in secular society," Mr. Trottier said.
The London campaign, which launched in October, drew enormous publicity because of the novelty of having a public atheist message. That campaign raised nearly $20,000, including $9,000 from Richard Dawkins, who wrote the bestselling The God Delusion. The ads were meant to counter religious advertisements running at the time.
"This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think," Mr. Dawkins said, "and thinking is anathema to religion."
Contest!!! I'm sure the atheists and Christians can work together to come up with some great suggestions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by http://www.humanistcanada.com/home/
Entries can be submitted on our website on the donation page or via our feedback form.
Post your submitted slogans here so we can all have a good laugh!
Mine: God can never touch me like I can touch myself.
-Mike (proudly atheist, but can't resist...)
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If you can thank Jesus for everything that goes right in your life, I should be able to blame him for everything that goes wrong in mine.
Help create a slogan!!!
