Posted by Hemant Mehta in Just in time for Blasphemy Day, the Saskatoon Freethinkers (Saskatchewan, Canada) are putting up their own bus ads this week!
It’s a great billboard. It emphasizes that it’s not just disbelief in a god that binds rationalists. We also deny the existence of heaven, hell, Satan, and miracles. We don’t believe in Creationism, reincarnation, or the idea that prayers are heard by anybody.
It’s all part of the same myth-y package and we see no reason to accept any of it.
Yet at the same time, while saying all that, it’s not pointing some mean-spirited finger at theists who do buy into all those things. It’s just calling out to the atheists who might agree with the sign.
There are more of us out there than you think.
(Thanks to Rebecca for the link!)
I love this ad. Although, I disagree about it ‘not pointing a finger’ at theists, as it essentially lumps them together with people who believe in faries, etc. The theists will, of course, call this ‘mean spirited’. Experience shows that these folks are VERY thin-skinned, and take even the mildest dissention from their beliefs as an attack.
Excellent billboard — not only for the reasons you cited, Hemant (which I agree are splendid), but also because it is an attractive design to boot. I’ve never liked the garishly colored, block-lettered design of the “traditional” atheist bus campaign signs, even when I found their wording exemplary.
I hope that other atheists group can (and will) use this design, or something very like it, on more occasions in future atheism publicity campaigns.
~David D.G.
I think that’s the best one yet.
Aaaack! I meant “atheist groups,” obviously, not “atheists group.” Sheesh.
Dang, it’s always hardest to proofread my own material.
~David D.G.
I like this one too. It’s very pretty. Why do Christians always get dibs on the clouds and sunshine anyway?
That’s my local group. I haven’t been very active lately, but there was discussion early on whether we should do a “friendly” sign or a more aggressive one (something like “Read Your Bible, We Have” plus a few particularly nasty Bible quotes). I’m not really in the loop, though, since I’ve had other more pressing concerns recently.
One of the other reasons I miss being in Toontown. Sigh…
Woohoo, thanks for the shout-out, Hemant!
Nice. I have family down in Regina, so this is close to my heart. Well done.
I’m looking forward to one in my neck of the woods now. Oregon is the least religious state in the US, but that doesnt mean we should rest on our laurels. New Hampshire and Vermont have been breathing down our necks recently.
I sometimes miss toonyville also, a little island of sanity in the midst of a redneck sea
Ooh.. I think that’s my second favorite (I’m still partial to the “Good without God” ones.. I think it’s all the pink that gets me.). Great ad.
Yup, reclaiming the clouds!
[...] is, but they’ve got Atheist busses now! They’re really well designed too! [Atheist Bus Campaign in… Saskatoon!] So… hooray for all the godless Saskatoonians! … Saskatooners? [...]
Thats amazing! Im from Saskatoon and never imagined we’d have our very own bus campaign. The great thing is that the University of Saskatchewan is located here and every bus route in the city comes through here.
I am very glad to see this and in the Prarie provinces no less! Hell, I am even glad to see it in Saskatchewan.