Controversial Christmas ads carrying atheist messages have cropped on buses all over Washington D.C. this week.
The ads proclaim, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” Naturally, the $40,000 holiday ad campaign has sparked a firestorm of controversy. A spokesman for the religious right appeared on Hannity & Colmes last night to denounce the ads using fiery language.
But the man responsible for commissioning the ads says he’s just trying to let other atheists know they are not alone this Christmas season: “We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you,” said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. “Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”
Edwords said the purpose isn’t to argue that God doesn’t exist or change minds about a deity, although “we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people’s minds.”
The ads are set to run through December.
