On the bottom of a massive bookshelf in my bedroom, I have a shelf full of atheist bumper stickers, Darwin Fishes, atheist organizations’ brochures, an OUT campaign pin, Jesus dolls that were given to me as gifts, etc. In my closet, I have 83423 shirts dealing with Jesus/atheism/God in humorous or outspoken ways.
How many of those bumper stickers are on my car? How many of the shirts do I wear on a regular basis?
None of them.
Partly because I don’t feel the need to announce my atheism everywhere I go, partly because I like my job, and partly because I like my car.
(When I go to atheist events, though, I have the flair oozing out of me.)
Sarah H‘s friend doesn’t use his atheist swag, either.
She raises some interesting questions:
While driving today, a friend told me he was going to take the Darwin fish off the back of his car. He said he didn’t think it was making any positive difference or useful point.
It got me thinking about symbols (that, and Hemant’s blog post about dying for symbols) of non-belief and of other secular/scientific beliefs. I have a scarlet A on my facebook profile — simple, but clear — and while the symbol itself isn’t anything I’m attached to, I think it’s serving a useful purpose there.
I would definitely be angry if atheists weren’t allowed their Darwin fish and their A’s.
Yet whenever I see a van or a truck or a car (although it’s usually a van or a truck) covered in God Bless America ribbons and Jesus fish and religious bumper stickers (Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve), I roll my eyes and sigh, for various reasons. I don’t know that a Darwin fish is any more tasteful or useful than a Jesus fish when attached to car.
What do you guys think? Do you wear/carry/stick any symbols relating to science or atheism or secularism in your daily life? Do you think they’re serving a useful purpose? Why do (or don’t) you use them?