Remember how the Mid Ohio Atheists said they were going to put up the following billboards? That second billboard was inspired by a local church (that put up a billboard with the same message). Both were supposed to go up next week… But now we have a problem. The company tasked with getting the billboards in place say they no longer wants to put them up: Michael tells the story this way: We contacted LIND Billboard Company and worked with… Read more
Two new (digital) atheist billboards just went up in South Carolina, courtesy of the newly-formed Columbia Coalition of Reason: They were placed by the Columbia Coalition of Reason (Columbia CoR) with $7,000 in funding from the United Coalition of Reason (UnitedCoR). The ad campaign marks the public launch of Columbia CoR, an alliance of four established non-theistic groups in the South Carolina midlands. The ads will be up for the next month, which means they’ll be around during the big… Read more
Reader Anju was chatting online yesterday with a customer service rep from Bank of America. This is how the conversation ended: “Have a blessed day ahead”? That’s…. weird. It’s not a huge deal, but since so much of that conversation is boilerplate script, I wonder if that line was approved by BoA or if it was just some personal flair… Assuming it’s the latter, how would you have responded? I figure most of you would have just shrugged it off… Read more
Chris Calvey and the Atheists, Humanists, & Agnostics (AHA!) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are in a fundraising battle-to-the-death (or as he calls it, a “friendly competition”) against Christian and Muslim groups on their campus and they need your help! They’re trying to raise money for the (non-sectarian) Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin: By tapping into the generosity of the atheist internet hive-mind, I am declaring a fundraising goal of $500 – that’s 1,500 meals – by the end… Read more
Zach Moore of the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas asked attendees at Skepticon what they’re thankful for and the result is this wonderful video: Summary: Atheists are thankful for family, friends, work, good health, happy lives, etc. That is so much better than thanking god or Jesus. Sure, Christians are thankful for their friends and family, too, but they never forget to mention that Jesus comes first. Read more
The American Humanist Association has launched a Christmas advertising campaign “aimed to raise awareness of discrimination against nonbelievers in America.” Billboards with the following image have gone up in New Jersey and Michigan: This week, a similar ad is also appearing in newspapers in several states where atheists have been the targets of discrimination. “Nonbelievers in America continue to be the object of discrimination,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “We hope this campaign will spur… Read more
Andy, the owner of Gelato Mio, just posted a more extensive apology to atheists on Reddit. This isn’t just PR-speak. I think he genuinely feels bad about what he did and wants to make things right. You can decide if he accomplishes that: To the World: Hello, my name is Andy and I’m the owner of Gelato Mio, a gelato shop located in Springfield, Missouri. There has been quite a lot of buzz and discussion concerning a picture of the… Read more
***Update***: Please read the update here. … Despite most of the food and drink establishments in Springfield, Missouri being grateful for our business during Skepticon IV, the owners at Gelato Mio made it very clear — at least temporarily — that they wanted nothing to do with us: Skepticon is NOT welcomed to my Christian Business They have since apologized. More on that in a moment. Now that the craziness has died down, let’s recap some of the lessons to… Read more
Dear Richard, I’m not sure how to start my letter but I suppose a little background might help. My parents are Pentecostals and they tried to raise me as such. I’m one of three siblings and all three of us ended up in the Baptist church by the time we were in high school. You see, I live in Florida and the Baptist church is VERY prevalent here. We were all extremely devout (read brainwashed). I ended up in the… Read more
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has a wonderful suggestion for what you can do during Thanksgiving dinner: The fact is, while you’re scarfing down mashed potatoes and staying silent while everyone else at the table is freely speaking their minds, you’re missing a golden opportunity to make real, honest progress by talking about your life, and the things you care about. It’s okay if Aunt Betty feels a little awkward at first, it’s important for her to… Read more
