This Post Does Not Exist

Is atheism a religion or not? It may depend on which atheist you ask, and when. Some insist it isn’t, and so it shouldn’t face restrictions placed on religions (“separation of church and state”). Others say it is, hence the need for atheist chaplains in the military.

Religion or not, some atheists do try proselytize. Consider kind of billboard written about in this Orange County Register article by Deepa Bharath.

"Don't believe in God? You are not alone."

People (dis)believe all sorts of things. Some people believe they can wish themselves to wealth. Some people believe doing kids is fine. None of these people are alone.

Those are the words printed on a billboard the Orange County Coalition for Reason unveiled Wednesday evening at the corner of Beach Boulevard and 19th Street.

Dig the name of that group. As if reason = atheism. Perhaps they think so, but there are good reasons to be a theist, and most explanations I've encountered for someone's belief in atheism have been emotional, not reason-based.

Bruce Gleason, a resident of Villa Park and member of the coalition, said the "Godless billboard," being put up at a cost of $6,450, is part of a nationwide campaign to let atheists, agnostics and humanists know they are not alone.

"There are millions of people in the United States who don't believe in a supernatural deity," he said. "This is not a campaign against God or religion, but a way for us to reach out to non-believers."

I believe in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and free enterprise, so I would not want to even try to stop these people for spending their money this way.

Mayor Margie Rice, who helped spearhead the In God We Trust movement in Orange County, said she still believes in God, but that the atheists have their rights and freedom of speech.

"That billboard is going to turn my stomach every time I drive by," she said. "But there is not much I can do about it. I guess it's fine to make a statement, but if I could help it, I would not allow it."

Why not? It doesn’t bother me. Yes, it is sad that people reject God, but that's their choice.

The response to the billboards has by and large been positive, said Fred Edwords, national director for National Coalition for Reason. So far, there were reports that three of them were defaced in Sacramento and Detroit.

"We were able to repair and use two of them," he said. "But those incidents have been rare. When they do happen, we use them as a basis for talking about it more. Our purpose is to let the public know that folks like us do exist and deserve respect."

Wait. Who says? (I have an answer, but Edwards wouldn't like it.)

John Furman, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, which is just blocks from where the billboard will be situated, called it a "foolish" move because The Bible says, "The fool says in his heart there is no God."

"My first reaction to it is, yes, I'm offended," he said. "But I do support tolerance for what others believe in. I hope it will give us an opportunity to reach out to people who don't believe in God. I see it as an evangelical opportunity."

Good for Furman.

Gleason, who is a member of a grassroots group in Villa Park called Backyard Skeptics, said his hope is to dispel several myths about non-believers in a county, which is predominantly conservative and Christian.

"The most common misconception is that atheists are not moral," he said. "But in fact, atheists are more moral because we question things and do not base our decisions on blind faith or superstitions."

Who says that makes you more moral?

Gleason hopes atheism will be eventually accepted in Orange County and the rest of the country.

Why? Hundreds of millions of people were killed in the twentieth century by atheist governments, while charities, universities, and hospitals were built in the name of God.

Since the overwhelming majority of people believe in some form of a deity or the supernatural, I do not see atheism as a default position, but rather one requiring the burden of proof.

Oh, and what if I say I don't believe Bruce Gleason exists?