Godless Billboard Greets Philly Area Motorists
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, May 1, 2008
For Immediate Release - Contact Fred Edwords at (202) 238-9088
fedwords@americanhumanist.org - www.americanhumanist.org
(Washington, D.C.) "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."
These words are being seen on Interstate 95 north of Philadelphia. Greeting outbound drivers near the Westmorland turnoff, they are part of a highway billboard that features an image of blue sky and clouds with the words superimposed over. The striking message raises a question . . . and maybe some eyebrows.
The billboard was placed by a coalition of local and national humanist and freethought organizations, including the American Humanist Association and it's independent marketing adjunct FreeThoughtAction, Atheist Alliance International, the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia, and Temple University Secular Students.
This billboard was timed to coincide with the National Day of Reason, celebrated by humanists each year on the same date as the National Day of Prayer--which this year falls on May 1, the 75th anniversary of the first Humanist Manifesto.
Speaking at a press conference held this morning at the Ethical Humanist Society of Greater Philadelphia, Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, said: "Traditional religious billboards have abounded in the past. Something nontraditional like this is therefore needed to stimulate thinking."
Joe Fox, president of the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia, added: "The point of the billboard is to make nontheistic people, such as atheists and agnostics, aware that they aren't alone."
At the same press conference, Margaret Downey of Pocopson, president of Atheist Alliance International, highlighted the positive results that occur when nontheists find each other and become involved with other like-minded individuals.
Sally J. Cramer, president of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, declared: "Atheist and agnostic Americans have been made to feel marginalized. It's time to change that. We're here and we have a place at the table."
"We want people to know there's a serious and meaningful alternative to the religious right that has been dominating American religious discussion," Fox added. "After all, a lot of people are frustrated with the power that traditional faiths have wielded, and they don't know where to turn to find others who share that frustration. Now they will."
The billboard will be up for three months and is one of a series that will appear around the country, raising the public profile of humanists and freethinkers. The billboard is backed by an active Web site at http://www.phillycor.org/ that sets forth the larger mission of the effort and offers ways that individuals can get involved. An image of the billboard appears on the site, but people can also phone 1-800-NEW-REASON. Either way they will be able to learn more about the national and Philadelphia organizations behind the effort.
"Once people have phoned or logged on, they can go further to learn more or just stop right there," Cramer said. "No door-to-door evangelist will ever visit, and there are no pop-ups on the Web page. Our only aim is to reach those who really want to learn more."
The billboard is large and clear--20 feet tall by 60 feet wide--and strikingly easy to see on the right side of the roadway.
"You can't miss it," Cramer concluded.
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PhillyCoR, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition of Reason, is a joint effort to help connect local freethinkers and provide them with a sense of community and a way to combine their voices with others who are ready to move society forward.
NJ Turnpike Billboard Speaks To Nonreligious
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, January 14, 2008
For Immediate Release
A bold message towers high above the New Jersey Turnpike on a new billboard outside of New York City. "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."
The ad was placed by FreeThoughtAction, a new organization using traditional advertising and the internet to market secularism in a positive and provocative way. FreeThoughtAction is planting a few billboards and other ads around the country to "seed" a grassroots movement raising the profile of "freethinkers," a broad term that includes atheists, agnostics, humanists, secularists, skeptics and others who do not have a belief in the existence of a God or gods.
The billboards promote the website FreeThoughtAction.org where internet visitors can find out about the initiative and contribute to the campaign. The site provides a range of resources including links to dozens of freethought groups, research material on religion and freethought, a news and views blog, plus materials nonbelievers can purchase to help spread the word. FTA will also work with groups and individuals to place local ads in their market.
Jan Meshon, the group's founder, is optimistic the action plan will garner support. "So far, response has been overwhelmingly positive. People are thrilled to see their view expressed in such a visible way. Just the other day someone saw the ad for the first time and whipped out their checkbook on the spot." One of the strengths of the program, according to Mr. Meshon, is how easy it is for supporters to join the action. "There are no meetings to attend. Everyone doesn't have to agree on every point of philosophy or what to label themselves. You can contribute and know that your voice will be heard."
The billboard has only been up a couple of days and already dozens of people have contributed and/or signed up for the email list. FTA has received hundreds of thank you emails from around the country - and even a few from as far away as Britain and Israel - expressing their appreciation of the effort. To quote one: "The billboard is absolutely fantastic and so desperately needed in every community across America. Thank you so much for this." Freethought blogs were abuzz with word of the billboard with very positive reaction like the following: "Bravo... billboards like these help non-theists feel less alone and less alienated."
FTA sees itself as a small counterpoint to aggressive, well-funded efforts by religious groups to increase the role of religion in American society and government. Mr. Meshon believes that a little marketing push for a strong "product" will help move America to a tipping point where secular Americans are as readily accepted as the religious. "For all the attention given to religion lately, the number of secular Americans is booming. The tide is definitely turning." The American Religious Identification Survey (City University of New York) supports this view. Nonreligious Americans doubled from 1990 to 2001 while the number of religious Americans actually decreased.
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FreeThoughtAction is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and an independent adjunct of the American Humanist Association. FTA creates marketing and public relations programs to increase the size and influence of the freethought community.
FreeThoughtAction Is Off The Ground -- Literally
After years of planning and discussion FreeThoughtAction is finally in action. Our first billboard is finally up on the New Jersey Turnpike just outside of NYC. (For those in the area who are interested, it's facing southbound traffic just north of exit 18 near the Meadowlands.) It carries the following simple, positive and provocative message: "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."
Although the first billboard just went up, we have already received a lot of attention. We have heard from hundreds of people across the country and around the world who support this project to raise the profile of nontheists in the United States.
The key to the success of FreeThoughtAction is generating positive momentum by using ads, press and word-of-mouth to generate more donations which results in more ads, press and word-of-mouth... and so on. Thanks to all of you who have already contributed. Of course, we would love you to contribute as much as you are comfortable with to help us make the biggest splash possible. Remember, every dollar you send goes toward our ad campaign and is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. In addition, anything you can do to spread the word helps create buzz including telling your friends, bringing up FTA at your freethought meetings, posting on discussion boards or blogs, and so on.
We are still working on polishing up the site, adding new links and content, responding to inquires, and looking at locations for our next billboards. Help us spread the word and be a part of helping America evolve into a more rational, less superstitious society.
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Earlier Press Release by the American Humanist Association HERE.
Our first billboard on the NJ Turnpike outside NYC received front page coverage in the Bergen Record Sunday edition (the large suburban paper where the ad was placed), local cable tv coverage from News 12 New Jersey, as well as lots of web and blog attention.
Selections from some earlier coverage:
God's skeptics get comfort from above
Beware of the fruit of the 'Tree of Knowledge'