We’re delighted to report that from our public launch on Wednesday to Saturday, we raised well over $1000; our total amount raised now stands at over $7500.
We have also recognized our supporters’ wishes to continue in-depth discussions about the campaign and atheism in a more organized fashion than in the post comments. So, we’ve partnered with the Canadian Atheist Bus Campaign to bring you a forum to carry on the discussion. Please click on the Forum link above, sign up, and post your questions, comments, rants and ramblings! You’ll also be able to interact with supporters and participants in the Canadian campaign. You may also use the forum to branch your discussion beyond the campaign itself, and talk about politics, philosophy, religion, and more.
Despite the campaign’s phenomenal success so far, we still need your help! Tell your friends, family, or anyone who might be interested in the campaign. Every dollar you give means we’ll be able to run our ads bigger, more places, and for a longer period of time. Also, please follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook so that more people hear about us. The more we get the word out, the more successful this campaign will be.
Thanks for your support, everyone! We’re eagerly looking forward to the next couple of days.
Bloomington, IN. (April 14, 2009)--The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign has formed in Bloomington to spread the word: “You can be good without God.”
Through advertising on buses across Indiana, the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign has partnered with the American Humanist Association in hopes of promoting a lively and respectful discussion in our community and to counter the stigma against voicing atheist views.
The campaign is currently in the fundraising phase, with an aim of raising $50,000. Enough money has already been raised to purchase ads in one city, but to meet the campaign’s goal of spreading its message in many cities across Indiana, more will be needed.
The campaign has also launched with a short video, which can be seen at https://INatheistbus.org. The website also features information about atheism, and quotes from famous supporters of the idea that people can be good without god or religion.
“If you look at the numbers, about 15% of the population of the US are non-religious,” Charlie Sitzes, a member of the campaign, says. That amounts to an estimated 46 million people in 2008, a number that has been growing over the past two decades.
The Indiana campaign is modeled after the Atheist Bus Campaign, which began in London with ads on buses bearing the message, “There’s probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Similar ad campaigns have since sprung up in in cities around the world, including in Canada, Spain, Italy, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Croatia, and Australia. The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign is the first group to promote atheist bus ads in the heart of the Bible belt.
“Many closeted atheists need a voice,” says member Caroline Klein. “For me, this campaign tells them that they’re not alone, that it’s okay to be an atheist.”
The campaign needs your donation! Please support us by clicking the Donate button on the right side of the page.
We apologize for the lack of updates the last couple of weeks! Rest assured that we are still hard at work to get ads on buses across Indiana. The campaign is currently in talks with several different public transit organizations across the state. If you’re in Indiana, we’d love to hear where you want our atheist message to be seen.
