Good without God

‘You can be good without God’

Last week the IDS dismissed the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign as simply trying to “fan the flames of controversy.” Ironically, it was Bloomington Transit, not our organization, which labeled our slogan as “controversial” and created a controversy by banning it.

The statement “You can be good without God” says nothing about the virtues of religious people. It was chosen to spread a positive message about atheism and encourage non-believers to “come out” of the atheist closet.
Another goal of the bus campaign is to start a thoughtful discussion about atheism and morality. Organized religion tries to monopolize public discussions of morality, and our slogan is a call for atheists and other non-religious people to be included in these conversations.

In our opinion, religion (or any supernatural claim) deserves to be examined critically and be subject to the application of reason in the same way we approach all other aspects of life – politics, art and science included. We feel this is something that will ultimately benefit humanity as a whole.

Our motives in filing a lawsuit, done with the help of the ACLU of Indiana, are straightforward: to demand our constitutional rights to freedom of speech against government censorship. Bloomington Transit’s policy against ads that they deem “controversial” gives them unlimited power to reject any unpopular idea based on nothing but their own subjective views and prejudices. In challenging their unreasonable policy, we are standing up for all who value freedom of expression and personal liberty.

I invite readers to visit http://INatheistbus.org to learn more about the bus campaign’s goals and objectives. Therein is a forum where those interested can discuss our ads and the questions they elicit. There is also a list of atheist groups around Indiana for people looking for a community.

Whether you agree or disagree with the idea that one can be “good without God,” we hope that you at least support our goals of fostering open discussion and ending the stigma against voicing atheist views.