Don't believe in god? Then get off your cell phone and drive.

I just came back from a retreat with the National Leaders Council and from giving my “Atheism Anonymous” address at the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, NJ, which is a great group with a thriving Sunday School and excellent ethical action projects, most notably their political-asylum-seekers sanctuary program.

While I was at Bergen, I heard a short presentation by one of the founders of freethoughtaction.org, a group that puts up billboards around the country that say: “Don’t believe in god? You are not alone” and that direct people to their website, which seems to be a networking site for freethinkers/agnostics/atheists/humanists to find local groups, donate to more billboards, etc. I was asked if there would be interest in St. Louis in such a billboard. What do you think? I like the idea of simply reassuring those who don’t believe in God that there are many other people like them and that they should not feel guilty or isolated for their beliefs. And the billboard design is simple and positive (you can see it on the site). However, thought the website tends toward the positive, as well, it could strike many people as more anti-religious due to some wording and the prominent advertising of the recent anti-religion best-sellers.

What do you think? How would freethoughtaction’s billboards be received in your town? How would you feel seeing them on your drive home today? Do you think mass advertising can help the relative invisibility of atheists in American culture?