This effort is part of a coordinated nationwide campaign that began last year. In December it included billboards in Baltimore, Houston and Tulsa. Each billboard is sponsored by a local, multi-organizational coalition of non-theistic (atheist and agnostic) groups.

“The point of our national campaign is to reach out to the millions of humanists, atheists and agnostics living in the United States,” explained Fred Edwords, national director of the United Coalition of Reason. “Non-theists sometimes don’t realize there’s a community out there for them because they’re inundated with religious messages at every turn. So we hope this will serve as a beacon and let them know they aren’t alone.”

But reaching out to the like-minded isn’t the only goal of the effort. “Our message is also to let people know that we belong to the larger community,” added Ron Renard, coordinator of the Northwest Freethought Coalition. “Whether you know it or not, we’re your family members, friends, neighbors and coworkers. We’re just like you, except we don’t believe in a supreme being. Now we think it’s time we were as free as you to be open about our views.”

The United Coalition of Reason launched eighteen similar ad campaigns across the country in 2009. Each involved billboards or public transit ads.

Over the past year, Seattle Atheists has been undergoing a phenomenal amount of growth. We’ve gained new membership (our membership has increased 100% over last year alone!), garnered tons of positive press, started new programs, revamped the organization, and done lots of charity work in the community. Atheism in Seattle is truly flourishing.

Here’s a recap of what Seattle Atheists has done this year, since Dec. 2008:

• Gained 82 dues-paying members in one year. A year ago, we had 143 members — now we have 225.
• Run two sets of bus ads, which have garnered national and international media attention
• Placed a holiday greeting sign on the state capitol grounds
• Welcomed new Members-at-Large Wendy, Mike, Randy, Sam, and Layton, and our new Secretary, Rebecca, to the Board. They are all doing an absolutely phenomenal job!
• Started new giving programs, including Operation Paperback and the SeasonLESS food drive
• Adopted a new mission and vision, and reorganized our committee structure
• Launched our first-ever fundraiser mailing for a new bus ad campaign
• Hosted free public talks by Dr. Valerie Tarico, Chris Rauch, Jim Corbett, comic Jeremy Whitman, and Matt Griscom
• Raised more than $1,000 for Childrens hospital
• Had our new and improved Flying Spaghetti Monster featured on Venganza.org, and the FSM Wikipedia page
• Begun planning for exciting new events, like the winter gala, a film series, and a cable access show
• Celebrated Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday
• Donated more than 35 pints of blood

All of this is only possible because of you, our members, supporters and volunteers.

It’s been so gratifying to be a part of this organization, to meet all of you, and to take even a small part in making the atheist community in Seattle grow! The board would like to extend its appreciation to everyone who donated their time, money and hard work to our programs, and we hope to see even more of you in the coming year.

Happy solstice, and a very happy, healthy and fulfilling new year to you all!

Sincerely,

Amanda Banerji, Vice President of Seattle Atheists

In this holiday season let us remember that kindness, charity and goodwill transcend belief, creed or religion. Happy Holidays, Seattle Atheists”

SEATTLE ATHEISTS LAUNCHES SECOND WAVE OF BUS ADS

Seattle, WA, Oct. 2009 — Beginning on Nov. 2, and continuing through Dec. 27, Seattle Atheists will roll out a second series of interior ads on King County Metro downtown routes. The three new signs feature the following quotes:

“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” — Carl Sagan

“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” — Ben Franklin

“Religions are all alike — founded upon fables and mythologies.” — Thomas
Jefferson

These new signs, like those in our first series, are intended to educate people in Seattle about the rich American legacy of skepticism and critical thought, and to provide a rebuttal to religious fundamentalists who have spread the fallacy that the United States was founded as a
Christian state.

Seattle Atheists believes it is necessary to counteract attempts by the American religious right to retroactively and falsely cast our Founding Fathers and cherished public figures as posthumous members of their movement or supporters of their theocratic agenda. The United States is not, and was not, founded as a “Christian nation,” and these ads are intended to help illustrate that.

“The Founding Fathers could not have been clearer in both the First Amendment, their own writings, or the very first treaty the United States signed in 1796,” says Seattle Atheists president Paul Case. “There is a ‘wall of separation’ between church and state, and this country is founded on secular, not religious principles.”

Seattle Atheists will also be launching a fundraising campaign to expand our outreach efforts to include signs on the outside of buses as well for a future series of ads.

Seattle Atheists is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to serving the atheist community in the Seattle area. We strive to promote understanding and respect toward all freethinkers by providing information, creating a sense of fellowship, actively opposing discrimination, and above all, emphasizing reason, critical thinking over supernaturalism and the separation of church and state.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Paul Case, President of Seattle Atheists, (206) 826-0770,
president@seattleatheists.org

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