Reaching out
Wednesday, 28. January 2009, 12:48:52
In a prior post, I noted that there will be an atheist meet-up next month. Before the meet-up, there will be an an informal gathering where we'll discuss our agenda for the meet. I plan to pitch my idea for an atheist outreach. The Philippines is a very religious country, with 99.9% of the population believe in a god or higher power, where Catholics have the courage of their conviction to impale themselves like their man-god, where mystics earn a decent living bilking the faithful, and where an oversized action figure can command crowds larger than the Messiah Barack Obama.
In this sea of piety, atheists are few and far in between. Most are lonely, ostracized by society, and ashamed of their unbelief. We should reach out to them. Tell them that they are not alone. Organized atheism in the Philippines must be a support group. There is a time and place for countering religious propaganda, but we must first "be there" for other atheists. In this regard, I've thought of starting an atheist ad campaign (coincidentally*, just as other atheist groups are doing the same) so that atheists-at-large would know that we exist. No, we are not going to proselytize to believers (although it is not out of the table). I've come up with simple ad ideas which I hope should not be offensive to most believers (it cannot be totally inoffensive, our mere existence is an affront to the truly devoted):
(Click image to enlarge)
(Click image to enlarge)
(Click image to enlarge)
What do you think?
It will be an online campaign (for now). Maybe we can get it advertised on local websites (at last, something useful from the problogging cottage industry!). If the response is promising, we can expand the online campaign or even explore the possibility of advertising to regional newspapers and radio stations (Cebu, Ilocos, etc.) where advertising rates are lower. Funding will be a problem and the financial crisis is starting to impact everyone. This could be met by 1) setting up a fund just for this campaign, and/or 2) start charging for annual membership dues. I have a feeling that option 1 is more acceptable to the group.
* It is a coincidence. I've been mulling this idea since 2006.
In this sea of piety, atheists are few and far in between. Most are lonely, ostracized by society, and ashamed of their unbelief. We should reach out to them. Tell them that they are not alone. Organized atheism in the Philippines must be a support group. There is a time and place for countering religious propaganda, but we must first "be there" for other atheists. In this regard, I've thought of starting an atheist ad campaign (coincidentally*, just as other atheist groups are doing the same) so that atheists-at-large would know that we exist. No, we are not going to proselytize to believers (although it is not out of the table). I've come up with simple ad ideas which I hope should not be offensive to most believers (it cannot be totally inoffensive, our mere existence is an affront to the truly devoted):
(Click image to enlarge)
(Click image to enlarge)
(Click image to enlarge)
What do you think?
It will be an online campaign (for now). Maybe we can get it advertised on local websites (at last, something useful from the problogging cottage industry!). If the response is promising, we can expand the online campaign or even explore the possibility of advertising to regional newspapers and radio stations (Cebu, Ilocos, etc.) where advertising rates are lower. Funding will be a problem and the financial crisis is starting to impact everyone. This could be met by 1) setting up a fund just for this campaign, and/or 2) start charging for annual membership dues. I have a feeling that option 1 is more acceptable to the group.
* It is a coincidence. I've been mulling this idea since 2006.
(0%)
WIDGETIZE
Anonymous # 28. January 2009, 14:50
I love the internet for giving me other atheists to interact with. It's nice not to have explain, ad nauseum, that, no, I don't believe, and no, I'm not a mass murderer.
I like the flower ad best, but the atheist ad campaigns in the US and the UK have led to some problems. If Christians in the Phillipines are happily mutilating themselves for the sky-daddy, maybe it's not a good idea. (I just don't want you to be a target.)
Anyway, happy nothing-happens-when-you-die day! (I was so tempted to say this to people who were pushing "merry christmas" like it would solve all the world's problems.)
Danny Boy, FCD # 28. January 2009, 15:48
godAl Gore*nameless engineers* for the internet!Anonymous # 28. January 2009, 18:07
I say yes to the ad campaign, either online or off.