The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign was* a local version of a global movement, sparked by a legal victory that allowed an atheist group to place ads on public buses after an initial rejection .
The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign aimed to purchase advertising on public transit around Indiana spreading a positive message about non-belief.
📝 About Atheism
While campaigning for the presidency in 1987, George H. W. Bush said:
“I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens. Nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”
Many Americans would agree. Recent polls indicate that atheists are the most distrusted and despised minority in the United States, ranking below Muslims, gay people, and recent immigrants.
Why all the hate? Are nonbelievers really such evil, heartless monsters?
Part of the problem is that unfamiliarity breeds fear. Most people probably couldn’t name an atheist, agnostic, or other skeptic of religion if they wanted to – at most, what’s likely to spring to mind is “godless communism.” But from America’s founding fathers, many of whom rejected belief in a personal God in favor of deism, to countless modern writers, entertainers, and activists, there is a rich history of positive work by nonbelievers.
Dig just below the surface, and you too may be surprised by how many nonreligious people you never realized you knew. These people’s lives testify to the fact that religion does not have a monopoly on compassion, hard work, wisdom, or virtue. You can be good without God.
 | Katharine Hepburn: Actress. Atheist. “I’m an atheist and that’s it. I believe there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for other people.” |
 | Albert Einstein: Scientist. Agnostic. “My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment.” “I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.” “A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hopes of reward after death.” |
 | Thomas Jefferson: Statesman. Deist. “[O]ur civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry.” “On the dogmas of religion as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind.” “If we did a good act merely from love of God and a belief that it is pleasing to Him, whence arises the morality of the Atheist? … Their virtue, then, must have had some other foundation than the love of God.” “Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.” “Do not be frightened from this inquiry by any fear of its consequences. If it ends in a belief that there is no god, you will find incitements to virtue in the comfort and pleasantness you feel in its exercise, and the love of others which it will procure you.” |
 | The Dalai Lama: Buddhist monk. Non-theist. “Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion.” “Buddhism does not accept a theory of God, or a creator. According to Buddhism, one’s own actions are the creator, ultimately.” “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” “I believe that at every level of society – familial, tribal, national and international – the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities.” “Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.” |
❓ Campaign F.A.Q.
Why was an Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign?
This campaign was created to continue the momentum started by similar successful campaigns in Canada and the United Kingdom. Around Indiana and the rest of the United States, religious advertisements on buses and billboards are very common. Some are as simple as ‘Jesus is Coming,’ while others feature long bible quotes. The discussion fostered in Canada and the UK should be something that is brought to the United States as well, and Indiana is as good of a place as any to start. We want to let everyone know that it’s all right not to believe in a deity, that you do not need to be ’saved,’ and that you can be a good person without religion. We hope that everyone will look at the facts and evidence before making life decisions, including religion.
Why have two slogans?
Atheism is not a religion. We don’t have any sacred texts or anointed priests or gurus to tell us what to do or how to think. We support critical thinking. This means there is diversity of opinion and goals in our ranks. Some of us want to encourage non-believers to come out of the closet and combat the stigma that is associated with atheism. Some of us feel religion and religious belief should be met head-on with science and evidence-based approaches. Our two slogans represent these overlapping, while different, goals.
Why say “In the beginning, man created God”?
Like Richard Dawkins and Susan Jacoby, we believe that religion enjoys an unofficial privileged status in this country. As Jacoby says, freedom of religion does not mean granting religion immunity from critical scrutiny. No one in the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign is denying people their right to believe what they want, but we have (or should have) the right to challenge those beliefs directly and without fear or shame.
Religions are human creations, like political and economic philosophies, literature, art, and science. They are a cultural development of humanity to explain (or explain away) the mysteries and/or suffering in the world. ”In the beginning, man created God” turns the creation myths on their head, putting God and religion in their place. If God didn’t create man, then a whole series of other beliefs are up for question, including the all-important issue ofmorality and whether it is God-given.
Why say “You can be good without God”?
Though our members found it important to take a public stand in support of atheism, our members’ personal belief systems do not end here. Atheism is not a full-fledged philosophy, and doesn’t explain the ethics or moral philosophy of any individual.
The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign wants to challenge the widely-held notion that one must be religious to lead a good and purposeful life. The goal of this slogan is to bring attention to the positive and rewarding aspects of non-belief. Atheists are not good because they fear eternal damnation–they are good because they choose to be fair and kind to their fellow human beings. The bus campaign wants to bring a positive message about atheism to the public, and to spark a lively discussion about the secular nature of morality.
How did INAtheistBus begin?
A few individuals in Bloomington, IN heard about the wild success of the UK and Canada campaigns, and wondered if a similar campaign had started in the midwest. Nothing turned up, so a group of about a dozen people got together, set up the website, and began collecting donations.
Why atheism?
The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign recognizes that there are many people out there who do not believe in god, but are not necessarily atheist. There are agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, skeptics, secularists, and many others who share our goal of promoting the messages “You can be good without God” and “In the beginning, man created God.”
We chose the word ‘atheist’ to emphasize the importance of ending the stigma against coming out as an atheist in American society. As the most distrusted minority in the U.S., atheists must work to encourage each other to come out to friends and family to discuss their beliefs openly. As more atheists come out and are open about their beliefs, atheism will become more accepted and less feared. We hope that this campaign will discuss reasonable, positive discussions about atheism, and encourage closeted members of the atheist community to come out!
Why don’t you donate your money to starving people around the world?
It would certainly be a noble cause to launch another campaign among thousands of projects already running that are trying to help those in need, but sometimes a campaign that prompts people to think critically can have grander effects.
Throughout human history we’ve had religious warfare and crusades, and those things continue even now. If people questioned why they believed in something that has no supporting scientific evidence, and come to understand that each human being is of equal worth, then perhaps one day we can all love each other and be happy – no god necessary.
❌ Currently
The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign is no longer active.
*Years of activity: 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Advice to visit: American Humanist Association (www.americanhumanist.org)
