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Subway System Is "Good Without God"


By

John Del Signore

Published Oct 19, 2009

Modified Oct 20, 2009


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By

John Del Signore

Published Oct 19, 2009

Modified Oct 20, 2009


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Unbelievable: An anonymous donor is spending $25,000 to plaster the subway system with ads promoting atheism. Which seems like a waste of money, because didn't God give up on the subway system long ago? Starting next Monday, the monthlong advertising campaign will saturate a dozen Manhattan subway stations with the slogan "A Million New Yorkers Are Good Without God. Are You?" Besides advertising Godlessness, the campaign is also promoting a new book called Good Without God, by Greg Epstein.

The ads are being coordinated by "New York City Coalition for Reason," an umbrella organization comprised of local atheist groups, City Room reports. According to their website, "All Big Apple COR organizations share common ground—promoting wider acceptance of a more rational and realistic view of the universe—but each has its own particular emphasis. Some advocate for scientific knowledge, reason, and skeptical inquiry. Some focus on the promotion of dogma-free humanist ethics, and an appreciation for life and the lives of other persons."

The subway ad campaign is an unrelated follow-up to a bus campaign that ran on Manhattan buses in July, reminding New Yorkers, "You don't have to believe in God to be a moral or ethical person." We look forward to seeing a "Cool with Christ" counterattack ad soon enough.

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atheism

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John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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