Local
Pro-God messages to counter atheist bus ads
By: Kytja Weir
Examiner Staff Writer
December 4, 2008
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| JoEllen Murphy reads prayer cards with her children, Marguerite, 2, left, Patrick, 3, middle, and Joseph, 4. Murphy has launched a campaign to counter Metrobus ads from the American Humanist Association questioning God. (Andrew Harnik/Examiner) |
JoEllen Murphy, a 39-year-old Catholic who lives in McLean, started a grassroots Internet campaign after hearing about the humanist ads that started appearing last month on Metrobuses.
Murphy’s ad shows an image from Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam” on the Sistine Chapel ceiling with the slogan: “Why believe? I created you and I love you, for goodness’ sake. – God.”
As of Thursday evening, 557 people had joined Murphy’s “I Believe Too” Facebook page and 120 donors had contributed more than $5,700. The ad-hoc group said they sent a check and a signed ad contract to Metro on Thursday for 200 ads to go behind bus drivers’ seats.
“We’ll have a little ad war going on,” Murphy told The Examiner.
The American Humanist Association ads, which went up Nov. 17, say, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.”
Those ads have sparked at least 286 complaints to Metro and 73 compliments. More than 100 of those responses came after The Examiner published a story Wednesday about the controversy.
Murphy didn’t like the humanist ads but never called Metro to complain. “It’s freedom of speech,” she said. “The humanists are perfectly allowed to pay for the ad. Metro is allowed to accept it.”
Yet she wanted to do something. “I have $10. It’s not going to go very far,” she recalled thinking. “But if we get together we could have an ad.” She found a friend who is a graphic designer to draw it up. The husband of a woman in her mother’s church group designed a Web site, ibelievetoo.org, while other acquaintances handled the Metro contract and printing the banners.
The Catholic nonprofit Center for Family Development in Bethesda agreed to partner with the campaign so donations could be tax-deductible.
Murphy and her new group hope to raise $14,000 to match the American Humanists’ ad campaign: 20 ads on the sides and backs of buses plus the 200 interior ads. Any leftover money would go to charitable activities.
Murphy isn’t new to activism. She worked on Capitol Hill for former Rep. Bill Lipinski, D.-Ill. More recently she has lobbied the United Nations on women’s issues and worked with local Catholic groups.
The American Humanist Association may not agree with Murphy’s message but it says she has a right to counter their ads.
“Our view is that free speech is free speech,” said spokesman Fred Edwords. “We do it. They do it. The more the merrier.”
