Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Regina Brett claims in a recent column that the Freedom From Religion Foundation's new "Out of the Closet" billboard campaign is spreading "ill will."

Brett misunderstands the purpose of the "Out of the Closet" ads, wondering if they are "meant to mock Christians." She says if this is the case it "reinforces the stereotype that atheists are arrogant, smug people who think they are smarter than religious folks." She claimed atheist slogans are "just mean."

Please respond to this column with a brief message to Regina Brett and, if you wish, a letter to the editor, supporting the Foundation's ads and the right of nonbelievers to express our views. For maximum effectiveness, write as an individual and not as someone responding to an Action Alert. We are pleased to receive "blind" (BCC) copies of your messages/correspondence by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Talking Points

Brett really misses the mark with this column. There is nothing mean-spirited about nonbelievers coming out of the closet. Clearly, if self-described "big believers in blind faith" take offense to a warm holiday wish, "Heathen's Greetings," or feel that "I freed my mind when I left God behind" mocks Christians, nonbelievers have a lot of educating to do.

Atheists are not "mean" for saying there is no god; we are realistic.

Brett writes that "God is love." PEW Forum found most believers don't know their own religion. Brett seems to be no exception. As Ruth Hurmence Green, author of the Born Again Skeptic said of the bible, "I couldn't find enough love in it to fill a salt shaker. God is not love in the bible; God is vengeance." As Annie Laurie Gaylor of FFRF points out, "There would be a lot more love if humankind concentrated on improving this world, instead of obsessing over an unknown deity and an unprovable afterlife."

Contact

Regina Brett
Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Action Alert by Bonnie Gutsch