Touting freedom of “no religion”
by Janet I. Tu (Seattle Times religion reporter)
Seattle Times, August 27, 2008
p. B1
A Redmond man paid for the sign in Seattle to get people thinking. It’s drawn support here, unlike similar signs in other cities.
Putting up a billboard saying “Imagine No Religion” at the base of Capitol Hill, in the heart of not too-churchgoing Seattle, is a bit like preaching to the choir. So to speak.
Mike Christensen knows this. But he’s OK with it.
When he paid for the sign about a month ago in support of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, his goal never was to change people’s minds. It was to get people thinking and talking. And maybe, just maybe, get a few more members for the foundation, which fights for the separation of church and state. Mission accomplished. The 14-foot-by-48-foot billboard, on Denny Way near Stewart Street, has brought in five new members and about 20 prospective ones, according to the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation: www.ffrf.org foundation.
