Atheist Ads On Buses Pulled After Complaints

Some ads rolling through the Des Moines area on DART buses are stirring up controversy. The ads appeared innocent enough, but Monday, DART removed them.

The ads, paid for by the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers, say "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."


"We wanted to do it in order to let people know -- who are atheists, free-thinkers, secular humanists -- that they are not alone, that there are places for them to go and meet people and to be involved," says Randy Henderson, president of the Iowa Atheists & Freethinkers.

DART claims it received numerous phone calls from people who were offended by the ads, and that the signs had been installed before the advertising commission had approved them.

IAF says DART has not returned its phone calls and that they're left feeling puzzled and frustrated.

"Very disappointed, very upset, frustrated. We thought we were doing something to reach out to people, to help people, to let people know that they had a place to go that they could meet with people of a common mind," says Henderson.

Local conservative Christian church leaders have agreed the group should be allowed to run the ads. "I think the more people that can have an honest conversation and have honest opportunities and be given environments where they can seek the truth about whether or not there is a god, the better," says pastor Mike Householder, with Lutheran Church of Hope.

Rev. Steve Beeman of Des Moines First Assembly of God says, "People died for that kind of free speech and we don't want to deny that."

DART has assured IAF that it will refund all of the money for the ads.

DART admits it has run advertisements from Christian churches in the past.