12/6/12 Media Advisory/Press Conference
Atheist Billboard with the “Treaty of Tripoli America Is Not Founded On The Christian Religion” in Costa Mesa
On Friday, December 9, 2011 at 4:00pm, a local grass-roots skeptics group will be holding a press conference at the foot of their new “Treaty of Tripoli” 48×14 foot billboard off Newport Blvd. The billboard reads “The United States in in not any sense, founded on the Christian religion” This is an outreach program for letting other non-believers know they have a voice in Orange County.
WHO: The largest Orange County based skeptics and atheist group, Backyard Skeptics
WHERE: 1526 Newport Blvd, on the northeast corner of Industrial Way. It is above a mattress retailer.
WHEN: 4:00pm Friday, December 9, 2011
WHY: This is a public education campaign and an outreach program for others who feel the Religious Right is infiltrating our political system Many Christians believe that our nation was build upon Christian tenants. It is not. This billboard shows that the authors of our Constitution did not consider Christianity when drawing up America’s first documents of law. In a rare act of congress, it was signed unanimously. This affirms that our nation is a secular, constitution-based nation. Our Constitution has no reference to any holy book nor mentions any specific deity nor includes any laws from such holy books.
About the Treaty: The Treaty of Tripoli (Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary) was the first treaty concluded between the United States of America and Tripolitania, signed at Tripoli on November 4, 1796 and at Algiers (for a third-party witness) on January 3, 1797. It was submitted to the Senate by President John Adams, receiving ratification unanimously from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797 and signed by Adams, taking effect as the law of the land on June 10, 1797.
Gleason, the founder and director of Backyard Skeptics, feels that the separation of Church and State is one of the fundamental concepts our constitutional authors had when penning the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Skeptics and atheists are not the only ones who point out this true but unpopular view – many people of faith also support the separation of church and state. If it was not for the separation of church and state America might have only one state-sponsored religion much like other countries, and the 36,000 Christian sects now in existence would have never been able to exist. Backyard skeptics believes that religion in infiltrating our political system to the extent where if the Religious Right has their way, laws will be based not on constitutional law, but Biblical law.
Backyard Skeptics is a way for those non-believers to share the idea that one can be good – and often better without a belief in God. Bruce Gleason, the organizing director of Backyard Skeptics and an advocate of skepticism and atheism says a rationally based non-theistic world view is more peaceful, more tolerant and more moral. Those interested can visit backyardskeptics.com to explore the world without religious dogma at their monthly meetings. Backyard Skeptics was founded in 2008 and has over 500 members, currently the largest skeptic and atheist group in Orange County.
Pictures of the new billboards are at www.backyardskeptics.com site and also at the www.meetup.com/Backyard-Skeptics site and are permitted to use in any media.
Mr. Gleason is available for phone interviews or email statements concerning atheism and any atheist/religious related issue in future media stories.
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Contact: Bruce Gleason cell 714 394 6153
