In atheism, they trust

You know how people say Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier every year? Well, the opposite of Christmas is coming earlier, too.

Case in point: new ads on three bus shelters in downtown Washington. The text: "Don't Believe in God? Join the club."

It's beginning to look a lot like atheism, ev'rywhere you go.

"Our goal is just to flag people who don't believe in God already and say to them: 'You're not alone. There are others of like mind. Here's where you find us,' " said Fred Edwords of the United Coalition of Reason. The coalition's local chapter placed the ads.

Wait a minute, what about those bus ads that have been placed before? Two years ago, it was "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake." Last year, it was "No god? . . . No problem! Be good for goodness' sake."

Those ads were on hundreds of buses around Christmas and Hanukkah. Are three measly bus shelters this year's holiday effort?

No, Fred said. This is an attempt to reach out to people near the Mall right now. He specifically mentioned last weekend's USA Science & Engineering Festival and this weekend's Stewart-Colbert rallies.

Men and women of science and godless hipsters - the perfect customers.

The Coalition of Reason is fairly new and is not to be confused with the American Humanist Association, the group that placed hundreds of rolling bus ads in 2008 and 2009. Doth I detect a schism?

No, Fred said. "Quite the opposite," he said. "This is a coming together at the local level. We find there's more we agree on than disagree on."

The Washington Coalition of Reason is an umbrella organization for atheists, gay atheists, female atheists, secular humanists, Jewish secular humanists, ethical culturists, etc.

"The coalition is a loose association of the these groups, coming together to have occasional events, like a summer picnic and also to celebrate Darwin Day together in February," Fred said. "Some groups do atheist drinking buddies."