The protester’s T-shirt read “REPENT or PERISH”; his sign said, “There are no atheists in HELL.” He and a few other fundamentalists were gathered at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden on July 14 to protest an “educational seminar” sponsored by Metroplex Atheists (MA). The focus of the seminar: to speak out against the national motto, “In God We Trust” (IGWT).
Whatever the atheist population in Hades, there were plenty at the Sunday afternoon seminar. A diverse and enthusiastic crowd of around 200 showed up—atheists, agnostics, secularists, and some Christian supporters—far exceeding organizers’ expectations. Many attendees were drawn by Metroplex Atheists’ controversial publicity campaign, in which bright yellow banners declaring “In NO God We Trust” appeared on light posts around downtown Fort Worth earlier this month. The strong turnout suggests the religiously unaffiliated, who now account for nearly one in five Texans, are coming off the sidelines and making their voices heard in a state long dominated by conservative Christians.
