Constitutional Law

Fort Worth transit bans religious ads on buses

By By The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas ? Fort Worth buses will no longer carry religious advertisements because of a furor sparked by an atheist group's ads that proclaim, "Millions of Americans are Good Without God."

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority unanimously voted Dec. 15 to ban religion-related ads, in a decision that many atheists and church leaders applauded during the packed meeting. Board member Gary Havener called the atheist ad divisive.

The atheist ads, which were purchased by the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason, will continue until the 30-day contract expires in early January. The 2.5-by-12-foot ads first appeared on the sides of four of the fleet of about 150 buses earlier this month, and are similar to those that have run in other cities nationwide in recent years.

Terry McDonald, the coalition's organizer, said yesterday that the group did not initially plan for the ads to run during the Christmas season but that he hoped the message would bring comfort to those who feel left out during the holidays. He said the ads were not intended to undermine anyone's belief in God.

He called the new ban a "secular victory," because he said churches had been buying ads on buses for years and the new policy would help keep religion and government separate.

Some ministers had been so upset about the ads ? especially their run during the holiday season ? that they urged a boycott of public transportation and offered residents free rides. The ministers also threw their support behind several transit employees who say they were forced to take days off without pay for refusing to drive the buses carrying those ads.

One religious group recently hired a billboard truck to drive behind the buses with messages that read: "I still love you ? God" and "2.1 Billion People are Good With God," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in yesterday's editions. This week, a bus with the atheists' ad also displayed a religious message on a rear panel ? "What if there really is a God?" ? an ad purchased by an interdenominational group.

While some ministers support the transit authority's ban as a compromise, not all secular groups or religious leaders do.

The Rev. Kyev Tatum said a better solution would have been continuing to allow religious advertising while rejecting the atheist ads under the transportation authority's policy that prohibits political, offensive and other types of ads. He said he didn't understand how atheists could find Christian messages offensive because "religion is not about divisiveness but about love."

"God is in everything that makes us who we are as a country, including the Pledge of Allegiance, and those principles are being eroded," Tatum said yesterday.

When the controversy erupted two weeks ago, Fort Worth Transportation Authority spokeswoman Joan Hunter said the atheist ad had been approved because it was not inappropriate and "we strive to respect First Amendment rights."

The Fort Worth buses typically feature ads for local art museums' exhibits and events at Texas Christian University, which is associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The new policy will not prohibit TCU from buying ads for sporting events but might affect ads promoting its divinity school or any religious programs, said the transportation authority's legal counsel Sylvia Hartless.

Other agencies, including Dallas Area Rapid Transit, already have policies banning religious ads.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on December 16, 2010 (boomark / email).