Atheists turn to billboard sites
The group behind a controversial atheist bus-poster campaign is urging parents not to label their children with their own religious faith.
The British Humanist Association (BHA) has launched a series of billboard advertisements carrying its message.
The posters are part of a campaign to challenge state-funded faith schools.
Professor Richard Dawkins, who has part-funded the campaign for capital cities, says labelling children as "religious" is a form of brainwashing.
The posters have gone up in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
They show one or two young children surrounded by religious labels, such as Catholic, Muslim and Hindu, mixed with secular descriptions including Marxist and anarchist.
The advert's slogan says: "Please don't label me. Let me grow up and choose for myself."
'Freedom'
Campaign supporters hope the posters will discourage people from assuming that children share their parents' beliefs.
Last January a £140,000 advertising campaign was launched by the BHA on buses and the London Underground with the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Ariane Sherine, who had the idea for the bus and Tube campaign, said: "One of the issues raised again and again by donors to the campaign was the issue of children having the freedom to grow up and decide for themselves what they believe.
"I hope this poster campaign will encourage the government, media and public to see children as individuals, free to make their own choices, and accord them the liberty and respect they deserve."
The BHA said the billboards were going up to coincide with Universal Children's Day on Friday.
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