Atheist students at the University of Texas at San Antonio held their annual ‘Smut for Smut’ campaign. Offering free porn, they encourage UTSA students to turn in religious reading materials. Is it an alienating stunt or savvy use of free speech?
Bibles for Porn
Atheist Agenda — a student organization present on the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) campus since 2005 — launched its annual ‘Smut for Smut’ campaign on campus. As outlined by MySA News, club members view religious texts as being on the same level as dirty pornography and thus freely exchange one for the other.
In addition to seeking nationwide media coverage and attention, the group is also hoping for a few faithless to convert to their cause and join the organization. Subsequently, the entire event is a means of opening the door to a dialog. But who is doing the talking?
Free Porn as an Ice Breaker?
‘Smut for Smut’ is a yearly event that is always good for media attention, protesters and First Amendment debates. The UTSA student newspaper ‘The Paisano’ points out that the porn for Bibles exchange will continue until March 3. Atheists equate smutty porn with religious texts – although much of the criticism is aimed at the Christian Bible – because of the dangerous, hateful and misogynistic views the latter holds.
In a 2005 interview following the first ‘Smut for Smut’ campaign, the then-president of the Atheist Agenda discussed his beliefs with MSNBC. He considered religious texts as “tribal nonsense” that was “written…in tents.” While this kind of rhetoric is sure to bring in the media trucks, get in the face of onlookers, alienate Christians and other faithful, it may nevertheless fail to get the conversation going with the average atheist who does not fit in the “in your face” mold.
UTSA ‘Smut for Smut’ Falls Short
By the Atheist Agenda’s own admission, they collected about 10 religious texts on the first day of the Bible for porn campaign. They also garnered screaming protesters, Bible thumpers, those who would shake their heads, and most likely also feminist onlookers not too pleased at the porn being handed out.
In essence, the ‘Smut for Smut’ campaign is a so-so media stunt that falls short of truly engaging likeminded – and others – in a conversation about morality, faith, its absence, and everyday life. In fact, an agnostic student group already pointed out that this kind of showmanship on both sides does little but “foster hate.”
The only new members the Atheist Agenda can hope to find with this campaign are those who enjoy belittling faith and the faithful, which leaves ‘Smut for Smut’ creating little more than negative attention for the atheist use of free speech. In contrast, the United Coalition of Reason uses a provocative but more positive means of getting bystanders to think; they ask: “Are you good without God? Millions are.”
Which one makes you stop to think?
Sources
My SA News. “Bibles for porn stunt draws crowd at UTSA” (accessed March 2, 2010)
The Paisano. “Porn for Bibles” (accessed March 2, 2010)
MSNBC. “Trading bibles for porn in San Antonio” (accessed March 2, 2010)
United Coalition of Reason
