Towards a Better Commodity of Faith

I don't know about you, but if I were going to run a campaign to raise awareness about atheism, I'm not sure I'd have picked New York City as the kick-off advertising venue. Seems like a waste of money. I mean, aren't you kind of preaching to the choir? (So to speak.)

Not that I am a particularly big fan of religious advertising, either. But aside from those God billboards they had a few years back, I can't really think of any I've seen that weren't on church grounds. (Maybe someone else is less oblivious to their surroundings than I am? If so, feel free to correct me in the comments below). Anyway, I'm probably more troubled by the commodification of faith that is so richly on display in your local Christian bookstore. Even the most die-hard Christian bookstore-shopper has to admit, the idea of reducing Christian faith to a cute blurb on a keychain made in China (!) is at least a little bit weird.

And by the way, that reminds me. My "favorite" pastor, Joel Osteen, has a new book out: It's Your Time. Please don't buy it. You could spend your hard-earned, recession-plagued cash on something so much more profitable. Something like this, perhaps.