Surprised by the tolerance

Spokane has surprised many. As members of a coalition of local secular groups, Spokane Coalition of Reason, we expected some opposition, maybe even a hostile reaction, when we ran ads on Spokane Transit Authority buses, saying, “Are You Good without God? Millions are,” and then had a booth at the Spokane County Interstate Fair with the same sign.

But we were pleased that basically, there was no negative reaction from the general public, no letters to the editor and no phone calls. Even the STA reported no negative reactions.

We had many visitors to the fair booth and it appeared to be evenly divided between supporters of secularism, those who were questioning their beliefs and those who were firm in their theistic beliefs. We had many good and interesting conversations. It was a rewarding experience and we congratulate Spokane and thank people for their tolerance.

It has always, and will continue to be, our goal to provide support to those nonreligious folks and to be accepted by the community as productive, responsible citizens.

Ray Ideus

Coordinator of COR Spokane.org

Nine Mile Falls