Annual "Smut for Smut" event on Texas campus attracts little attention this year
A small group of students at the University of Texas at San Antonio
spent two days last week sitting in the middle of campus next to bright
red signs covered in large black letters. One said "Free Porn." The
other offered "Smut for Smut."
The students, all members of Atheist Agenda, hoped to entice their
classmates to turn in their Bibles in exchange for pornographic
magazines - a provocative offer designed to shock and attract attention.
"The point is not to hand out porn, but rather the primary purpose is
to get people to come talk to us so we can get our message out," Kyle
Bush, the group's president, said. "We want to spread atheism and bring
it more to the spotlight. We offer another alternative to people who
might not fit in anywhere else."
The event caused an uproar on campus in 2008 and made headlines around
the world. But this year, few students took notice. During the four
hours Atheist Agenda members spent next to their signs each day, only
about 30 people stopped by to get information about the club or start a
debate.
In addition to Bibles, the group offered to collect other religious
texts, including the Quran, and any books written by prominent pastors,
including Joel Osteen and Rick Warren. During the event, Atheist Agenda
collected five Bibles, one Encyclopedia of Islam, and one Quran. The
group plans to donate the books to a local library.
Despite the event's ability in previous years to attract attention for
atheism, Bush said the group didn't have any financial backers outside
its student members. The group raised all of the money needed to put on
the event themselves, he said. One of the group's fundraisers included
selling popsicles.
"A lot of the money comes from members," Bush said. "Like if we need posters, somebody will go and buy posters."
The group purchased 140 pounds of pornographic magazines for $30 from a seller on Craigslist.
Students who passed by the group's tables without stopping had mixed
reactions. Mark Martinez said he wouldn't trade in his Bible but
supported Atheist Agenda's right to hold the event: "It's their belief."
About 30 yards away from the tables, a small group of students stood
in a circle, holding hands, heads bowed. The students, members of the
campus vocal club Victory and Praise Choir, quietly sang worship songs
between prayers.
The singers first gathered to protest the atheist event last year,
Assistant Choir Director Tarvia Demerson said. They hope to show people
walking by that the atheists aren't the only ones willing to make a
bold, public statement about their beliefs.
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