Atheist buses have hit the streets of New York.

The ads, which say, "You don't have to believe in God to be a moral and ethical person" are set to "run" on about 20 buses for the time being. The campaign is being paid for by an anonymous donor and was inspired by a successful Atheist bus campaign in London last year.

Surprisingly, the Catholic Church has not come out against the buses, although they are in New York City, which many consider to be the" Heathen Capital of the World" or at the very least, a "Den of Sin".

The President of the New York City Atheists believes that Atheists are going through an "atheism awakening" and is all about establishing "atheism pride". He attributes the so-called awakening to atheist writers and also to the shout-out that President Obama gave to Atheists during his inaugural address.

Personally, I see no harm, no foul in the bus campaign, but wonder about statements like "Atheism Pride".  Will this, in turn lead to Agnostic Pride and force those who are unable to make a decision on a higher being to have their own slogans and their own parades? Something along the lines of "It's ok if you don't know if there is a higher being." I was also under the impression that one of the nice things about being an Atheist was that it was not organized as most of the Atheists I know tend to rant and rave about "Organized Religion". (Capitol letters definitely intended.)

Nevertheless, if you are on the streets of Manhattan and happen to see the buses, rest assured that an underrepresented part of the population is now having their voices heard.