Readers picked "Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence" from the Centre for Inquiry Canada as the Best Atheist Ad of 2010. There were a lot of good nominees for Best Atheist Ad and all of the finalists were exceptional, so it couldn't have been an easy vote. It's hard to deny though that "Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence" is a good pick and there are a couple of important qualities that make it stand out from the crowd.
For one thing, it represents something more than just printed ads because there are also educational events behind the slogan. Second, this is not just an "atheist" ad because it references a slew of "extraordinary claims." Listed on the ads are a variety of gods (Allah, Thor, Zeus) a variety of religious beliefs (creationism, witches, rapture) as well as paranormal beliefs (acupuncture, bigfoot, UFOs). This not only places atheist disbelief in the popular Christian god within the context of disbelief in gods generally but also within a broader attitude of skepticism and critical thinking.
Unfortunately, despite all these great qualities, our Best Atheist Ad didn't get as much media attention as other finalists. I'm not sure how much of that is because of its less confrontational nature and how much is because it's been a Canadian campaign which hasn't appeared in America where there's a lot more conflict over atheism. I hope that we'll see it come to America in 2011 and that we'll see even more, better atheist ads throughout the year.
Results for Best Atheist Ad
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