Atheist / Christian T-Shirt Challenge - Given by The Atheist Advocate

I recently shared a link to a great little article by The Atheist Advocate on patheos.com in which Christians are challenged to wear an Atheist t-shirt for one week, in order to learn about what persecution means, due to the apparent misunderstanding which is often spread by Christians.


Pretty good idea, no?

Now, I know that '____ Challenge' is currently extremely cliche, but would a good name for this be 'Persecution Challenge'?  Too emotive maybe?

I may have found a taker, and I think it would be a really great experience, probably for both of us.  You see, she's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

I would be required to wear a Mormon t-shirt for one week, while she would be required to wear an Atheist t-shirt during the same time.  

If we both agree on this, how should we document everything?  I'm thinking that a livestreamed Skype chat would be a great way to hammer out the overall rules, and maybe another livestream at the end of the experiment to talk about our experience.  Maybe a quick daily post to Facebook with any interesting events of the day?

For me, I think it's a great opportunity to step in the shoes of someone who belongs to a largely ignored, if not outright decried, religious faction.  I don't know too terribly much about Mormonism, however the rules laid out by The Atheist Advocate take this into account - if asked anything, I can simply respond 'I don't really want to talk about it right now.'  The important thing is to watch people's reactions, observe their behavior in my presence, and see if they treat me differently just because of the shirt.

Now, if I still lived in my hometown in South Texas, I think this would be even more interesting still.  The Dallas / Forth Worth area is somewhat more progressive, but the vast majority of the people that I run into are still Christians.

What kinds of terms do you think we should discuss?  It has been suggested that we also each post a Facebook status update, presumably with a photo of the person wearing the shirt, declaring that we have embraced the respective religious stance.  Could be interesting, but for me at least I suspect that such a post would cause a good bit of ruckus which would require dealing with somehow.

Ideas, thoughts, or any other comments are very welcome!


Comments

  1. Our goal is to create a social epidemic of reason. T-shirts are our vehicle for change. We believe in the power of apparel to help elicit a greater appreciation for secular values and to push back against religious bullies. Humanity is being threatened through the dangers of faith-based thinking. It is high time for a change! Site: www.reasonistink.com

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