Has anyone else been following the Dallas-based "I Am Second" ad campaign, funded by the CEO of Interstate Batteries? We have billboards here in Dallas with a person's picture on the right and the words "I Am Second" on the left in hip, scribbly lettering. Then a 1-800 number, and the URL I Am Second dot com. Go to the website and you see a bunch of obscure Christian rock types, young athletes, and Coach Joe Gibbs talking about how they decided to put god first and themselves second, and life has been a bowl of cherries ever since. I called the 800 number a few times, politely posing as a confused but curious young person, and was amazed at the ineptitude of the folks who answered. They were all unable to respond intelligently to even the most rudimentary of questions or objections to their faith. Half the time, I just got a recorded message by some old white guy who sounded like a Baptist preacher. Another time I got an old German Catholic priest yelling at me "It says here you called before! You're an AGNOSTIC! If you don't change your ways you're going DOWN!". Classy. Anyway, it's a tragic waste of money. I could almost cry when I think of all the poor and sick people that could have been helped with the money it must have taken to put up all those billboards and run those ads. If anyone needs to get in some very basic practice debating with stupid christians, call the 800#, it's on their dime and they are asking you to call!

Okay, I am not athiest but I think the campaign is so stupid. I have to ask to you, as an athiest, what do you beleive in? And I ask this not to tell you that you are wrong, because I don't beleive in Jesus, I just beleive that there is somehting great out there, maybe that keeps me going. What keeps you going? I have alwyas been very curious.

Teel,

For me, there is something great out there. The universe. At least, it's great enough for me. And, oh yeah--even just our little world, the planet Earth. It's certainly great compared to tiny me. And one more thing--the human race. Pretty amazing and great. Lots of faults, and sometimes individuals are bad--but they are quite interesting and amazing at all the things they can do as individuals, as groups, and in their entirety. If that's not enough to keep a someone going, just finding one person that you truly love might do it. Especially if they love you back.

All I can really tell you is that I am never at a loss of "things out there to keep me going." If anything, there's an oversurplus.

Mike from Shreveport