ATLANTA, Georgia - Intending to capitalize on the fervor generated by the 12 Danish cartoons satirizing the prophet Mohammed, a fundamentalist Christian group has published its own set of cartoons lampooning atheism. "We saw what cartoons could do, we saw their holy power," said Nelson Barbour, the group's pastor, "And we wanted a piece of that. We hoped to stir up similarly enthusiastic discussion of atheism. But few American papers are willing to republish our controversial work." The cartoons can be viewed at the group's web site, http://WeAreRight-LiveWithIt.org.

"They aren't funny, nor poignant, nor even intelligent." -- Richard Dawkins, atheist

"It's true that we have decided not to publish the cartoons," said New York Times editor Bill Keller, "But not because we believe it would be perceived as a particularly deliberate insult to atheists. Like any decision to withhold elements of a story, this was neither easy nor entirely satisfying, but it feels like the right thing to do. Actually, in retrospect, I suppose it was also easy, considering there wasn't much of a story either."

"Well they aren't that good, are they?" said noted atheist Richard Dawkins, when shown the collection of satirical cartoons, "They aren't funny, nor poignant, nor even intelligent. They seem a bit forced, like one might toss together under pressure." One cartoon depicts a man wearing a "Darwin rules!" t-shirt and drinking beer in front of a television, while his wife, wearing a prominent crucifix thinks, "But what if you're wrong?" Perhaps the most inflammatory cartoon portrays an atheist considering whether or not to devour his own child.

"They're funny in a stupid sort of way," commented one atheist, "I like the baby-eater angle. You can't lose with that. But inflammatory? Insulting? Yeah, I'm thinkin' not." Atheists and believers alike responded almost universally that the cartoons were not likely to cause discussion, much less rioting, destruction of property, or loss of life.

"Failing doesn't mean it wasn't worth trying," commented Barbour, "It's just hard to imagine walking around through life with nothing to be offended by. What kind of life is that?"
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