EARLIER this year a group of atheist designers based in Berlin hit on the idea of creating a top quality, retro-styled range of footwear that would appeal to atheists.
Imprinted on the soles would be “Ich Bin Atheist” and “Darwin Loves”.
The response they got after floating the idea on the Internet was so positive that they then used Kickstarter – an Internet-based funding platform for creative projects – to call for investors.
Amazingly, in just under a month, they raised almost $60,000 dollars, which enabled The Meaningful Shoe Company to immediately start production and start selling their products – including “Ich Bin Atheist” totebags – via a delightful website simply called AtheistBerlin.com.
The driving force behind The Meaningful Shoe Company is Irishman David Bonney from Dublin, who now lives in Berlin.
The company’s website says:
We’re lucky to live in Berlin, a city where roughly two thirds of the population are atheists , but we’re conscious there are still places where it’s difficult to be godless.
Godless satirist and singer Tim Minchin steps out in a pair of atheist shoes
The site is far more than just a sales platform for atheist shoes. It’s a joyful, well-written celebration of godlessness.
For example, under the heading “We don’t believe in any God”, it declares:
We enjoy happy, full lives without god(s) and we don’t often think about religion. But, when we do, we find it a bit weird and depressing; like a silly game of make-believe that’s gone too far, threatening the things we hold most dear, like independence, reason and love.
The number of atheists is rapidly growing, yet we’re often passive or isolated, facing ‘god’ with just an apathetic shrug, whilst religion is organised, in your face… with symbols, rituals, community… all of which give it more power to make more of a mess.
It adds
We’d love it if more atheists were to ‘come out’ and to find each other.
Maybe our shoes will make it easier to spot the sexy, free-thinking people you like to hang with? No more hours wasted chatting up a pretty stranger only to discover they believe some invisible, magical sky-daddy is looking down and holding a view on whether they should sleep with you or not.
And, under the heading “Taking the God out of Good”, it says:
David Bonney, founder of The Meaningful Shoe Company
If we manage to make any money out of selling atheist shoes, we’d like to do something worthwhile with it.
We’d like to give a proportion of any profits we make to secular charities – particularly those seeking to clean up the mess made by religion. One cause we’re seriously interested in supporting is the fight against Female Genital Mutilation – a particularly disgusting practice, often coupled with religious tradition and seeking to deprive young women of the capacity to enjoy sex. And we’d also like to support the wonderful work of Medecins Sans Frontieres. If you can think of other causes we should consider supporting, please get in touch!
The company also has a presence on Facebook here.
NOTE: A page on the site – “You don’t have to be Atheist to wear Atheist” – features a photo of a woman called Emilia and says:
Amongst many other things, she’s a Christian. Nonetheless, Emilia knows she looks super hot when she wears ATHEIST shoes. And we care about the world looking hot even more than we care about atheism. So, if you’re not an atheist, please don’t worry… we’d be delighted for you to wear our shoes!
I’d heard of holey underwear, but not atheist shoes. Do they have no soles?
“Filthy soles”, BarrieJohn. Or at least that’s Christian News Network’s take on this report: http://christiannews.net/2012/12/28/german-shoe-company-manufactures-footwear-for-atheists-who-want-filthy-soles/
Now we know where to go for “heeling”, Barry.
That woman pictured in this article has some ugly-ass legs…they need some better leg models to wear the shoes.
Learn to read! She’s not modelling the shoes – Tim Minchin is. And I’m sure he’d be delighted to know that benighted ex-colonials think his lady is ugly.
Lol – the lady with the ugly legs is Mel C of Spice girls and JCS fame – NOT Tim’s wife! Awesome shoes on Tim though!
As Matt has pointed out, TIM is modelling the Atheist Shoes. (Can you believe that?)
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ hated shoes (Matthew 10:10, Luke 9:3, Luke 10:4) and so does Allah (20:12). Hindus never wear shoes in temples, so they can touch the feet of holy men (who also eschew shoes). Of course these awful atheists have fashionable footwear! Then again, The talmud (Shabbat 129a) says ‘A person should sell the roof beams of his house to buy shoes for his feet.’ I guess Jews and atheists celebrate shoe diversity while the rest of the world walks naked as nature intended.
“We’re lucky to live in Berlin, a city where roughly two thirds of the population are atheists.”
A model for the future which, if I wanted to go back to city living (which I definitely don’t!), would I’m sure would seem very attractive. As for the shoes, I may very well invest in a pair, just to show support.
Nowadays I like to wear boots. I have got so used to wearing steelies at work that I now find boots to be really comfortable and practical. I am now at an age where I don’t care at all about what is fashionable and just go my own way. I also get a lot of satisfaction from polishing my boots, if people think that that makes me a bit sad, I don’t really give a phuque.
They have a shoe style called ‘Kitten Testicle Grey’. Ha! love it!!!!
Sorry, guys – OT, but on the subject of women taking control of their own bodies, compare this photograph:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20863994
with this:
http://www.intellasia.net/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/un.philipp-birth-control-debate201208afp.jpg
Bah. Dr Martens for ever. You’ll have to pry them from my cold, dead feet.
So Matt, no chance of ever seeing you in a pair of Crocs?
Ahem … I do wear sandals for preference (they’d be Birkenstocks if I were upmarket) but my DMs are bootically sacrosanct.
Are these magic shoes, you know, like the mormon magic undies? ‘Spose when someone talks about having a soul, atheists with these shoes can go one better.
>That woman pictured in this article has some ugly-ass legs
Would you say that to her face? Would you say that about a man?
That kind of remark (and the behaviour associated with it) put women off the secular/atheist movement. Leave the sexist rubbish to the god botherers please – that’s what they do best.
OurSally: There’s a lot of machismo on the internet. I draw my own conclusions. We need to direct our aggression at the appropriate targets!