Can we leave atheism to non-believers?

The ads are written simply on a background of blue sky with nebulous clouds, say news agency reports. The question they ask is simpler: "A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?" The ads will be splashed across the New York City's bustling subway stations on Oct 26, giving a whole new meaning to atheism (or agnosticism, if you will).

But more surprisingly, they will adorn the subway walls in a country, whose leaders have been invoking God to prove their honesty and purpose for almost three decades. The trend of concluding a major speech with "God bless America" was started by Richard Nixon. Addressing the nation live from the Oval Office in an attempt to overcome the Watergate scandal, Nixon ended his April 30, 1973 speech with: "Tonight, I ask for your prayers to help me in everything I do throughout the days of my presidency (he resigned just over 17 months later) ... God bless America and God bless each and everyone of you."

And though Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter eschewed the phrase, Ronald Reagan made "God bless America" the omnipotent slogan for US presidents. Later US politicians found in the phrase a simple way of passing the "God and Country test" and be seen by citizens as a real, God-fearing American.