Pat Dollard | Young Americans

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Times Online:

The two children chosen to front Richard Dawkins’ latest assault on God could not look more free of the misery with which he associates religious baggage.

With the slogan “Please don’t label me. Let me grow up and choose for myself”, the two children, their hair flying and with broad grins, seem to be the perfect advertisement for the new atheism being promoted by Professor Dawkins and the British Humanist Association.

Except that they are about as far from atheism as it is possible to be. The Times can reveal that Charlotte, 8, and Ollie, 7, are from one of Britain’s most devout Christian families.

Their father, Brad Mason, is something of a celebrity within evangelical circles as the drummer for the popular Christian musician Noel Richards.

Mr Mason has been supplementing his income for years by giving photographs to agencies who sell them on to newspapers and advertising campaigns.

“It is quite funny because obviously they were searching for images of children that looked happy and free. They happened to choose children who are Christian. It is ironic. The humanists obviously did not know the background of these children.”

He said that the children’s Christianity had shone through on their expressions.

Gerald Coates, the leader of the Pioneer network of churches, which Mr Mason and his family used to attend before they moved to Dorset, said: “How do you put laughter in a quote? I think it is hilarious that the happy and liberated children on the atheist poster are in fact Christian.”

The British Humanist Association said that it did not matter whether the children in the posters were Christians. “That’s one of the points of our campaign,” the association’s education director, Andrew Copson, said.

“People who criticise us for saying that children raised in religious families won’t be happy or that no child should have any contact with religion or learn anything about it should take the time to read the adverts and think about their message rather than rely on their own assumptions.

“The message of the posters is that the labelling of children by their parents’ religion fails to respect the rights of the child and their autonomy. We are saying that religions and philosophies — and ‘Humanist’ is one of the labels we use on our poster — should not be foisted on or assumed of young children and that young people have the right to choose for themselves in line with their developing capacities as they grow.”

The images of the children for the billboards were sourced from istockphoto.com, a well known stock photography website. Images are uploaded by photographers for sale to designers and are paid for by credits that are purchased in advance. The photographer receives a portion of each download fee.

Those who have welcomed the campaign include the magician and illusionist Derren Brown, the author Philip Pullman, and the musician and comedian Tim Minchin.

Pullman said: “It is absolutely right that we shouldn’t label children until they are old enough to decide for themselves.” AC Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, said: “This is a significant and welcome campaign reminding us that children have their own minds and we can encourage them to think for themselves.”