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Christmas Atheist Billboard Causes Hot Debate
A new atheist billboard installed near the Lincoln Tunnel in NJ is causing major controversy. The American Atheist Alliance has sponsored this billboard, as well as several others. The freedom of speech controversy around this billboard is hot.
Atheist billboard ‘celebrates’ Christmas
Next to the Lincoln Tunnel is where the billboard is. The American Atheists support it. It seems to be a “standard” Christmas-themed billboard, with three men on camels traveling toward a star. The billboard has text though. This is what is offensive. The board speaks for itself. It says, “You KNOW it is a Myth. This Season, Commemorate REASON!” The American Atheists web address, atheists.org, is at the bottom of the billboard.
Argument around billboard by atheist
Though this is one of the first atheist “Christmas” billboards by the Lincoln Tunnel, it’s not the 1st billboard sponsored by the American Atheists. All the other billboards have been vandalized in North Carolina, Sacramento, Idaho and Detroit. There was a billboard relocated in Cincinnati at one point. It had to be moved after threats to life and property came to the owner of the property where it was located. Recruiting and getting details out is what the American Atheists and associated groups are trying to do. This is why they used billboards.
Atheist billboards correlate with First Amendment
1st Amendment rights have made it okay for the Atheist billboards to be there. This much is clear. There are religious groups upset with the atheist billboards. They hurt some peoples’ feelings. Some Christian conservative commentators have called these billboards “un-American.”. This only highlights, though, the general misunderstanding of separation of church and state. In the U.S. constitution, it claims, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion … or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It’s just assumed that “separation of church and state” happens even though it wasn’t actually in there. This has been pointed out by several politicians. Any Christmas time billboard has the right to be up, including the atheist billboard.
Articles cited
CNN
ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-521921?npt=NP1
Atheist.org
atheists.org/press_releases/COLUMNIST_AT_CONSERVATIVE_WEB_SITE_DEFENDS_VANDALISM_OF_ATHEIST_BILLBOARD
KHQ
khq.com/global/story.asp?s=11355159
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