Atheist Billboard Defaced by Vandals

[ThaBawse]

Unknown vandals unhappy about atheists' billboard in Charlotte, N.C., spray-painted Under God on the ad, the city's atheist association discovered Monday. The defaced message will remain in place until after July 4, the group reports, which is the soonest that workers can furnish a fresh billboard image. Here's how the vandalized billboard now looks:

The billboard reads, One Nation Indivisible, which is the phrase preceding the 1954 insertion of the words under God to the Pledge of Allegiance, reports the Charlotte Observer's Tim Funk. The billboard was erected on Billy Graham Parkway last week. (Graham is, of course, the state's famous evangelical preacher.)

Similar North Carolina ads have gone up in Asheville, Greensboro, Wilmington, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem as a Fourth of July project by the area's atheist association. The group has filed a police report and will replace the billboard.

“It was done by one or two people off on their own who decided their only recourse was vandalism rather than having a conversation,” Charlotte Atheists & Agnostics spokesman William Warren said. “It does show how needed our message is. As atheists, we want to let people know we exist and that there’s a community here.” Warren told the Observer when the sign first went up that its location wasn't intended as a rebuke to the Rev. Graham.



Read the rest of the story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts2936

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

That pic actually made me laugh.

Things get defaced all the time. I see it everyday. Not big news in my opinion.

 

[nolvorite]

lmao that is funny. I don't know what bothers those atheists so much

 

[Evil Eye]

Tss, why do all these people even care?

 

[Bluezone777]

lmao that is funny. I don't know what bothers those atheists so much

The sign's message is atheist in nature as it's the religious people who defaced it.

 

[nolvorite]

well i'm on the religious side so I said it backwards

 

[Howard]

Trust the religious zealots to think of that.



If I had my way, all religion would be banned immediately. All religion has ever done is to create destruction and death.



I really can't believe that in the year 2010, people still believe in religion.

 

[211classclown]

This in my opinion isn't big news...



I mean vandalism isn't too godly, so it kinda contridicts the message.



Just my opinion, I'm religious but I'm kinda disgraced by this news :/

 

[hotspot]

I don't see how it's Atheist, but vandals are really annoying. I'm surprised that religious people would do this, but then again... I'm not with all the crap they have done to people that are different than them.

 

[Raven]

I think its very sad that people do this.



And Howard not all religion causes death and destruction

 

[Medora]

Heh. A Baptist wrote the original pledge.



Regards,



Kevin

 

[dragoh]

Well in the free untied states shouldn't have a religion on every coin or Bill it has In god we trust in my view that's a fail im atheist myself but dang how cares if someone defaced the billboard.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

I wouldnt even care if it said Nebulous is a loser on every bill and coin. Its still money.

 

[Evil Eye]

I wouldnt even care if it said Nebulous is a loser on every bill and coin. Its still money.

You'd change your username though

 

[Akwardmeerkat]

Trust the religious zealots to think of that.



If I had my way, all religion would be banned immediately. All religion has ever done is to create destruction and death.



I really can't believe that in the year 2010, people still believe in religion.

Because atheism teaches peace and love right? not gonna start an argument but just pointing out that atheism teaches that only the strongest wil survive and christianity teaches to love your neighbor as yourself

Hinduism teaches to watch what you do in this life because it will affect your next one and I can go on

(although there are some really crazy christians and certain extremists of other religions that I would never hesitate to lock up if i could

 

[Wayne]

Howard's comment is a little too over zealous in my opinion!

 

[Howard]

It may be over zealous, but it is my opinion.



I hate religion with a passion. Half the worlds troubles are caused in the name of religion.

 

[ThaBawse]

It may be over zealous, but it is my opinion.



I hate religion with a passion. Half the worlds troubles are caused in the name of religion.

I half agree with you on that. While religion does cause a great amount of the world's problems, you also have to keep in mind that religion is what formed the world. If it wasn't for all these different aspects and beliefs, we would all be one boring unity. Not the current multicultural society we are right now.

 

[Wingedkuri]

Nit picking.



It sort of reminds me of the book I'm reading from an Atheist writer. He gets really nasty letters because of the books he writes as they are his way to educate other people on what he believes in. It's not like anyone is forced to read them, haha.

 

[IcarusForde]

Also half agree with Howard.



I dislike religion, yet am classed as a 'religious person' by a good chunk of the population. Religion is rubbish, relationship is real.