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Atheist billboard greets drivers on I-35
A billboard that openly questions the existence of God may be the first of its kind in central Texas. However, the group that put it up said it's not targeting anybody or any belief.
The billboard is located on the east side of Interstate 35, between Highway 45 and Grand Avenue Parkway in Pflugerville. It is viewable by southbound motorists.
The billboard reads, "Don't belive in God? Join the club."
"The sign's not attacking anybody. It's not attacking anybody's beliefs," said Don Rhoades of Austin Coalition of Reason, a collection of freethinker groups in the greater Austin area.
The United Coalition of Reason, a national network that exists to raise the visibility and unity among local groups, paid $7,344 for the billboard space.
Rhoades said the message of the billboard is to build participation in local non-believer groups.
"There's benefits to being involved in a religion that have nothing to do with religious beliefs. The sense of community. The sense of belonging. Well, you can have that with a secular group as well," Rhoades said.
Martin Wagner of Austin writes a blog and hosts a cable access show on atheism. He said it can be challenging being a non-believer, but the billboard can help others come forward.
"That simple gesture of, you know, there are others like you, you don't have to feel isolated and lonely, I think is just one step in the right direction of just giving atheists a sense of personal morale in a culture that can be, at times, depending on the people, can be very hostile to them," Wagner said.
Similar signs are going up across the country, including locations in Dallas and Houston. Rhoades said reaction to the signs has been mostly positive.
Meantime, local religous groups that were contacted by KEYE-TV either declined comment or had no opinion on the billboard's message. However, the Catholic Diocese of Austin said those who keep asking about God will ultimately be led to the truth.
The Coaliton of Reason said, "....in the same way that other people are open about their views, we think we should be free to express ours."
Local atheists estimate about ten percent of the public are non-believers. They said some are open about it but many are hesitant to come forward.
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Comments
The phrase is Latin, meaning, "Peace be with you," and I will clearly have to hyphenate it to bypass the filter, but it should have read, "pax v-o-b-i-s-c-u-m" - instead, it now reads, "pax vobis[censored] .
I wonder how many other innocent words may be out there, with combinations of letters within them that would also set off those filters, resulting in gibberish?
weareaustin.com, I realize that posting here is a privilege, not a right, but please lighten up - we who post shouldn't be required to examine each word we write to assure that nowhere within the word, lurks an "objectionable" phrase.
(Glad I didn't mention I graduated "Magna [censored] Laude" --
pax vobiscum,
archaeopteryx
in-His-own-image.com
pax vobiscum,
archaeopteryx
in-His-own-image.com
Diane, how can you ask that, when those who purport to represent Christianity, have spent 2000 years attempting to convert others to their point of view? Why didn't they just keep it to themselves?
I can't count the number of billboards I've seen in Texas, promoting Christianity.
pax vobiscum,
archaeopteryx
in-His-own-image.com
If any of those commentators are still following this: Why are you demanding us to shut up or calling for the sign to be vandalized? Don't we have the same right to find and gather with like minded people?
Well said. This is a near perfect refutation of that point. It seems so apparent and yet I somehow doubt it will be acknowledged.
http://ncse.com/taking-action/project-steve-faq
(and please let's note that atheism has nothing at all to do with evolution, but since you decided to include it in the argument...)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts2936
I think we need to keep a close eye on our billboard here in Austin. Clearly it doesn't pay to turn your back on these devious xtian bastards.
You are asking for somebody to commit a hate crime with your urging of vandalism. That is so wrong.
So why then is the society we live in today so different from 100 years ago? Why were women and people of African American ancestry protected as equals under law? A law that is not derived from your God or your book. No words have changed in your book that brought about these changes; a morally superior freethinking society decided that it was grossly reprehensible to continue to treat some human beings as less than others. Religions and churches are constantly trying to catch up to a modern rational society that is improving the lives of all people, not just the people that bend the knee to the ‘right’ pulpit.
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