The Freedom From Religion Foundation is currently running one of their “Out of the Closet” billboard campaigns in Columbus, OH. A few weeks back one of the billboards had to be relocated because the church that owned the property it was on complained. Okay, I can understand that.
Now it’s been taken down again, pending a new location thanks to a complaint from a business owner. So what’s this horribly offensive billboard look like?
Dylan Galos isn’t saying anything against religion. He’s simply saying that he’s an atheist and a moral person. The only thing that can really be offensive about this is that he’s an atheist. That it. The fact that atheists exist offends people.
Of course, this isn’t the only billboard they have up in that area, it’s just the only one that keeps having to move. The only thing that makes his unique is the fact that he’s black. Is this racism? Maybe the offense is that he’s a black atheist and it’s offending black Christians. Now I’m getting curious about what the other details are of these complaints.
Whether or not people like it, atheists exist. Even if some church says that only Christians can be good people, that doesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of atheists are good people too. Heck, this billboard even helps dispel the myth that atheism is just a club for white men.
On the bright side, since this billboard keeps moving around it will get to reach a larger audience and it’s certainly getting more media attention than if it wasn’t getting the complaints.
I know some Christians are still reading this blog. Do you find this billboard offensive?