An atheist organization raised a few eyebrows with its latest holiday-themed billboards this week.
American Atheist ran the billboards in Colorado Springs, Colo., Winston-Salem, N.C., and it read “Go ahead and skip church! Just be good for goodness sake. Happy Holidays!”
“We want people to know that going to church has absolutely nothing to do with being a good person,” said David Silverman, president of American Atheists, in a statement. “The things that are most important during the holiday season—spending time with loved ones, charity and being merry—have nothing to do with religion.”
National program director for American Atheists Nick Fish said the billboards were strategically placed in markets where atheist voices aren’t always heard. The point is to put them in places where they might stir up a little controversy.
American Atheists say Santa won’t be mad at you for skipping church: https://t.co/qp7ZyyQJOZ pic.twitter.com/HYL9JxeFrJ
— Adweek (@Adweek) December 10, 2015
“We wanted to challenge the notion that everyone in their town is religious—they’re not,” Fish said in a statement to Adweek. “We’re trying to make it easier to make people open and honest about what they believe.” Fish said the new campaign has largely received negative feedback from Christian groups and passers by however, some people have thanked the organization for spreading its message in predominately religious areas. He said that the organization has received offers from other markets to run the billboards, but no decisions have been made. The Billboards will run through the end of the month.
Feature image via Adweek
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