Complaints cause atheist-funded billboards in North Carolina to come down

Fox News.com ^ | August 25, 2012

[Kaslin]

American Atheists and Adams Outdoor Advertising are reportedly removing two Charlotte billboards blasting Christianity and Mormonism following an outpouring of complaints and threats.

The Bradenton Herald report that the billboards, which targeted the faiths of President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, went up two weeks ago and were intended to be displayed for the duration of the national conventions.

[Kaslin]

I just received this from FNC in my email

[Dilbert San Diego]

And I’m sure that, to liberals, this proves that America is some sort of theocracy, and that they don’t have freedom FROM religion which liberal atheistic types crave.

They will say that they were censored from expressing their views. I expect that these people will be on MSNBC, telling their tales of woe to a sympathetic Rachel Maddow. And we will be warned of the dangers of America becoming a theocracy.

The various and sundry kooks and crackpots of this country, do not appreciate how good things are for them in America, compared to how they would be treated in many parts of the world.

[onyx]

WOO-HOO!!!

[onyx]

Time to Put This Baby To Bed!!
Less Than $1.2k To Go Green!!
Please Help End The FReepathon

Sponsoring FReepers are contributing
$10 Each time a New Monthly Donor signs up!
Get more bang for your FR buck!
Click Here To Sign Up Now!

Time to Put This Baby To Bed!!
Less Than $1.2k To Go Green!!
Please Help End The FReepathon

Sponsoring FReepers are contributing
$10 Each time a New Monthly Donor signs up!
Get more bang for your FR buck!
Click Here To Sign Up Now!

[BerryDingle]

The Bradenton Herald report that the billboards, which targeted the faiths of President Barack Obama....

I wonder why they think Zippy is a Christian?

[IronJack]

Spit in the face of churchgoers at your own risk ...

[freedumb2003]

In this case I am on their side. I may not agree with them but they do have a right to their opinion and to use their own money to display that, just as much as a Christian group would.

[Psalm 144]

The signs were odious, but they should have remained up if they were legitimately contracted for.

[Okieshooter]

Making a big fuss about the signs, only draws more attention to them. If you don’t agree with the message on a sign, ignore it. We have freedom of speech in this country, but we also have the freedom to not listen.

[17th Miss Regt]

But no blasting at Muzzies?

Spit in the face of mosque goers at your own risk of beheading...

[Twinkie]

“targeted the faiths of President Barack Obama . . “

. . they targeted Islam? - I won’t employ the same fascist tactics against the left that they employ against me. They have freedom of speech, just as I do; and if I want to keep it, I have to cease and desist acting like they do (screaming, bullying and pitching a fit) and allow them theirs.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Well, the way liberals look at things, anybody expressing disagreement with their message is hateful. The worst liberals don’t agree that we have the freedom to not listen to their message. They insist that we listen and hear what they say.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Well, the way liberals look at things, anybody expressing disagreement with their message is hateful. The worst liberals don’t agree that we have the freedom to not listen to their message. They insist that we listen and hear what they say.

[polnick1]

Jesus and Muhammad are losing in the battle for the spiritual mind, a better prophet has arisen. Devil worshipping has gained in popularity, its message is clear. “The house of Satan offers more than the Mosque, Church, or Synagogue”. Chills and thrills are needed before prayers and hope.

[presently no screen name]

You signed up today to post that?

FYI - JESUS never looses - only those who don’t KNOW/follow HIM are the losers.

[bobo1]

I really don’t care what anyone posts, i ignore what i do not like and won’t pay attention to it.

but these people have a business in the community. they probably realized that renting out the billboards to kooks would cost them in the long run, and just opted to give the money back.

i would have just put a sign up alongside theirs and called them ungodly idiots.

blessings, bobo

[muawiyah]

Let them erect a building in a properly zoned area and go inside and rage at each other. I don' care, but that's their argument for religious folks ~ to keep it at church.

Still, it was probably the threats. That's NC. They ain't got no couths down there nohow!

[Okieshooter]

“They insist that we listen and hear what they say.”

They can insist all they want, but I ain’t listening.

[paudio]

Why would they remove the sign? From the wording on the sign, which is full of hatred, I doubt anyone who is on the fence spiritually would decide to become atheist. Did the Ad company receive threats? Boycotting the company would suffice to make them thinking twice next time.

I start to wonder if the removal is their own ploy to make a censorship claim when all the religious people did was complaining verbally (or in letter) to them.

[Roses0508]

Other than the cities (which have the big universities and all those liberals) and certain areas populated by newly arrived folk from up north, North Carolina is conservative and religious.

[Syncro]

The link only shows the anti-Christian billboard, not both of them.

So here they are:

Toast and underwear?

[mosaicwolf]

Be careful....Those “Bitter Clingers” will prevail.

[ConorMacNessa]

I love the smell of ozone on a Saturday evening!

[FrdmLvr]

Hey atheists! How does your own medicine taste?

[upchuck]

Welcome to Free Republic newbie. Posts like that won’t make you many friends around here. But maybe you don’t need friends.

[rwilson99]

Jesus delegates the loosing.... but he never loses.

Matthew 16:19

[xzins]

Polnick joined today, Jim.

#14 among his/her early posts:

Jesus and Muhammad are losing in the battle for the spiritual mind, a better prophet has arisen. Devil worshipping has gained in popularity, its message is clear. “The house of Satan offers more than the Mosque, Church, or Synagogue”. Chills and thrills are needed before prayers and hope.

[RegulatorCountry]

Jesus-on-toast is rather more specific than “Christian.” That's not directed at Obama, who is not Christian let alone Catholic. It's directed at Paul Ryan.

[unixfox]

They didn’t learn anything from the Chick-Fil-A incident.

People are sick and tired or this gay, race, atheist crap.

[concerned about politics]

Notice how these "brave" atheists never go after Islam. Are they secretly supporting the nation of Islam? I suppose they must be. They never say a word about them or their belief in Mohamed/allah.

I think these "atheists" are radical Muslims. Someone prove me wrong.

[Old Sarge]

Both the atheists AND the homosexuals will virulently attack Christians, sometimes Jews, but NEVER the Muslims - the followers of the Moon God are violent.

I don’t think they’re Muslims, but rather just plain Communists.

[RedMDer]

We can do this! Let's put this baby to bed! Please Donate today!

We can do this! Let's put this baby to bed! Please Donate today!

[Elsie]

I agree!

[gitmo]

He’s already gone. Ephemeral account.

[TXBlair]

Wow, that was fast. IATZ.

[MHGinTN]

Well phooey, just when I was getting my chainsaw working, too.

[MHGinTN]

Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Do you really want to spit int he face of the Creator? ... Fear of The Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. You have quite a ways to go to get to having trepidations even ...

[ex91B10]

"I may not agree with them but they do have a right to their opinion and to use their own money to display that"

Correct. Even distasteful "speech" must not be censored.

The Kenyan must go.

[Brown Deer]

which targeted the faiths of President Barack Obama

It says that in the article, but that's not what is shown on the video. There were only signs attacking Mormonism and Christianity. Nothing about Islam. This one's in Detroit:

[Syncro]

Yes, that is correct. Very good observation—the toast comment.

I didn’t imply that either of the billboards were directed at Obama.

I just wanted to see them posted on the thread.

They probably don’t have the nerve to insult Islam as technically Obama is a Muslim.

[FARS]

http://www.noiri.blogspot.com/2012/08/ramadan-islamic-month-of-christian.html

[FARS]

These will be useful, thanks

[RegulatorCountry]

I wasn’t intending to imply that the implication was yours, that the “Christian” billboard was directed at Obama. That has been the case with every report that I’ve read upon the subject, but is clearly not accurate given the specific imagery used, though. It’s directed at Paul Ryan, not Obama. Their supposed nonpartisan claim falls very flat upon actually seeing the billboards.

[DoughtyOne]

I think this is hilarious.  For once it's the anti-God people being told to stuff airing thier beliefs in public.

Jolly good show!

Now, if we can just stop them from running our high school graduations by their rules.

FReep-a-Thon, 100% completed.  Thank you to my fellow FReepers and Lurkers who helped to keep the lights on at Free Republic.  D1

[Ezekiel]

The signs are internally inconsistent so too bad they didn't stay up.

Silly screeds and rantings followed by, "Atheism: Simply Reasonable"... I mean come on, talk about "You're doin' it wrong."

Maybe the purpose of the signs was to besmirch the reputation of atheists. Then again, that would have been a waste of money.

[Tax-chick]

I thought they were a brilliantly self-revelatory display of reasonable atheism, and I’m disappointed that the brave people succumbed to “complaints.” Of course, this feeds their victimization fantasy.

“Hey, I’m an atheist, don’t you hate me? No, you don’t? Okay, I’ll kick your dog, scream insults at you, and throw droppings at your church. Now do you hate me? What, you forgive me and you’re praying for my salvation. HATER!!!! WAAAAAAAAA! You hate me because I’m so reasonable. WAAAAAAAAA!”

[Elsie]

“Hey, I’m an atheist, don’t you hate me?

Then there is the generic version:

“Hey, I’m a __________, don’t you hate me?"

[KevinDavis]

I have a feel atheist friends on Facebook. Whenever they attack Christianity, I ask them why don’t they attack Islam... No response from them at all. In fact they are cowards for not attacking Islam.

[Vigilanteman]

Don’t know if ObaMao is an actual or just a cultural Muslim. But the stuff which spews from Rev. Wright’s mouth certainly isn’t any form of Christianity.

[Vigilanteman]

I'd like to put up one which says:

Atheism: Worst retention rate of any religion in this world.
And it only gets worse in the next . . .