The American Atheists have spent $20,000 on this billboard on the Jersey side of the Lincoln tunnel leading into New York City.
The American Atheist Website explains its three purposes:
1) To address those atheists who “go along to get along”, and to encourage them to come out of their closets
2) To attack the myth that Christianity owns the solstice season
3) To raise the awareness of the organization and the movement
Hmmm… I think if I were an atheist, a billboard like this would make me stay in the closet for a long time. If I were out of the closet, I think I might go back in. Why? For the exact same reasons that judgmental, legalistic, self-righteous Christian fundamentalists who send out attack messages make me reluctant to affiliate with them. Besides, the good news of Advent essentially is not an attack on others. The “let’s go attack the Christian myth” strategy is not going to recruit atheists.
Moreover, if following Jesus is just a myth, why attack it at all? If you are an atheist, why spend so much money attacking a myth? I would think there are lots of atheists who have no intention on wasting their time on something like this.
Does ownership of the “solstice season” grab anyone? Seriously, as a Jesus follower, I don’t really care about the precision of Dec. 25th being the date of his birth. The atheists can have as much of the “Solstice season” as they like. I can’t imagine that reason for putting up a billboard will grab anyone’s heart.
Anyway, the Christians have responded with this billboard on the New York side of the Lincoln Tunnel.
donfollis.com 