New Orleans: Atheist Billboard Turns Heads Along I-10

[Whitney]

NEW ORLEANS -- A group doubting the existence of God is spreading its message through a new billboard placed along Interstate 10 west of downtown New Orleans.  The advertisement is part of a national campaign aimed at raising awareness of those who do not believe in the existence of a higher power.

"The point of the billboard campaign is to reach out to the millions of humanists, atheists and agnostics living in the United States," said Fred Edwords, head of the United Coalition of Reason. "Nontheists sometimes don't realize there's a community out there for them because they're inundated with religious messages at every corner."

Religious advertising is common across the New Orleans area, but the I-10 billboard seems to stand alone in its specific "nontheist" message.

Full text:  http://www.wdsu.com/news/19601414/detail.html

[BadPoison]

For those too lazy to click the link, the billboard states: "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."

Simple message, non-confrontational. I like it.

[JillSwift]

Those are among my favorite "atheist" ads because they're pure community-building.

I wonder sometimes how many folks are "faking" (meaning willful self-delusion) theism of some stripe just to fit in because they'd otherwise be disconnected.

[Whitney]

I wonder sometimes how many folks are "faking" (meaning willful self-delusion) theism of some stripe just to fit in because they'd otherwise be disconnected.

It wouldn't surprise me if quite a few do that...I was never very good at playing pretend.

[quizlixx]

I wonder sometimes how many folks are "faking" (meaning willful self-delusion) theism of some stripe just to fit in because they'd otherwise be disconnected.

I did it for a couple years, seems rather silly in retrospect.

[Amnesiac2389]

I don't pretend I'm religious (unless I'm around my elderly grandmother), but I do often feel left out of society like I'm sure many atheists do. I like the messege of this billboard.

[NothingSacred]

Im sure some theists will still see that simple message as confronting. It seems even being honest about your religious beliefs or lack there of makes alot of believers very emotional.

[Ellainix]

I hate that, for a lot of people, there is a need to pretend.