Oh, this'll be fun...

Article online today from the Tampa Tribune that will raise a few eye-brows where I live. According to article here, a small group of atheists in Lakeland (my adopted home town) have begun to advertise the fact that they even exist. And by small, I mean a group of about 12 people.

What they've done is put up a billboard (you can see it by clicking on the story link, above) that simply says, "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."

The article says that the billboard will be up for about the next 10 weeks or so--in other words, through the Christmas holidays.

So I'm guessing that this billboard will raise more ruckus than Max during the Wild Things movie (which isn't very good in my humble opinion; the book was/is better). I can hear the screams now from religious leaders in this town, lamenting the fact that this billboard is even allowed in our public domain.

As a practicing member of a faith tradition that has spent thousands of dollars on marketing/advertising, I know how effective these billboards can be. Thousands of people will read this one, solitary billboard. And you know what? That's okay with me. I'm a huge proponent of the right to freedom of speech. I may not agree with what you're saying, but I will defend your right to say it.

Of course the religious people will disagree with atheists; that's a given. In allowing for a diversity of opinion in the court of public opinion, however, "we the people" grow stronger. And those who feel threatened by this billboard really need to ask themselves why they are feeling that way. If anything, it should be a wake-up call to those of us who profess Christ as Lord to get out there and show the world what that really means (hint: it's not pushy evangelism, mere handing out feedbags, nor stuffy boring worship services; it's about being Christ's body in serving the poor, speaking/acting out against injustice, and one beggar telling another beggar where to find food).

Any way, this will be fun to watch, just to see who says what and how fast. Stay tuned!