Atheist Billboard in… Morgantown!

The United Coalition of Reason put up a billboard in Morgantown, West Virginia this week!

Why is it important?

Neece, the local CoR Coordinator, explains:

Here in West Virginia, it seems like everyone must be traditionally religious. People wear crosses around their necks and churches seem to be on every corner. But there are godless people scattered about. When I first moved here I felt like I had to hide my lack of faith in the closet. It was oppressive, and still can be at gatherings or over the holidays.

She’s also quoted in the press release saying:

“We want the public to see that atheists and agnostics are part of the community, just as the faithful are… We have the same compassionate values and, in most other ways, are just like them. We are hard-working, tax-paying, moral citizens who care deeply about family, community, state and nation.”

Hopefully, other scattered WV atheists will notice the billboard and find a way to meet like-minded people. And WV theists will discover atheists aren’t as scary as they may have thought.

Karen

Cool! I live in Morgantown and pass by there several times a week, but I didn’t notice it yesterday. (I think it’s electronic, so maybe it had a different message on it when I drove by?) I look forward to hearing reactions around town!
Alan E.

Haha my Grandma is going to flip! I can’t wait to go back there in a couple weeks. Morgantown is a great place to put this one because most of the population is college students.
littlejohn

Before you get too excited, let this native West Virginian assure you that Morgantown doesn’t fit the stereotype of a W.Va. town. It it weren’t for West Virginia University, Morgantown would just be a wide spot in the road. There is literally nothing else there. Of course atheism is no big deal when everyone in town is a student, a faculty member, or a business-person in some way dependent upon the university. Morgantown is an oasis in a desert of shit-kickers.
Alan E.

Did you know that Morgantown has/had the lowest unemployment level of any city/metro area in the nation? This was back in February, so I’m not sure what the numbers are now. Go ‘Eers!

http://wvgazette.com/News/200902043233
Diego, El Mapache

Woot for Neece and the other atheists at Morgantown!
Neece

Thanks for the nice write-up. I appreciate it.

So far the response has been pretty positive. People have emailed to thank us for putting the billboard up.

We’ve had a few religious people tell us we’re going to hell, but mostly people seem pretty happy about it.

If anyone wants information on getting their own billboard, they can contact http://www.unitedcor.org. They have been great to us here in Morgantown, West Virginia.

And yes, the billboard is digital. It rotates with several other ads. When you see it, it’s awesome though. 🙂
Greg

OMG! Been mostly a lurker in the atheosphere for about a year and a half, but I just had to respond to this.

I’m a townie!! And apparently I’m not alone here!!

I’m just floored right now.
polomint38

@neece

I’m going to hell too, I’ll look you up when I get there, hopefully this will be no time soon.
Katy

Being a WV native, this is really exciting. Hopefully, visible displays like this will start to pop up outside of Morgantown. However, I have to say, that growing up in the northern panhandle of the state, I knew a good number of people who weren’t religious. There were only a few who would openly call themselves atheist, but a ton who didn’t go to church or anything. Maybe it’s different in the southern part of the state though.
jack boseman

We’ve here. We’re not going away. We are growing in numbers. Brothers and sisters let’s join hands and help move the world forward and away from superstitious man-invented beliefs. We are all in this world together – let us break down the barriers that keep us apart.
Anonymous Atheist

Hahaha, my professor mentioned this in class today (in WV but not Morgantown). He was asking how can someone see a flower and NOT believe in god. I didn’t touch that as I don’t want the whole place referring to me as ‘Satan-worshipper’ or some nonsense. A girl in class exclaimed “They can put that on a billboard?!” Again, I just sat there and let them make their bigoted points on how ‘wrong’ it was for anyone with differing beliefs to express their thoughts.

It’s hard being atheist with the Bible belt around your neck!
G. Reesman

When I first saw it I said “Did that say what I think it said”. I turned the car around and it was true. Right here in Motown Atheist! It was refreshing to know there is someone out there speaking out against this CULT called Organized Religion the greatest Hoax ever pulled off by man, and still continues even in this somewhat prgressive society. Two Thumbs up keep the movement rolling.
Gerald

Thanks for all the positive responses everyone. I am in the Coalition of Reason with Neece, and I’m glad that the majority of the responses have been in favor of the billboard.

Anonymous Atheist: It’s sad that someone as educated as a professor would still deny evolution. In my last semester at WVU I had a professor claim that vaccines cause autism and that evolution was “controversial” in the same day. We still have a long way to go.
Brittany

Hey littlejohn, I’m south of morgantown in “shitkicker” grafton. There’s a big handful of atheists here, myself and fiance included. I’m sure that goes for the rest of our state too, not just the college towns. I’m really glad to see this organization form and hope more form and grow as well. We thought of making a group at Fairmont State where we go to school, now -there’s- a place that needs a secular group…
Gustavo

Just moved to Morgantown a couple of weeks ago. I wish I would have been paying attention when this came up in my RSS feeds, then I could have paid more attention to signs while driving through the snowy icy ick to get here.
Alyssa

Hey, I would love to find a way to get one of those up in my small, small, small town. Same dilemmas here. Church on EVERY corner, and a Jesus fish on many cars. Cross necklaces and small town thinking I wish so badly to eradicate. Well, I’m not a dictator..just an annoyed free thinking teenager. Well, I think I would like to visit this website. It would be really cool to make a difference and have people question their beliefs.