New ‘Keep State and Church Separate’ Billboard Goes Up in Washington

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has put up a billboard in Wenatchee, Washington that seems perfect for this time of year:

The billboard, “God & Government — A Dangerous Mix: Keep State & Church Separate,” was posted in time to counter the National Day of Prayer today. Congress sets aside the first Thursday in May and requires an annual presidential proclamation exhorting citizens to “turn to God in prayer.”

…

“This billboard conveys a message that there are folks among us who have an appreciation for our Constitution and Bill of Rights beyond such specific concerns as protecting the Second Amendment, or the claim that the document somehow dictates that marriage can only be between a man and a woman,” said Kate Humrich, a local RN and spokesperson for NCW Freethinkers of Wenatchee. “We further wish to dispel the notion that Christianity has somehow been the basis of thought upon which our Constitution was founded, or that the Constitution somehow endorses Christianity, or indeed, any religion in particular.”

I don’t think anyone’s gonna be upset about this one, right…?

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Erin Kohlenberg

Wenanchee? Really? It’s in the middle of nowhere, Washington. Granted there’s a lot of conservatives on the dry side of the Cascades, but they should have picked a more populated area! like Spokane! (I’m a native Washingonian)Oh I do like it however.
Freemage

The message is great… the visual presentation is a bit weak. I think I’d almost prefer something akin to God as a match and government as a can of gasoline–give the “dangerous mix” message some visual viscerality.

Yes, I probably just invented “viscerality”. No, I’m not ashamed.
mander

As a Christian, I also believe God and government are a dangerous mix. This is how the early Christians believed and practiced (pre-Constantine, obviously), but things have obviously changed. Some denominations maintain these beliefs about the necessity to separate the church from the government such as the Anabaptists.
Methdissed

I love it! It’s short, sweet, and won’t offend most liberal Christians.
Joe Zamecki

Nice billboard! The FFRF scores again.
OregoniAn

I see it’s on a Lamar board. Hopefully it will last longer than those Lamar bus ads did in Kelowna. At least the god fearing vandals will need to climb higher!
Erinn Foley

How do I get a billboard like that around Detroit?
JSug

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Washington state demographics, the liberal and progressive population is mainly concentrated in the big cities around Puget Sound, on the west side of the cascades. Eastern Washington, where Wenatchee is located, is mainly rural farmland and is overwhelmingly populated with conservative Christians. Spokane is increasingly the exception to the rule.
TheRealistMom/Spamamander

Sadly JSug is right about this state- while Wenatchee probably isn’t -quite- as ass-backwards as much of Eastern Washington, it’s still not the progressive haven it is in the Puget Sound area. Much of Eastern WA is populated by Mormons, Roman Catholics (particularly in light of the very large Mexican Hispanic population) and various forms of Seventh-Day Adventists. Being a liberal atheist in Yakima is quite frankly a lonely proposition.
WMDKitty

I’d love to see one go up on my side of the mountains, say, in Lynden…
benjdm

Separate? That’s so 1940s…

“When I think of unity between government and the church, it seems natural,” said Belpre Mayor Mike Lorentz, noting the presence of American flags in government buildings and churches alike as well as the words “In God we trust” appearing on currency.

Pastor Mark Eaton, of Porterfield Baptist Church, prayed for the churches’ impact on the community and that walls between them would be torn down.

“You have placed us here as part of the state, as part of the community,” he prayed.

From this disappointing news article.
mingfrommongo

~~East Buttfuck~~ Wenatchee, really? This billboard seems to exist only to piss a few people off. Very few. There’s got to be better things for the FFRF to do with its money than this. I think that this marks the point at which billboards became passe. (Yeah, I know – fucking hipster)

Freemage – the word you’re looking for is ‘visceraliciousness’.
Thin-ice

WMDKitty wants one in Lynden? That town was founded by Dutch Reformed Christians! Look in the phone book and 80% of the names are Dutch, and a hell of a lot of their kids go to Christian colleges and Bible schools. So I’ll bet a billboard like that would really piss off the residents!
Ex Patriot

The sign says what people should know, keep religion of government always, because the alternitive is theocracy
Josh

I’m a Christian, and that sign offends me. Not because of the content, but because it looks like something that Harold Camping and friends would have made.
Mj-in-fdale

Yes! Put it in Lynden! That place is full of inbred freaky xtians. They need a wake up bill board. Right now there are only anti-abortion bill boards and signs that advertise the Rapture coming on May 21!
godlessveteran

Woot! My hometown!