Atheist Billboard Goes Up in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Thanks to $7,200 in funding from the United Coalition of Reason, there is now a billboard reading, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone” in Fredericksburg, Virginia:

Matt Jordan, the [Fredericksburg Coalition of Reason’s] spokesman, says the billboard is not meant to offend people of faith. He says it is to reach out to like-minded folks to let them know that they are not alone and that there is a community out there for them.

One comment thread in an article is packed with idiotic comments about the harmless message, but that’s not stopping groups members from making their presence known.

Over the weekend, they marched in the Religious Freedom Day Parade:

As one United Coalition for Reason organizer told me:

… the group was originally going to march with a banner modeled after their billboard. But the parade organizers said “no slogans, just organizational names.” So I provided them with [a] generic “Coalition of Reason” banner. They thus rallied their roughly 20 marchers with the banner modeled after their billboard, then flipped it around to show the generic banner during the parade itself… they had a better turnout than the Unitarians they marched next to, and as good a turnout as any of the other groups.

It’s a strong start to a new coalition. If you’d like to join any of the current groups making it up, you can find out more about them here.

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Mairianna

There they are, stuck right behind the Knights of Columbus! Good for them! And good for the community that has a Religious Freedom Day Parade!
Melissa E

I used to live in Fredericksburg for several years. Awkward mix of well-educated Washington DC types and the traditional Virginian redneck.

The pastor of the church I attended there as a middle schooler is actually the only pastor I’ve ever met who I don’t bear resentment against. Much more progressive and accepting than most, and actually made a positive difference in the community, even if the omnipresent “please come to our church!” was attached. His mission in life was (still is, I assume) to actively work against the prejudices the locals had against the Hispanic and black minorities in town.
guest

Haha! I thought the same thing! A gaggle of 4th degree knights right in front of them..whohoo!
Alan Eckert

This is a great spot to put the billboard because of all the traffic that goes through there. They won’t get just the Fredericksburg traffic, but all DC traffic going south (and there are a number of people that commute from as far as Richmond every day). Great planning FCoR!
Silo Mowbray

I just read some of those idiotic comments Hemant mentioned (posted mostly by someone named ‘Trouble’) and man-o-man the anger is palpable. Angry, frustrated and threatened. S/he claims atheists are deluded, refuse to see the truth and obvious rationale for God, etc etc., all wrapped up in a borderline psychotic tenor. Yow.
Anonymous

I grew up about an hour south of Fredericksburg and am now going to Grad school in Richmond. I’ve been waiting so long for Hemant to be able to post about a billboard going up in Virginia!
W1znerd

They all need capes & ‘Modern Major General’ hats!
Charles Black

I’m surprised that Trouble didn’t call for non-christians to be lynched in public, just like the KKK did to black people.
Perhaps Trouble needs professional help before he/she does something rash.
Nazani14

This is the group I belong to. Attendance would have been higher, but some of us had to get kids back to college after the holiday break. If only the dorms opened a day earlier!
MariaO

I know since a long time that religions cause funny headgear. But I have never seen Atheism do it before…