Billboard promoting atheism will be removed

[wautd]

Freedom of speech? As long as you have imaginary friends

An Ontario billboard company is removing a controversial Rancho Cucamonga billboard promoting atheism after receiving complaints, according to the group that paid for the advertisement.

The billboard, at the busy corner of Archibald Avenue and Foothill Boulevard, says "Imagine No Religion" in large letters on a stained-glass background. Underneath is the name of the group, "Freedom From Religion Foundation," and the group's Web address.

Representatives of the company, General Outdoor Advertising, did not return repeated phone calls Thursday.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of Freedom From Religion, which calls itself the nation's largest association of atheists and agnostics, said an advertising representative at the company called her Thursday to notify her the billboard would be coming down.

"We're being censored," Gaylor said.

The billboard was the group's first in California. Nine others had previously gone up in other cities.

Gaylor said advertising companies in four cities refused to display the ad, but General was the first to take down an existing billboard in the middle of a contract.

The billboard went up last week and was scheduled to run through January, she said.

The company agreed to refund the $1,379 fee, she said.

Gaylor said the billboard was put up to recruit new members and provoke discussion.

"It's asking people to think," she said. "We want people to realize you don't need religion to do good, and that if we didn't have religion, the world would be less divisive. . . . Think of how many people have been killed in the name of a supernatural being that there has never been any evidence for."

The inspiration for the billboard was John Lennon's song "Imagine."

Judy Rooze, administrator of First Baptist Church of Rancho Cucamonga, which is two blocks from the billboard, was relieved it was coming down.

Rooze said it was unsettling.

"I understand people have freedom of speech, but this is taking it too far," she said. "It's very jarring."

Gaylor said Freedom From Religion, based in Madison, Wis., is looking for another Southern California location for a billboard.

Religious viewpoints are constantly aired, but people rarely hear from atheists and agnostics, she said.

"There should be some balance," she said. "We're supposed to have a marketplace of ideas in this country."

Pic of the dastardly billboard:

[DPDarkPrimus]

Fuck them, they wouldn't take down those "God" billboards even IF people complained about them, and I know that the fucker they're quoting from the church would be the first to be screaming about how it's freedom of speech.

"How DARE these people suggest people think about not being religious!"

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, just another of many examples of people who think "freedom" = "the freedom to think like us."

[Zixinus]

This is hardly surprising. Theists are insecure. I believe this was discussed on this board sometime before.

[Sky Captain]

What`s all this hassle about religion are. It`s 21st century after all. I find it extremely strange that people who live in modern society take all that religion thing so seriously especially in US which is one of the leading countries in science and technology development.

Here in Latvia no one mentions things like seriously teaching creationism in schools and the like. It`s just plainly stupid to throw away all the accumulated knowledge in astronomy, geology and biology and take something written more than 2000 years ago for granted and try to explain physical world based on it. Do these people at least have brain in right place? I can`t imagine any of my friends to seriously think world is 6000 years old. He would be ridiculed and laughed at in university.

[Bilbo]

What`s all this hassle about religion are. It`s 21st century after all. I find it extremely strange that people who live in modern society take all that religion thing so seriously especially in US which is one of the leading countries in science and technology development.

Here in Latvia no one mentions things like seriously teaching creationism in schools and the like. It`s just plainly stupid to throw away all the accumulated knowledge in astronomy, geology and biology and take something written more than 2000 years ago for granted and try to explain physical world based on it. Do these people at least have brain in right place? I can`t imagine any of my friends to seriously think world is 6000 years old. He would be ridiculed and laughed at in university.

That is because Doom would kill you if you didnt study your science. Oh wait that is Latveria.

I find the comment that it is too jarring just pathetic really. I find billboards about religion very jarring because it reminds me of how many fools still exist out there. But that doesnt mean I want them all torn down.

[Samuel]

What`s all this hassle about religion are. It`s 21st century after all. I find it extremely strange that people who live in modern society take all that religion thing so seriously especially in US which is one of the leading countries in science and technology development.

Here in Latvia no one mentions things like seriously teaching creationism in schools and the like. It`s just plainly stupid to throw away all the accumulated knowledge in astronomy, geology and biology and take something written more than 2000 years ago for granted and try to explain physical world based on it. Do these people at least have brain in right place? I can`t imagine any of my friends to seriously think world is 6000 years old. He would be ridiculed and laughed at in university.

You sound just like Yang- "It is the 23rd milennia; how could you believe in such outlandish fairy tales?"

"I understand people have freedom of speech, but this is taking it too far," she said. "It's very jarring."

People not thinking like us is scary!

[salm]

On the other hand, being forced to take it down gives the initiators of the Sign even more PR. It´s tragic that can be censored but at least it gets some more attention that way.

[Kanastrous]

In cases like this, is there any ground on which the billboard owners could be sued for breach of contract?

[Chardok]

In cases like this, is there any ground on which the billboard owners could be sued for breach of contract?

Yeah, it says that the billboard company is paying the fee. (Presumably an early termination fee)

[Kanastrous]

I wonder if one would have the option to say, no, we won't accept the money in return; you will keep the ad in place as contractually obligated.

Unless the contract had a 'we can just strike it and refund your money if we choose' sort of provision, which I guess it might.

[Count Chocula]

The location of the sign is revealing as well: Rancho Cucamonga, CA. For all the liberal posturing about "The Land of Fruits and Nuts," and in light of the narrow Prop 8 defeat, it appears that California has a deeper reactionary/conservative population than most would imagine.

[Erik von Nein]

The location of the sign is revealing as well: Rancho Cucamonga, CA. For all the liberal posturing about "The Land of Fruits and Nuts," and in light of the narrow Prop 8 defeat, it appears that California has a deeper reactionary/conservative population than most would imagine.

Yeah, no kidding? There's a couple high-density liberal populations in California, then vast swaths of massively conservative areas. Pretty much any place that isn't in or around L.A. or S.F. is pretty much guaranteed to be conservative. All those areas of cropland in the California or Salinas Valley are great examples. Hell, my county has one liberal-ish city (only because white fligthers from L.A. came here) and every single other city is conservative to the T.

Seriously, California's liberal nature is hugely overblown.

Had this been in San Fran then it might've lasted longer, but enough complaints would have come in that it'd get taken down eventually.

[Civil War Man]

The location of the sign is revealing as well: Rancho Cucamonga, CA. For all the liberal posturing about "The Land of Fruits and Nuts," and in light of the narrow Prop 8 defeat, it appears that California has a deeper reactionary/conservative population than most would imagine.

A lot of states are like that. California, Washington, Oregon, and New York spring immediately to mind. States that have a reputation of being "blue", since they tend to go for the Democrat in the Presidential election. If you looked county-by-county, however, you'd see that they are actually islands of sanity in a sea of madness. Particularly true with the large democratic states. Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts don't suffer from it as much.

Texas has this to a degree. It's just that in the previous examples, the islands are dense enough to counteract the bullshit. Seattle may be big enough to counteract the Tri-cities, but Houston is a bit more outnumbered.

[Oscar Wilde]

Freedom of speech and religion, till it bothers the fundies. Then all bets are off.

God this is a quirky world we live in.

[kc8tbe]

It's disappointing that the billboard was taken down, but this isn't really a freedom of speech or freedom of religion issue. The First Amendment forbids the government from abridging these freedoms, but a private organization is well within its rights to censor speech based on whatever criteria it wishes. (Although we have gray areas when the private organization is materially supported by the government, e.g. the BSA.) IANAL, but the billboard company did nothing legally wrong by buying out the contract and removing the advertisement.

[Samuel]

For those curious about the spread, here:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2008/

It shows pretty clearly that the differance between alot of the blue vs red states is urban vs rural.

[Drooling Iguana]

It's disappointing that the billboard was taken down, but this isn't really a freedom of speech or freedom of religion issue. The First Amendment forbids the government from abridging these freedoms, but a private organization is well within its rights to censor speech based on whatever criteria it wishes. (Although we have gray areas when the private organization is materially supported by the government, e.g. the BSA.) IANAL, but the billboard company did nothing legally wrong by buying out the contract and removing the advertisement.

The First Amendment of the United States's Constitution was simply one measure to protect freedom of speech that its framers decided to put into the document describing their highest laws. Just because something is legal according to the First Amendment doesn't mean it's not still a violation of the principle of free speech and should be fought against.

[Kanastrous]

It's disappointing that the billboard was taken down, but this isn't really a freedom of speech or freedom of religion issue. The First Amendment forbids the government from abridging these freedoms, but a private organization is well within its rights to censor speech based on whatever criteria it wishes. (Although we have gray areas when the private organization is materially supported by the government, e.g. the BSA.) IANAL, but the billboard company did nothing legally wrong by buying out the contract and removing the advertisement.

The First Amendment of the United States's Constitution was simply one measure to protect freedom of speech that its framers decided to put into the document describing their highest laws. Just because something is legal according to the First Amendment doesn't mean it's not still a violation of the principle of free speech and should be fought against.

Reminds me of 'freedom of the press is for the man who owns one.'

[Tanasinn]

I imagine that this, to a degree, is the sort of publicity they want. They'll get more attention from cretinist whinging than they would have from one in a trillion billboards. Anything that vilifies the political religious has at least some benefits.

[K. A. Pital]

Here in Latvia no one mentions things like seriously teaching creationism in schools and the like.

I think you're underestimating the importance of cultural background here. Europe in general is very secular, and especially a post-Soviet republic - I mean, science and materialism were basically hammered into all schools, I believe Latvia is not much different from Russia in that regard.

Vestiges of religious education, such as - school prayer, religious groups, religious mottos have been done away with (as were most of the churches and religion in general).

America is different. They never had the same level of secularization as Europe. This is why the USA, despite being a powerful economy, remains very backwards in things such as religion.