ST. LOUIS — St. Louis is the among four southern cities targeted by American Atheists’ new billboard campaign attacking Christmas. The billboards, which began appearing Dec. 1, feature a young girl writing a letter to Santa; her letter reads, “Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is to skip church! I’m too old for fairy tales.”
In addition to the billboard in St. Louis, others are appearing in Memphis; Nashville and Fort Smith, Ark. A fifth billboard in Milwaukee is co-sponsored by the Southeast Wisconsin Freethinkers (SWIFT). While previous billboards have been located in urban settings such as Times Square, these billboards are located in more residential areas to be near schools and churches, according to an American Atheist press release announcing the campaign.
The billboards are aimed at in-the-closet atheists who are pressured to observe religious traditions during the holidays, and who might also want to attend the annual American Atheists National Convention in Memphis in April. American Atheists is bringing the billboards and its national convention to the South, where the organization says mistrust of atheists is pronounced.
“Even children know churches spew absurdity, which is why they don’t want to attend services. Enjoy the time with your family and friends instead,” said American Atheists President David Silverman. “Today’s adults have no obligation to pretend to believe the lies their parents believed. It’s OK to admit that your parents were wrong about God, and it’s definitely OK to tell your children the truth.”
Despite multiple attempts, American Atheists was unable to secure a billboard advertising space in Jackson, Mississippi, as area lessors rejected the design due to content.
American Atheists is bringing the billboards and its national convention to the South, where discrimination and mistrust of atheists is especially pronounced.
The billboards will be on display until Dec. 24.
Homosexual activists have launched a similar campaign across the South in an effort to drum-up support for the homosexual lifestyle.