Atheists launch billboard crusade to target devout Christian population in Florida

LAKELAND - New billboards in Lakeland in Florida are attracting attention, where a group of atheists have placed the five signs in the city on Wednesday as a way to target the area’s devout Christian population.

“There’s quite a strong representation of religion out here and we feel that this is really where the message should be,” Fox News quoted Atheists of Florida president John Kieffer, as saying.

Kieffer and Ellen Beth Wachs, director of the organization’s Lakeland chapter, say the point is not to convert Christians to atheism, but rather to send a message on July 4 that atheists are Americans too.

The billboards read “one nation… indivisible,” excluding the phrase “under God,” that is part of the reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Federal law added these two words in 1954, on Flag Day.

However, the move has not gone down well with some conservatives. “Our nation was formed under God and its principles, and it’s a shame we allow this to happen in our neighborhoods,” Fox News quoted Vietnam veteran David Kissell, as saying. Kieffer admits that gaining acceptance as an atheist and changing back the Pledge will be a difficult task.

“It’s going to be a struggle and it’s going to be hard work, we are fighting a majority. The majority of this country would not agree with our world view, however we’re Americans too,” Kieffer said. (ANI)