COLORADO SPRINGS, Dec. 9 (UPI) — A group known as American Atheists have posted controversial billboards discouraging drivers from attending church on Christmas.
The billboards posted in Colorado and North Carolina feature photos of Santa Claus along with a message telling passersby not to go to church on Christmas.
“Go ahead and skip church! Just be good for goodness sake. Happy Holidays!” the signs read.
A spokesperson for American Atheists, Randy Gotovich, told Fox News 21 in Colorado that their goal is not to attack Christmas but to make the holiday more inclusive for people of different faiths.
“We’re trying to be inclusive of everyone in Christmas and saying that anyone can celebrate it. It shouldn’t be viewed strictly as a Christian holiday,” he said.
National program director Nick Fish stated that the mission of American Atheists is to do away with atheist stereotypes, stating that the locations of the billboards were chosen due to the connections with Christianity of the two cities.
“We want it to be either a little funny, or edgy, or provocative in some way so when people see it, they stop and go, ‘hey, wait a second, what did that just say?” he told WCNC of the North Carolina billboard.
The signs are set to remain up through December.
