Last year a group known as American Atheists erected a series of controversial Christmas billboards reading: “You Know It’s A Myth. This Season, Celebrate Reason.” This year they plan to take it a step further by erecting signs featuring images of Santa, Jesus, Poseidon and the devil next to the message: “37 Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them.”

Despite the obvious negative attention the billboards receives, American Atheists Communications Director Blair Scott said the signs aren’t meant to offend people. However, he says he understands why people get upset:

When you question someone’s long-held beliefs and doctrine they are going to be immediately offended and be on the defensive: it’s a known psychological phenomenon.

Dave Silverman, president of American Atheists, added that he hopes the group’s new signs are “equally thought-provoking and spark plenty of conversations nationally.”

A pastor interviewed in a well-known American Christian newspaper said that he finds the billboard “ignorant and vulgar.” He said the American Atheist’s billboard message “equates myth with untruth, which demonstrates a lack of knowledge about the conventions of world literature, among other things.”

Only the most dense and simple-minded person would put Jesus in the same category as the other three. Clearly, even those who lack a personal commitment to Jesus recognize that there was in fact some historical figure by this name – religious leader and teacher – around 2 000 years ago.

[Source: Opposing Views]