Jeff Carter, an atheist from Crookston, Minnesota, used to drive around with these atheist magnets on the back of his truck.

Yesterday, however, he woke up to find that a Christian had ripped those magnets off his vehicle and left some kind, loving, godly messages for him:

According to April Baumgarten of the Grand Forks Herald, Carter was able to clean most of the damage, but it’s not even the first time he’s had to deal with (presumably) Christian vandals in this community.

Carter has lived in Crookston for six years, adding he is proud to express that he is an atheist. “I guess somebody didn’t like that,” he said. Nobody was hurt, Carter said. He was able to wash the paint off his vehicle, but there is lingering egg damage. … He noted his tires were slashed shortly after he moved to Crookston. He didn’t report that incident, saying he didn’t want to “ruffle any feathers.”

As for Carter, he posted the pictures on Facebook with a simple question: “‘Loving’ Christians?”

He also told the reporter:

When asked if he felt what happened to him was a hate crime, he replied, “How would you describe it if that happened to a Christain vehicle by a Muslim?”

This is how some people celebrate Easter, I guess. They remind everyone that being a Christian doesn’t necessarily make them better human beings.

***Update*** (9:24a): I just got off the phone with Jeff Carter and he told me that there was some discoloration on the truck, but after four hours of cleaning it, it’s almost back to normal.

He’s actually been pleasantly surprised by all the Christians who have reached out to him to tell him how bad they feel about this. In some cases, they even offered money to help pay for the damage (he rejected those offers).

He insisted he doesn’t feel persecuted. “I’m the atheist everyone likes,” he said, adding that the Christians who know him in town treat his family very well. This incident was an anomaly for him, not the norm. In fact, if the police are able to catch the vandal, he said he would not press charges. All he wants is an apology.

In the meantime, he’s ordered new magnets for the back of his truck. They should arrive in a couple of days.

(Thanks to @ChristnNitemare for the link)



