Days after this identical billboard in Colton, California, drew television news reports of the “controversial” sign that residents wanted taken down, comes news today that the anti-atheists have succeeded in Mobile, Alabama. There they convinced the huge billboard company Lamar Advertising to remove the sign funded by the atheist and humanist group Gulf Coast Coalition of Reason.

What shocking image prompted the outcry? A mountain sunrise and the offensive message that atheists exist. The sign read: “Don’t believe in a god? You’re not alone.”

Lamar Advertising made trouble from the start. Troy Tatum, Lamar’s VP, said that

the company asked for a disclaimer be added to the billboard saying who paid for it. Jason Heap of the United Coalition of Reason said it was the first time he had ever been asked to provide a disclaimer but that the group did so. The billboard was then put up during the first week of Jan. On Jan. 18, the Coalition of Reason was notified that the billboard had been taken down. Heap said that he was told that Lamar had received a large amount of complaints about the billboard and that he questioned the motivation to take the billboard down. “By contractual obligations, they are required to give us a full four weeks,” said Heap.

The Coalition of Reason appears to be weighing its options, which apparently has the billboard company anxious.

Tatum said that Lamar has a plan on the table to make-due with the Coalition of Reason but that the advertising company hasn’t heard from the group. “They just want to start a fight,” Tatum said.

Right. It couldn’t possibly be that their contract was broken and their civil rights violated. It must be that those angry atheists can’t help being militant.

Here’s hoping your surrender to religious bigotry costs you, Mr. Tatum.

A lot.