Texas atheists' Adopt-A-Highway signs undergo series of vandalism

Signs showing the two-mile stretch of Highway 1135 adopted by Orange County Atheists of Texas have undergone a series of vandalism since they were installed Oct. 12. Signs showing the two-mile stretch of Highway 1135 adopted by Orange County Atheists of Texas have undergone a series of vandalism since they were installed Oct. 12. Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Texas atheists' Adopt-A-Highway signs undergo series of vandalism 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

When Clara Luna and her husband drove down Highway 1135 in Orange County, they kept an eye on the side of the road until they saw it -- a blue Adopt-A-Highway sign. At the bottom of it was the name of her organization. Luna's husband took a picture.

"It was kind of cool to see that our group was finally on the map," she said.

The organization, Orange County Atheists of Texas, made a push this year to become more active in the Orange community with events like a volunteer project at the local animal shelter. The highway project was another project to become a part of the tight-knit town.

But the sign, now riddled with bullet holes, shows not everyone is welcoming the group with open arms.

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Two weeks after two signs, one at both ends of Highway 1135, were erected, Luna got a call from a relative that the signs had been destroyed. She drove out to see for herself that vandals had spray painted the signs to mark out the word "atheist" and paint "I <3 God" and "Christ" over it.

"I felt angry," she said. "My feelings on this are that of frustration and now a little afraid. Considering no other sign on that stretch of highway was vandalized it's not hard to realize they singled our signs out."

Click the slideshow above to ironic and funny Christian billboards.

The Texas Department of Transportation cleaned the signs, only to have them spray painted again Dec.9. A member of the group scrubbed off the paint, but again the signs were vandalized shortly after. But this time, the damage couldn't be undone with soap and water.

One of the signs was shot with bullets. Now the group must decide if they want to leave them as they are or purchase a new one. A GoFundMe account was created during the first vandalism to purchase cameras for the signs, but after those were bought, one was taken down by a landowner.

"I would ask them to show me where in the Bible God says to show their love for him by destroying others' property," Luna said.

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The group with meet with the TxDot on Wednesday to discuss possibly moving the stretch of highway to a more populated area in hopes of deterring vandals.

The meeting comes two days after Orange took down the city's nativity scene when the group requested permission to put up a "Happy Holidays" banner near the Christmas Nativity Scene. Although the group didn't threaten a lawsuit, the city said the scene was removed to avoid legal costs.

Gov. Greg Abbott asked the city to reinstate it.

"I strongly encourage the City of Orange to stand up to the demands of a select few who wish to see God thrown out of the public square, embrace the season of Christmas and restore the Nativity Scene immediately," Abbott said in an issued statement.

Luna said these instances have been really stressful for the group.

"I think the word atheist shakes them to their core for some reason," she said. "It shows them that their beliefs aren't for everyone."