***Update***: You can view the full slideshow of billboards here.

There must be a sale on billboard space in Sacramento, California, because the Sacramento chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation just purchased enough of it to put up 55 billboards over the next month as part of a massive publicity push. I’m almost positive that makes this the largest group of atheist billboards to ever go up at once. Each billboard features a local atheist (or family) along with a quotation of his/her choosing:

“They are going up to let the fellow non-believers know they are not alone,” said FFRF Sacramento President Judy Saint of Roseville.

There are so many billboards to choose from but here’s just a sampling of them:

It’s really an amazing way to “sell” atheism: Showcase real people from the city — smiling, laughing, and happy — who aren’t afraid to wear their Humanism on their sleeves.

As you might expect, they’re already being mischaracterized:

Bishop Jaime Soto with the Cathedral of a Blessed Sacrament refers to the billboards as propaganda. “While I’m not happy about these billboards, I am certain people still, when they look deep down in their soul and in their heart, find a spark. They believe in a higher power,” Soto said. Soto told FOX40 he does not think the billboards will have a large impact on the community.

Soto doesn’t get it. These billboards represent more than 55 people, each of whom can say to him with complete honesty, “I have looked deep down in my soul and heart. God is nowhere to be found. I’m perfectly okay with that.”

I have no doubt these billboards will have a huge impact on the community. When that many people publicly declare their atheism, you can’t ignore them all.



