Announcing a new ad campaign for summer 2010...
These billboards appeared all across the state of North Carolina on June 21st for 4 weeks -- from the mountains to the sea -- in Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington. They were a smashing success. Please scroll down to see some of the media coverage they generated.
This campaign is intended as a consciousness-raising effort to point out how every U.S. citizen who doesn’t believe in a monotheistic god is being "officially" marginalized, disrespected, and discriminated against by the insertion of "under God" in the Pledge, by the supplanting of our former de facto national motto--E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One)--with "In God We Trust," by language in certain state constitutions (like the one in NC) which restricts anyone that doesn't believe in a monotheistic god from holding public office, and in many other ways.
Article VI, Section 8 of the N.C. Constitution disqualifies from office "any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God." It is listed first, even over anyone convicted of a felony or anyone convicted of treason. During the last election, newly elected nontheist Cecil Bothwell had his right to hold office as an Asheville city councilperson challenged because of the N.C. Constitution's religious restriction.
[Seven other states (AR, MA, MD, PA, SC, TN, and TX) have exclusionary language included in their Bill of Rights, Declaration of Rights, official oath of office, or in the body of their constitutions.]
We believe the evidence clearly demonstrates that our Founders intended to establish a secular government, one that separated church from state. We believe this kind of officially sanctioned discrimination violates the intentions of the Founders, and that it is fundamentally unfair. All we are asking is that every citizen give every other citizen the same kind of consideration they expect for themselves, and that we all try to live up to the spirit of the ideals our Founders gave us of liberty and justice for all.
The billboards are being sponsored by the North Carolina Secular Association (NCSecular.org), a recently formed coalition of local secular, humanist, freethinking, and skeptical groups throughout North Carolina, with additional funds provided by FreeThoughtAction.
To help fund this campaign and others like it in the future, please visit our Donate page HERE. To find out more about this campaign or the the North Carolina Secular Association, please visit NCSecular.org. To buy tee-shirts or bumper-stickers of the ad artwork (both with and without the url), please visit our Store HERE. To see about having one of these billboards go up in your area, please contact us here: contact@freethoughtaction.org.
Below is a map of the approx. locations the billboards appeared.
"One Nation Indivisible" Billboard Locations
View "One Nation Indivisible" Billboard Map in a larger map
Media Coverage & Reaction
Click on any of the 4 headlines below to go directly to that section of coverage.
"One Nation Indivisible" Billboard Campaign Launches!
UPDATE #1: Charlotte Billboard Vandalized
UPDATE #2: Vandalized Billboard Restored!
UPDATE #3: Continuing Coverage
Click HERE for a hi-res image.
"One Nation Indivisible" Billboard Campaign Launches!
The billboard in Charlotte goes up.
Click HERE for a hi res image.
AP has done two stories on the launch now and McClatchy Newspapers has picked it up as has UPI, so it is appearing in news outlets all across the country. It's on CNN, MSNBC, on the local news channels in the cities where the billboards are located, it was on the front page of the Charlotte Observer, the front page of the Greensboro News and Record, in the Raleigh News and Observer, the Winston-Salem Journal, the Asheville Citizen-Times, the Wilmington Star News, and other newspapers across the country, CBN covered it, a couple of news videos have made it to YouTube, the Richard Dawkins Foundation site posted one of the videos, we are getting emails from all across the country and even outside the country from Canada and the UK.....
Here are just some of the dozens of news links out there about this. More to come as we have time. NOTE: The link at the bottom is to some news we just heard about on Wednesday night (evidently a group in FL put up almost the same billboard at the same time in 5 locations in one city there). What are the odds of that?
Local news video coverage in Raleigh (includes an interview with our media rep Randall)
Local news video coverage in Asheville (includes an interview with our media rep Jennifer)
Local news video coverage in Winston-Salem
Local FOX News video coverage in Charlotte (includes an interview with our media rep Will)
Local media coverage video, Raleigh (with a statement by our media rep Mike from Wilmington)
Local news coverage video, Wilmington (with a statement by our media rep Mike)
Billboard campaign rebuts 'one nation under God' (CNN)
'Under God' missing from billboard on Billy Graham Parkway (MSNBC)
Atheist ad goes up on Billy Graham Parkway (UPI story)
NC atheists put billboard on Billy Graham Parkway (AP story from the Charlotte Observer story below)
NC atheists put billboard on Billy Graham Parkway (Charlotte Observer front page story)
N.C. billboards say: Non-believers are Americans, too (Raleigh News and Observer story, front page Local section)
Atheist-agnostic coalition promotes its patriotism (Winston-Salem Journal story)
Atheist billboards in Asheville, elsewhere get support and slammed (Asheville Citizen-Times story)
Drive-time – One nation Indivisible "Godless" billboard is up (Wilmington Star News Online story)
Group defends 'Godless' billboard campaign (Greensboro News and Record front page story)
"Godless Billboard" pops up on the coast of NC (Local news coverage, Wilmington)
"God" Left Off Billboard On Billy Graham Parkway (Local news coverage, Charlotte)
N.C. Atheists Declare 'One Nation Indivisible' Without God (Christian Post article)
Atheists put billboard on Billy Graham Parkway (AP)
Your answers – What's more important – 'under God' or 'indivisible?'
A Strategically Placed Atheist Billboard (Friendly Atheist)
'Godless' Billboards Appear in North Carolina (Posting of one of the Charlotte news videos on the Richard Dawkins Foundation site)
Pro-God marquees balance Godless billboard campaign
NC Atheist Groups Object God in Pledge (CBN coverage which came from Wilmington coverage)
Atheist billboards stir debate in Lakeland (Another "One Nation Indivisible" billboard in FL)
Vandals Strike Godless Billy Graham Pkwy Billboard
UPDATE #1: June 28, 2010 - Over this past weekend, one or more vandals defaced with spray paint part of the "One Nation Indivisible" billboard on the Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte. The words "under God" were added below "One Nation Indivisible" with an arrow indicating their placement between "One Nation" and "Indivisible." The AP, Washington Times, Charlotte Observer, and several other newspapers have covered the story, as have several local television stations, and the story was featured on the Yahoo! home page, so now we are getting emails from even outside the country. See our earlier press release HERE.
Below are the most relevant news links...
Atheist billboard defaced on N.C.'s Billy Graham Parkway (Yahoo! coverage)
Defacing the Pledge of Allegiance (again?) (The Washington Post "On Faith")
Controversial sign vandalized (Local news coverage video with our media rep Will)
'Godless' billboard in Charlotte defaced with 'Under God' (Local news coverage video with our media rep Will)
'Under God' spray painted onto secular Pledge billboard (Local news coverage video with our media rep Will)
Vandals Add God To God-less Billboard (Local news coverage video)
Secularist billboard defaced (CNN)
Pledge without God sign defaced in N.C. (Washington Times story)
Controversial 'atheist' billboard is defaced (Charlotte Observer story)
'Godless' billboard in Charlotte defaced with 'under God' (Local news coverage, Charlotte)
Billboard erected by atheists is vandalized (AP)
Atheist Group's Sign On Billy Graham Parkway Vandalized (Local news coverage, Charlotte)
Spray Painters Add “Under God” to Atheist Sign (Local news coverage, Charlotte)
Billboard Erected By NC Atheists Vandalized (Local news coverage, Charlotte)
Atheist Group's Sign On Billy Graham Parkway Vandalized (WFAE Radio from Charlotte, click on "Listen")
Godless Billy Graham Pkwy billboard vandalized (Examiner story)
‘Under God’ Spray-Painted On Secularist Billboard (Local news coverage, Charlotte)
Religious vandalism, continued controversy over pledge of allegiance (Local news coverage, Raleigh)
'Godless' billboard in Charlotte defaced with 'Under God' (Local news coverage, Wilmington)
Billboard erected by NC atheists is vandalized
Billboard erected by NC atheists is vandalized
Billboard Boorishness: Vandals Attack Secular Patriotic Message In North Carolina (Official blog of Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
Atheist Billboard in North Carolina Vandalized Within a Week (Friendly Atheist)
Atheist Ads Vandalized (Institute for Creation Research coverage)
Institute For Creation Research Explains Atheist Billboard Vandalism (Friendly Atheist response to the coverage above)
WND Columnist Cheers Vandalism
An honest peek into the brain of a Christian conservative
Atheistic Billboards Across N.C. Tout a Dangerous Message
Atheist Billboard Campaign Upsets N.C. Residents (CBN coverage)
Click HERE for a hi res image.
Defaced Billboard Restored!
Click HERE for a hi-res image.
UPDATE #2: July 1, 2010 - The Charlotte billboard that was defaced by one or more vandals last weekend was replaced this morning. Within about an hour, the Charlotte Observer had posted the story online.
Defaced 'atheist' billboard is repaired (Charlotte Observer story)
Out with the old, in with the new...
Click on any of the images below for a hi-res version.
For more pictures of this billboard and others in the campaign, please click HERE.
Continuing Coverage
Cover of the June 30 - July 6 Creative Loafing magazine.
UPDATE #3: The reaction to the billboards continues with a featured story in Creative Loafing (a free entertainment magazine in Charlotte), discussions on radio shows, commentaries and op eds. Also, The Rev. Ralph Sexton, pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Asheville, and the We Still Pray movement has begun putting up billboards which read; "One Nation Under God," which has resulted in more coverage and interviews. We are gratified that we have been able to start this important conversation in North Carolina. Now let us hope the debate of the billboards develops into true dialogue among our citizens as we explore together this critical church-state issue.
Nonreligious activists launch a new secular movement in N.C. (Charlotte's Creative Loafing magazine)
Can You Have Patriotism Without God? Actual interview is HERE, but you must scoll down for the podcast.("Truth Talk Live" syndicated radio show interviewing Jim Moury our Winston-Salem media rep.)
My kind of vandals (WorldNetDaily commentary on the vandalism)
WorldNetDaily Supports Atheist Billboard Vandalism (Friendly Atheist response to the WorldNetDaily commentary)
Separation of Church and State (WFAE Charlotte public radio discussion inspired by the billboard, click on "Listen Now")
Let's not let Pledge divide 'one nation' (Durham News Op Ed inspired by the billboard)
Dueling billboards in Asheville debate religion's role in government (Asheville Citizen Times story about "One Nation Under God billboards being placed)
More 'Under God' billboards going up in Asheville, other NC cities (More coverage of the "Under God" billboards from the Asheville Citizen Times, includes our media rep Jennifer's response)
Godless Billboard Will Soon Have Some "Under God" Competition (Charlotte Fox News video)
Controversial billboards to be seen in the east (More news video coverage of the "Under God" billboards which includes a response from our media rep Jennifer)
From www.atheistcartoons.com.
NOTICE: Now that UnitedCoR has taken the ball to run with our now famous "Don't Believe In God? You Are Not Alone" billboard ad, we will not continue posting news and information about where these ads are placed on this page in the future. You can find that at the UnitedCoR site. We are retaining information about the first two years for historical purposes HERE.