The Freedom From Religion Foundation's "Keep Religion OUT of Government" billboard on the 2600 block of North Avenue, Grand Junction, Colo., was defaced, apparently last weekend. A vandal X'ed out the word "religion," and painted in the word "fag."
"This is the first time one of our billboards has been defaced," commented Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor, of Madison, Wis. Though, another atheist billboard in Idaho was defaced recently.
"And we consider it a double hate crime, targeting two minorities—nonbelievers and gays. It is very sad to see our message honoring the Constitution turned into ugly hate speech."
The Foundation, a state/church watchdog with 14,000 nationwide and more than 400 members in Colorado, has placed more than 50 billboards in more than 22 states, since launching a national billboard campaign in October 2007.
This was the first time the Foundation debuted this particular message, "Keep Religion OUT of Government," on a billboard. It was intended to send a message to both city and county governments to stop praying during government meetings, in cooperation with local members and the local group, Western Colorado Freethinkers and Atheists.
"We are sure this act of vandalism does not reflect the feelings of most citizens in Grand Junction. Yet the city and county governments have sent a continuing message that citizens who believe in God, and more particularly, believe in Jesus, are the true Americans, excluding the rest of us. When religion is allied with government, there is always persecution of minorities and the unorthodox," Gaylor added.
The Foundation filed a police report. The vinyl billboard cost $500 and the month-long lease was another $500.
Comments
This isn't a hate crime against non-believers. The founding fathers saw the power and necessity of keeping religion and government separate... you don't have to be a non-believer to want to uphold the constitution.
What do people think this means? "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
It isn't a hate crime against homosexuals. Using that word (which examiner.com apparently will not allow in a comment even though it appears in the article) as an insult may be discriminatory and hateful, but it isn't illegal. The only actual crime here was committed against the FFRF.
"What do people think this means?" It means that the feds cannot force a religion on the states but that the states are free to impose any sort of religious legislation that they wish to. Obviously.
Trey
"Separation of church and state" is NOT in the Constitution. It was mentioned in a letter from Jefferson to a minister who was apprehensive about the government interfering in his exercise of his religion. Jefferson meant to reassure the minister.
The Founders never intended the government to be free from religion, present-day nutjobs misinterpreting the Founders' intent notwithstanding.
Anna,
""Separation of church and state" is NOT in the Constitution. It was mentioned in a letter from Jefferson to a minister who was apprehensive about the government interfering in his exercise of his religion. Jefferson meant to reassure the minister."
This part of your posting is correct, but the Supreme Court has used Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists to show the intent in the First Amendment, and this is set as precedence for further cases.
Consider for a moment. How can people of any religion be assured of their religious freedoms if another religion holds sway over the government granting that freedom?
Government must remain secular (non-religious) to continue to promise religious freedom to everyone. That's not to say people in government can't be religious, but that their decisions shouldn't be based on those beliefs.
Steven is right. The Constitution says something in the realm of congress shall not pass law to govern religion. Basically what that means is you can't say this country was founded on Christianity and all its rules are based on Christianity. It is not illegal to be a non-theist and free speech is still a right.
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