Atheist billboards spring up in St. Louis.

The "Religion" section the local newspaper (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch) has reported that a new billboard has sprung up smack dab in politically and religiously conservative west St. Louis County:

"Imagine no religion," it reads in a medieval-looking font, framed in a colorful stained-glass window pattern. The small billboard, on a strip of Manchester Road crowded with retail outlets, also gives the Web address for its sponsor, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The Post-Dispatch article includes an interview with the founder of FFRF, Annie Laurie Gaylor. She was asked about the inspirational aspects of religion:

What about the message behind the Beatitudes that Christ delivered in the Sermon on the Mount? The meek shall inherit the earth, blessed are the peacemakers, etc.

"I have a lot of objections to the Beatitudes which encourage meekness, docility and not changing this world," Gaylor said. "That's a good message for rulers to give to those who they rule over."

The stated purpose of FFRF is to promote:

the separation of state and church. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

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Billboards for your body, your mind and your planet

Consider the types of billboards that we most often see along the highway. They encourage us to pollute our bodies with unhealthy food, to pollute our minds with shallow amusements and to pollute our Earth by wasting resources and indulging in luxuries. The two billboards I photographed below are all-too-representative of what I've read along highways.

Yes, there are also billboards for public services as well as billboards for useful and reasonable products. What concerns me, though, is that most billboards carry unhealthy messages. There are so many unhealthy billboards out there that unhealthy activities seem to be norm. It's booze, gambling and conspicuous consumption all the way down the highway. What effect might this have on us? It reminds me of James Q. Wilson's broken window theory of crime:

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Wacky Billboard: Win a breast augmentation at the Family Arena.

Check out this billboard. Apparently, there is a "Bike Show" at the "Family Arena" in St. Charles, Missouri (St. Louis area). If you attend the Bike Show, you can "Register to Win a Free Breast Augmentation." I'd avoid buying only your raffle ticket in the name of the family, however,…

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New “Beware of Dogma” billboards springing up

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is decorating Madison, Wisconsin with "Beware of Dogma" billboards this month. What is the FFRF? The following mission statement is from the FFRF website: The history of Western civilization shows us that most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion.…

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