Atheist Billboards Up in Lakeland, FL

The billboard will remain up for 75 days. Curry isn't sure what reaction it will generate.

"We really don't know what to expect. Every community is different," he said.

The initial reaction Monday from people living and working in the neighborhood didn't fall much on the positive side.

"You shouldn't raise your children that way …. not to believe in God,'' said Carolyn Brown. "I think it should be removed now."

Nathaniel Thomas said he respects the group's right to free speech but still wishes the billboard wasn't there.

"We've got a lot of churches in this neighborhood, a lot of black churches in this neighborhood, and we don't need that," he said.

The atheist organization is inviting the public to a questions-and-answers meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 23 in the Lakeland Public Library, 100 Lake Morton Drive.

A similar billboard was sponsored in Fort Lauderdale in June by Florida Atheists and Secular Humanists.
Curry said the billboard could generate negative reactions from Lakeland's religious community but possibly not wholesale condemnation.

The Atheists of Florida are on the move and in the press this week. They just put up their first billboard in Lakeland that says, ‘Don’t believe in God? You are not alone.’ And as expected, it has generated a little bit of controversy. Fortunately, most people respect the right of individuals to not believe these days, so the death threats are at a minimum. Though, the TBO website article has a lot of comments that have been removed by the staff at TBO for inappropriate comments.