CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -
A national Atheists group is taking aim at Christians and Mormons with new billboards which will be in Charlotte during the Democratic National convention next month.
According to the American Atheists, the group will put up billboards "which exposes the foolishness of religion in the political landscape."
The group's president unveiled the billboards on Monday.
The billboards will be seen in Charlotte during the DNC, but the group was shut out of the Tampa for the Republican National Convention. According to the group, every company they contacted in Tampa "refused to display the billboard focusing on Mormonism."
According to the group, the billboard focused on Mormonism is located along Brookshire Boulevard, just east of Beatties Ford Road. The one focused on Christianity is located along the 4500 block of Wilkinson Boulevard.
"The election of our leaders in the United States is one of the most important decisions that we as citizens make," said American Atheists' president David Silverman.
"Allowing our judgment to be clouded by sheer silliness is unacceptable. We want to show the people of our country the foolishness of mixing religion with politics."
Silverman says the billboards are meant to inspire conversation and challenge the status quo.
The billboards feature assertions from Christianity and Mormonism that, according to American Atheists, have no place in politics.
"Religion is the single most divisive and least relevant issue on the planet," Silverman said.
He says politicians who can not defend their point of view with facts, science and reason use religion to justify positions and in many cases their campaign itself.
"'God wants me to' is simply another way of saying 'I want to, but I don't want to be challenged on why'," Silverman said. "'God wants me to run for president' sounds scarily like 'God wants me to take America into the war' 'God doesn't want women or gays to have equal rights' or 'God doesn't want children to learn about science'."
He says politicians use God to justify their policies and often dismiss the separation of Church and State.
"Our great country was founded on the secular ideals of the Constitution. Allowing religion to be the litmus test of our candidates undermines the very core of our freedoms," Teresa MacBain, Public Relations Director stated.
"Article VI of the Constitution states, ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification' for those desiring public office. How can we disregard our governing principles so blatantly?"
