American Atheists announced today that their new billboard is going up in several locations nationwide, including the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel: the same location as last year’s famous “You KNOW it’s a MYTH” billboard. The new billboard will also be going up in Ohio and Florida.

This year’s holiday season billboard features pictures of Neptune, Jesus, Santa Claus, and the Devil and says, “37 Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them. What do you see?”

Dave Silverman, President of American Atheists, said, “Last year’s MYTH billboard was incredibly successful and garnered a lot more attention than we conceived. This year’s billboard should be equally thought-provoking and spark plenty of conversations nationally, but especially in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Florida.”

Mr. Silverman continued, “The Florida billboards will also be advertising our upcoming convention in December in Fort Lauderdale. It is going to be an amazing convention with great speakers and this billboard will help promote it to atheists in Florida.”

Blair Scott, Communications Director for American Atheists, stated, “Every year groups like The Catholic League and American Family Association told Americans about a war on Christmas that simply did not exist. Last year we thought we would give them what they seemed to want and fired the first shot in the war on Christmas. To both groups we say, ‘Happy Holidays!’”

Mr. Scott continued, “Offending people is not our goal, but we know people are going to be offended. When you question someone’s long-held beliefs and doctrine they are going to be immediately offended and be on the defensive: it’s a known psychological phenomenon.”

For more details and to see the billboards, please visit atheists.org/atheism/billboards2011.

[November 14, 2011]