Atheist billboard in Nebraska taken down after residents complain

An advertising company was forced to take down a billboard sponsored by Lincoln Atheists after customers threatened to boycott the gas station where the advertisement was displayed.

"The Good Life without God?" the sign stated. "It's possible. Visit us at LincolnAtheists.org."

According to a report from Lincoln Journal Star, Lamar Advertising was supposed to display the billboard for a whole month starting on Oct. 10. The atheist group was told on Oct. 18 that sign would be taken down early due to complaints from local residents who threatened to boycott the gas station where the ad was put up.

Scott Morton, general manager of the Lamar's branch in Lincoln, said the company has to obey the wishes of the landowners where it leases advertising space.

"At this point, we're just going to refund them all of their money, even though they got some display time," said Morton.

The manager added that he and the staff take free speech rights when making decisions about an advertisement but the company also has to consider the possibility that billboards could have words that would be deemed offensive by its viewers.

"I've turned away so many messages over the last 28 years, I can't tell you," he said.

Brian Aden, the president of Lincoln Atheists, said the purpose of the billboard was to reach out to other atheists. He added that the group might consider putting another advertisement elsewhere.

"My first choice would be to put it up somewhere else in Lincoln," Aden said. "If that's not possible, we're not upset at Lamar. It's unfortunate because I don't think there's anything offensive about it," he continued.

Aden said the billboard did not receive too many reactions before he learned of its removal. He noted that the group still has not directly received any negative comments. He also shared that the group's Facebook page saw an increase in members after it was displayed. The advertisement was also featured in a blog called the Friendly Atheist.

Hai Dao, the owner of the gas station, said that he did not pay much attention to the sign and did not even know how long it has been on display. He stated that he called Lamar after receiving several complaints from the customers.

"I want to make my customers happy," he said. "I have my regulars, they say they love my business, but they don't like to see [the ad] out there," he added.