N.C. Businessman Counters Atheist Billboard With Christmas Message

A local businessman in North Carolina is responding to an atheist billboard with a pro-Christmas billboard of his own.

David Johnson, owner of Johnson Nursery in Willard, North Carolina, has sought to counter an atheist billboard encouraging people to skip church this Christmas with a billboard of his own. Johnson tells the local WECT-TV that after learning about the billboards that were recently erected by the American Atheists, he held a company meeting where he and fellow employees agreed to put up their own billboard.

The Johnson Nursery billboard, put up on Interstate 40 in Willard, shows the sillhoette of the Nativity Scene with the words: "Merry Christmas." The "Christ" in "Christmas" is underlined for emphasis.

"We hear holiday this and season that, but rarely Christmas," Johnson told the local media outlet regarding his business's billboard.

"Before this company meeting was over many started handing me $10 and $20 bills," Johnson said.

The billboard is in response to American Atheist billboards that have been erected in several parts of the Midwest and the south this holiday season. The billboards show an image of a child with the text: "Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is to skip church! I'm too old for fairy tales."

Along with Johnson, other have also been able to erect their own pro-Christmas billboards in response to the atheist message. Grace Church in Alma, Arkansas was able to successfully put up a religious billboard in response to the atheist billboard. The church-funded billboard reads: "Questions, Doubts, Curiosity? All welcome at Grace."