Black Atheists' Anti-Church Billboard Debuts for Black History Month

Several black churches surround the billboard and other cities are being targeted

A community of black churches in Dallas, TX are anxiously awaiting a new billboard being erected by African Americans for Humanism, a national organization of non-believers. The billboard is located in a neighborhood that has several black churches. The non-believers decided to post their advertisement, which features Langston Hughes, to start a conversation within the black church about their belief in God.

My Fox Dallas-Fort Worth reports:

“The question’s regarding doubt of religion. Do you really buy what you’re being told?” said Alix Jules, a member of African Americans for Humanism, a national organization of non-believers.

In July, Jules was featured in a hot-button Ebony magazine article discussing his decision to become an atheist. His face is also on the ad bound for the billboard. It will be alongside the famous free-thinker, historical writer and activist Langston Hughes.

“Can I believe in a God that will help me find my keys and win a ball game but allows hunger in places like Africa? Those are really big questions the church does not have answers to,” he said.

The group picked the area because it is home to at least a dozen black churches. And it picked February because of Black History Month.

Marsalis Avenue Church of Christ is about a mile from where the billboard will be. Pastor David Lane welcomes the discussion but believes faith in the black community is part of a heritage.

“Traditionally African Americans come out of a tradition that is led and motivated by faith. We are where we are and we are who we are primarily because we’ve chosen to believe in a power that’s bigger than ourselves,” he said. “It will create a lot of dialogue. There will be congregations of all kinds in this area who will be challenged by the fact that such a movement is at our door.”

But Jules said the ad in Oak Cliff and those planned for six other major cities are meant to provoke thought, not discussion or even de-conversion.

Atheist Billboard Targets African Americans: MyFoxDFW.com