Missing atheist sign found in Washington state

An atheist sign criticizing Christianity that was erected alongside a Nativity scene was taken from the Legislative Building in Olympia, Washington, on Friday and later found in a ditch.An employee from country radio station KMPS-FM in Seattle told CNN the sign was dropped off at the station by someone who found it in a ditch."I thought it would be safe," Freedom From Religion Foundation co-founder Annie Laurie Gaylor told CNN earlier Friday. "It's always a shock when your sign is censored or stolen or mutilated. It's not something you get used to."The sign, which celebrates the winter solstice, has had some residents and Christian organizations calling atheists Scrooges because they said it was attacking the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth."Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds," the sign from the Freedom From Religion Foundation says in part.The sign, which was at the Legislative Building at 6:30 a.m. PT, was gone by 7:30 a.m., Gaylor said.The incident will not stifle the group's message, Gaylor said. Before reports of the placard's recovery, she said a temporary sign with the same message would be placed in the building's Rotunda. Gaylor said a note would be attached saying, "Thou shalt not steal.""I guess they don't follow their own commandments,"(1) Gaylor said. "There's nothing out there with the atheist point of view, and now there is such a firestorm that we have the audacity to exist. And then whoever took the sign stifles our speech." Gaylor said that police are checking security cameras pointed at the building's entrances and exits to see if they can see anyone stealing the sign."It's probably about 50 pounds, " Gaylor said. "My brother-in-law was huffing and puffing carrying it up the stairs. It's definitely not something you can stick under your arm or conceal."The Washington State Patrol, which is handling the incident, could not be reached for comment.Dan Barker, a former evangelical preacher and co-founder of the group, said it was important for atheists to see their viewpoints validated alongside everyone else's.Barker said the display is especially important given that 25 percent of Washington state residents are unaffiliated with religion or do not believe in God. (A recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found 23 percent of Washingtonians said they were unaffiliated with a religion and 7 percent said they didn't believe in God.)"It's not that we are trying to coerce anyone; in a way our sign is a signal of protest," Barker said. "If there can be a Nativity scene saying that we are all going to hell if we don't bow down to Jesus, we should be at the table to share our views."He said if anything, it's the Nativity scene that is the intrusion. "Most people think December is for Christians and view our signs as an intrusion, when actually it's the other way around," he said. "People have been celebrating the winter solstice long before Christmas. We see Christianity as the intruder, trying to steal the holiday from all of us humans."(2)The scene in Washington state is not unfamiliar. Barker has had signs in Madison, Wisconsin, for 13 years. The placard is often turned around so the message can't be seen, and one year, someone threw acid on it, forcing the group to encase it in Plexiglas....
By Mallory Simon
To read more go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/05/atheists.christmas/index.html
PS:Isn't it funny that atheists dont believe in God at all but acknowledge His commandments...?(1)IF THERE IS NO GOD,why would they care about their sign being stolen....?IF GOD doesnt exist,then...STEALING IS NOT BAD...They shouldn't even protest....
Where do they THINK the moral standards for society--based on right and wrong--COME FROM...?
IF THERE IS NO GOD...then THERE IS NO RIGHT or WRONG....!!!!
(2)How sad that Dan baker was a former evangelical preacher....IF he was really saved back then,he has gone so far from being backslidden that now is an ATHEIST...how sad....If he was then a nominal christian...then he never KNEW HIM....either way,God knows it...And IF he doesnt REPENT...yes ...he will end up in HELL,like he said....How tragic...I hope he is not far beyond REPENTANCE...!
As in the days of Noah....