Atheists Forced to Remove 'Good Without God' Billboard From Church Property

COLUMBUS, Ohio (The Blaze/AP) -- A billboard supporting atheism has been taken down from property owned by an Ohio church after the pastor complained. The Christian Post has more:

The billboard features a smiling image of Dylan Galos and accompanied with the words "I can be good without God." The sign campaign is part of a nationwide effort by the Freedom From Religion Foundation to “encourage social acceptance of nonbelievers,” the foundation states.

The campaign also features online entries available at the FFRF site for non-believers to enter their quotes and short bio. The foundation then selects the entries to be used on its billboards. The Ohio campaign billboards are scheduled to be in place for one month.

The sign had upset Rev. Waymon Malone of Christ Cathedral Church. The church owns the land where the billboard went up. Malone was unavailable for comment, but his mother-in-law told The Columbus Dispatch on Tuesday that the pastor ordered the ad be removed. She said:

"It upset him because of what it said. It said we don't need God, and we're at church, so we do need God."

Account executive Jay Schmidt with Matrix Media Services calls the billboard's placement "an unfortunate oversight." The ad agency says the sign came down days after it was installed last week and is back up at another site.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, claims that the group had no idea that the billboard would be positioned on church property. But, she wasted no time in showcasing her distaste for the pastor's removal demand, claiming:

"The action of this censorious church shows exactly why our campaign, intended to encourage social acceptance of nonbelievers, is so important. Do its deacons truly believe one can’t be good without God?"

Although the group questioned the pastor's "acceptance of nonbelievers," the situation has been settled. Now, the only remaining question is: Can one truly be good without God?