Atheists Claim Church Interference With Billboard

A national atheist group is criticizing a Columbus church for reportedly forcing a billboard to be taken down. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation says it leased seven Columbus billboards from Clear Channel advertising for its "I Can Be Good Without God" campaign. Unbeknownst to them, they say, one of those billboards sat on land owned by the Christ Cathedral Church just off James Road. "The church that they leased the land from was unhappy with our billboard and they threatened to cut off relations with the billboard company unless they moved it," says Annie Laurie-Gaylor, the foundation's president. Laurie-Gaylor says she considered legal action but decided against it when Clear Channel agreed to put the ad on another billboard. Neither Clear Channel nor the church immediately returned phone calls.