Republican Convention: ‘God’s Not Dead 2’ Billboard Taken Down in Favor of Atheist Billboard
- Updated Jul 14, 2016
A Christian-themed billboard at the Republican National Convention has been rejected, and an atheist billboard has been approved in its place.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the billboard was to feature the Christian film “God’s Not Dead 2,” which is soon to be released to DVD. The proposed billboard would have featured a picture of actress Melissa Joan Hart, who plays the lead character in the film, along with the words, “I’d rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the world and be judged by God.”
The billboard company Orange Barrel Media initially seemed set to approve the billboard of the Christian film, but now, just days before the convention which begins July 18, they have told Pure Flix, the distributor of the film, that the billboard has been rejected because its message is “too political” and “way too incendiary.”
“I’m perplexed,” said Steve Fedyski, the CEO of Pure Flix. “They dragged us along for weeks. Now, right up against the convention date, they say we aren’t approved, and they give us no logical rationale. My speculation is that someone, somewhere didn’t want our message out. It’s hard to understand, considering we’ve used the same marketing on CNN and other national networks.”
The convention will, however, feature a billboard sponsored by the atheist organization Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).
The FFRF’s billboard features a picture of Ronald Reagan and the quote, “We establish no religion in this country… Church and state are, and must remain, separate.”
Publication date: July 14, 2016
