‘Under God’ Spray-Painted On Secularist Billboard

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A secularist billboard on the Billy Graham Parkway was vandalized over the weekend.

The billboard, which was paid for by the The North Carolina Secular Association, shows an American flag and the words "One Nation, Indivisible."

Over the weekend, someone spray-painted the words “under God” on the billboard.

Police were notified and are reviewing surveillance video from a nearby gas station, according to the NC Secular Association.

Will Warren, a spokesman for the Charlotte Atheists and Agnostics, the local ad sponsor, said they have asked the billboard company to repair or replace the billboard this week.

"We intend to restore this sign just like we are attempting to restore the original words to the Pledge of Allegiance,” Warren said.

“Under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.

The billboard was unveiled June 21 and is located near the Boyer intersection. Besides Charlotte, the group has billboards going up in Wilmington, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh.

"This act shows just how needed our message is," Joseph Stewart, founder of the NC Secular Association, said in a release. "Inserting 'under God' on our billboard is like inserting it into the original Pledge in 1954: it divides us as a nation. Our sign doesn't say 'One nation under no God'; it is inclusive. It says 'One Nation Indivisible.'”

Previous Stories: June 22, 2010: 'Under God' Missing From Charlotte Secularist Billboard