Atheist vs. Catholic Billboard War
PHILLIPS: Well the sounds of the season are definitely in the air and so are the signs of a heated debate. We want to show you a pair of dueling billboards. One is from atheists, the other from Catholics. And both groups are reaching out to you this holiday season. Jeanne Moos has the details.</s>JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's not just light at the end of this tunnel, there's a battle of the billboards on the Jersey side. The atheist holiday billboard -- "You know it's a myth. This season, celebrate reason."</s>DAVID SILVERMAN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ATHEISTS: Well, we do know it's a myth. We do know that the invisible magic man in the sky is a myth. We do know this.</s>BILL DONOHUE, PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: They must be reading too much Wikipedia or something. I don't know where they get these ideas.</s>MOOS: When the Catholic League saw the atheist billboard --</s>DONOHUE: Is there anybody to respond. Are we just pinata's that we're just going to accept this kind of thing as a doormat?</s>MOOS: The Catholic League put up its own billboard on the Manhattan side of the tunnel. "You know it's real. This season, celebrate Jesus."</s>SILVERMAN: We know God is fake and we know Christianity stole Christmas. We know this.</s>DONOHUE: So they believe that we came from nothing, the big bang theory. Or is it the King Kong theory. We're all a bunch of apes, we fell down kerplunk one day. I don't know. If he wants to believe in that fairytale, he has every right to do so.</s>MOOS: The roads into and out of the Lincoln Tunnel are considered prime billboard space. The atheists say they spent over $20,000 to put up their billboard for a month. Polls show 15 percent of Americans claim no religion and atheists think a lot more of the folks are what they closet atheists.</s>SILVERMAN: We need those people to come out of the closet.</s>MOOS: Forget atheists coming out of the closet. They'll be coming out of the tunnel.</s>SILVERMAN: God and Santa Claus are the same thing. He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.</s>DONOHUE: They believe in nothing. They stand for nothing. They think they came from nothing.</s>MOOS: As for an atheist view of the nativity on the Catholic billboard -- who are these people?</s>SILVERMAN: I don't know. This guy looks a little like me, actually.</s>MOOS: This season, instead of just ads for watches and electronics, they're selling religion or the lack thereof.</s>SILVERMAN: Happy holidays Bill.</s>DONOHUE: Merry Christmas to the American Atheists.</s>MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.</s>PHILLIPS: Wait a minute, Tony. They missed the headline there. There's no Santa Claus?</s>TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, yes, they did sort of bury the lead, didn't they?</s>PHILLIPS: Did you know that?</s>HARRIS: I did not know! My kids don't know it, either!</s>PHILLIPS: Sorry about that.</s>PHILLIPS: Have a great show.</s>HARRIS: Thank you, Kyra. Have a great day.