Polish atheists have taken their messages against the Catholic church
and plastered them on billboards through out the country. There have been very few challenges to the Catholic Church in Poland, but these new billboards aim to change that by suggesting that morality need not emanate from religious doctrine.
The billboards are being erected in major Polish cities, and depict boxes that are labeled, “Do Not Kill,” “Do Not Steal,” “Do Not Believe,” with tick marks on each one.
Another billboard asks, “Don’t believe in God?” followed by “You are not alone."
The billboards are controversial, to say the least, as more than nine out of ten Poles identify as Catholic. Poland is also the birthplace of Pope John Paul II.
In a story filed by The New Scotsman, the President of the Polish Association of Rationalists, Jacek Tabisz, stated, “In a country considered to be Catholic, it’s very hard to be an atheist. Contrary to popular belief, however, there are many of us although not all of us have let our beliefs be known. The billboard action is not aimed at believers. It is to show people that in a country where the stereotypical Pole is a Catholic there is a large group of atheists.”
The group is one of those responsible for the billboards.
Resistance is high, though, as many Poles remain grateful to the Catholic Church for the role it played in the eradication of the Communist government in 1989.
Technically, Poland has a secular government, but there is a fair amount of integration of church and state, including a "church fund" which benefits the Catholics, as well as tax relief, pension assistance, etc.