Conservative Christian billboard looms high above Hillcrest
Photo credit: earthlink.net
Billboard on Washington Street in Hillcrest.
“In the beginning God Created.”
These are the words printed on a giant billboard that looms high above Washington Street between 1st and 3rd Avenues, welcoming visitors into Hillcrest from the west side.
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The odd placement of biblical scripture at the entryway to San Diego’s primarily gay district may raise more than a few eyebrows.
The quote is taken from the very first verse of the Bible, and is meant to discount the theory of Darwinism, but the company funding the signs is a conservative Christian group called Christian Aid Ministries (CAM).
CAM says on their website that they have a vision of, “pointing America to Christ.” Their beginnings are firmly planted in conservative ideologies.
Here is an excerpt from their “About Us” section:
“Our primary purpose is to be a trustworthy and efficient channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world. This is in response to the command, “. . . do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).
The Christian organization started the Billboard Evangelism program in order to “point the American people to Christ,” by buying space on billboards to post Gospel messages on roadsides and other highly visible public places such as the one in Hillcrest.
CAM’s website explains that the primary reason for these giant roadside scriptures is to correct the immoral practices taking over modern society:
“AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK!” CAM’s website states, “Spiritually. More and more Americans ridicule God, the Bible, and Christian values. Gay marriage, fornication, adultery, and pornography are freely accepted.”
Other signs available from the organization read:
“The Holy Bible. Inspired. Absolute. Final.”
“If you die tonight: heaven or hell?”
“After you die, you will meet God”
It would seem that this strategically placed sign at the entrance of Hillcrest is a warning to its primarily LGBT patrons, given how CAM views homosexuality:
“Knowing then that Almighty God did in fact create heterosexuality in Adam and Eve and pronounced His blessing upon them,” their website states, “is there also a Biblical passage where God pronounced His blessing upon homosexuality—man with man, or woman with woman? The answer is NO. Homosexuality is not found in the creation, and was not pronounced good by God. Ultimately, if we are going to look to the Word of God as our guide, we will be forced to conclude that homosexuality was not a part of God’s design.”
Editor’s note: Picture has been updated to reflect the actual sign on Washington Street.,/i>
Timothy Rawles is Community Editor of SDGLN. He can be reached at [email protected], @reporter66 on Twitter, or by calling toll-free to 888-442-9639, ext. 713.
