“At this point, we’re just going to refund them all of their money, even though they got some display time,” he said.

Morton said he and the company’s staff consider free speech rights when making decisions on which organizations and companies with which they do business. They also balance those considerations with the possibility that the words on the billboards could offend passersby.

“I’ve turned away so many messages over the last 28 years, I can’t tell you,” he said.

In the case of the atheists’ billboard, the company rejected the first design submission -- a black background with the words “Let God” on it with the “d” crossed out, leaving the words “Let Go” visible. Soon after, the parties agreed on a second choice, the runner-up in a design contest voted on by the group's 24 members.

“My first choice would be to put it up somewhere else in Lincoln,” Aden said. “If that’s not possible, we’re not upset at Lamar. It’s unfortunate because I don’t think there’s anything offensive about it.”