Atheist Group Erects Shrine to Paganism, Nature Worship at State Capitol

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Secretary of State Charlie Daniels was obligated to allow a local group of atheists to put up a display marking the winter solstice on the Capitol grounds. The winter solstice will occur on December 21 this year (this Monday); it is the shortest day of the year, marking the first day of winter, and always occurs during the Christmas season. Many would ask, “What’s wrong with a seasonal display that depicts an astronomical event?” The fact is, however, that the display the Freethinkers are promoting does not simply discuss seasonal changes; it proselytizes about atheism, evolution, and the Freethinkers themselves. It really isn’t a winter solstice display at all.

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The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers and their Dogma

The Arkansas Society of Freethinkers is the group responsible for Monday’s court ruling requiring Secretary of State Charlie Daniels to open the Capitol grounds up to displays from virtually any group in Arkansas. As we told you yesterday, this means that the Secretary of State must now allow a “winter solstice kiosk” to be placed right next to the Nativity scene that has been a part of the Capitol’s Christmas decorations since at least the 1940s. This new display does more than simply discuss the astronomical event of the winter solstice. It encourages people to take part in becoming a “freethinker”. With that in mind, we want to set about explaining in detail exactly what Freethinkers believe and what their society is advocating both in Arkansas and across the nation.

What is Freethought?
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ACLU Attacks Nativity at Arkansas State Capitol

Federal District Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled in Little Rock on Monday that the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers has a First Amendment Right to set up their “kiosk” alongside the Nativity Christmas display on the grounds of the State Capitol. Judge Wright ruled that Arkansas Secretary of State Charlie Daniels had established a “public forum” by allowing a private organization, the owners of the Nativity, to set it up.

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