Judge Quashes Mountain Home Nativity Scene Ahead of Christmas

Christmas,

mthomenativityU.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks issued a ruling today quashing a Nativity scene on the Baxter County courthouse lawn, according to various news sources.

The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed against the county by the American Humanist Association. The judge ruled the county must either stop putting up the Nativity scene or create a public forum on its lawn allowing people of all religions to place decorations on courthouse property.

However, it’s worth pointing out that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Nativity scenes on public property constitutional in the past. In Lynch v. Donnelly the court ruled a Nativity scene on city property did not violate the Establishment Clause, writing, there was “insufficient evidence to establish that the inclusion of the crèche [Nativity scene] is a purposeful or surreptitious effort to express some kind of subtle governmental advocacy of a particular religious message. . . . The crèche [Nativity scene] in the display depicts the historical origins of this traditional event long recognized as a National Holiday [Christmas].”

Just because property is public doesn’t mean Nativity scenes and similar Christmas decorations are off-limits, as the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed through the years. And as other courts have noted, the government does not have to put up an anti-Christmas decoration alongside a Christmas decoration in order to comply with the Constitution. (more…)

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Why Is There No “War on Halloween”?

Religious Freedom, , , ,

Friendly pumpkinThe past few years we have heard more and more stories of the ACLU, atheist organizations, and others threatening local governments and public schools with legal action over Christmas decorations.

Baxter County is still in the middle of a lawsuit over its Nativity display placed on its courthouse lawn. Christmas decorations in Texas and elsewhere have been similarly attacked.

In 2012 atheists tried–unsuccessfully–to have an anti-Christmas message placed alongside Christmas decorations in Michigan; the proposed sign read,

“At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world, Religion is but Myth and superstition that hardens hearts And enslaves minds.”

Here’s a question for you: How come we never hear about these groups going after Halloween decorations?

The ACLU in Ohio has written about whether or not Halloween qualifies as a “religious” holiday; overall their tone is very dismissive, opening with,

“Is Halloween off limits in the public schools? Do paper witches and goblins hung on bulletin boards violate the separation of church and state?

“Not really. . . .”

They go on to note how religious groups and individuals have unsuccessfully challenged displays that were allegedly satanic.

By and large, few believe in vampires that turn into bats, ghosts under white sheets, or witches that fly on broomsticks. When students color Jack-O-Lanterns and skeletons during Art Class this time of year, it’s generally viewed as harmless fun. However, many people do believe in ghosts; many pagan religions–both ancient and modern–believe in magic and witchcraft; and many religions–including Christianity–believe in devils and spirits.

The “paper witches and goblins” that adorn school bulletin boards this time of year may look little like what any of these people have in mind when they discuss spirits or witchcraft, but arguably they are still depictions of something that is at the very least supernatural and perhaps even directly tied to certain religious beliefs.

Theoretically, an atheist would believe in God and Jesus no more than in a witch with warts and a green face. So why is there no effort to put disclaimers up alongside Halloween decorations at school? Wouldn’t it be just as appropriate to remind people there are no gods, devils, or angels at Halloween as at Christmas? Shouldn’t Halloween magic be just as offensive to freethinkers as a Christmas miracle? Where is the outrage?

When it comes to the treatment of Halloween versus Christmas, perhaps Ravi Zacharias put it best when he said concerning many modern atheists, “The anger with which they speak about God you would not speak against the tooth fairy. Something in the back of their minds tells them, ‘He’s real, and we’re angry.'”

Photo Credit: Anders Lagerås (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Atheists Sue Over Baxter County Nativity

Christmas,

Even though Christmas is over, the War on Christmas is not.

Recently we told you about a Nativity scene placed on the lawn of the Baxter County Courthouse. The display came with a disclaimer from the quorum court specifying that it was put up by local citizens. Last week an atheist group filed a lawsuit against the county over the Nativity scene.

According to the Associated Press, the American Humanist Association has teamed up with a local resident suing for alleged discrimination after the county refused to put a “Happy Solstice” banner up alongside the Nativity. They argue the banner should be permitted, because local residents were allowed to put up a Christmas Nativity scene.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that Christmas is a holiday officially recognized and celebrated at all levels of our government while the Winter Solstice is not. We do not close state and federal offices on “Winter Solstice Day.” Our nation celebrates Christmas. The county courthouse is not obligated to put up every kind of decoration or display people can imagine; it is free to tailor the scope and number of decorations. With that in mind, Baxter County officials ought to be able to argue–as other government officials have in similar cases around the country–that it is not required to put the banner up alongside the Nativity.

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