“This issue is in our own backyard, and we as a community will not be bullied. Jesus’ birth is the point of Christmas, and we think the Nativity should be there.”For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:
-- Sarah Jordan, resident of Dallas, NC
Nativity Banned at Florida School by Obama Dept. of Education
President Obama's Pentagon Takes Orders from Atheists on Nativity Scenes
Veterans Hospital Bans Christmas Carols
California Teacher Says Jesus Not Allowed in Christmas
Indiana Protects Christmas from Atheists' Lawsuits
Also read about the latest myriad attacks on Christmas in schools around the nation.
-- From "Legal threats prompt removal of Jay [Florida] Nativity scene" by Kevin Robinson, Pensacola News Journal 12/12/14
The city traditionally places a Nativity scene outside Jay City Hall, however, this year the town received a letter from the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom from Religion Foundation that said the display was unconstitutional, Town Clerk Linda Carden said. The foundation threatened to take legal action against the town if the Nativity scene was not removed.
The town council discussed the issue Monday and concluded it would be in the community's best interest to remove the display rather than risk lengthy and expensive litigation, Carden said.
The council declared the Nativity scene surplus and gave it to the North Santa Rosa Ministerial Association. The association asked for and was granted permission from the council to erect the display at the corner of Commerce Street and Highway 4.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Atheist Group's Complaint Backfires, Lands Nativity In Full Public View" by Brittany M. Hughes, CNSNews.com 12/15/14
The FFRF, known for protesting any and all religious displays in public places, sent a complaint letter recently to local officials in the 526-person city of Jay, arguing against the life-sized nativity that had been set up on the site every Christmas for nearly 40 years, the group said in a press release.
“It now stands at a busy corner at the town’s main stop light—ironic, say nativity supporters, because many more people will see it there,” the APN [American Pastors Network] said in a news release, adding that the more prominent display shows the citizens of Jay “have no intention of removing the real meaning of Christmas from public display.”
“The truth remains that public displays of the nativity scene on government property in no way violate the Constitution. FFRF’s attempts to stifle religious liberty, however, do,” [APN President Sam Rohrer] added.
[The] nativity display in Brookville, Ind., is still standing despite the FFRF’s attempts to force the local government to remove it, the group added.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "First Amendment dispute pits nonprofit against Nativity display" by Kristine Guerra, Indianapolis Star posted at Palladium-Item (Richmond, IN) 12/16/14
Every year for the past five decades, about a dozen Brookville residents have built a Nativity scene outside the county courthouse.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison, Wis.-based nonprofit, has been sending letters to the county commissioners since 2010, asking the county to take down the “unlawful” display from public property. A second letter, sent in December 2013, says the Nativity scene is a constitutional violation that shows the government endorses one religion over another.
The county commissioners ignored the letters. The volunteers continued putting up the display every year. Others advocated for keeping the town’s tradition.
. . . a group of people marched Friday evening from the Brookville Public Library to the Nativity display to show their support. . . .
[Franklin County Commissioner Tom] Wilson said the county commissioners will not issue a formal response unless the Freedom From Religion Foundation files a lawsuit.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Protests planned after Nativity scene moved from NC courthouse square" by Brody O'Connell, WBTV-TV3 (Charlotte, NC) 12/15/14
Community members told WBTV the religious decorations had been placed in Dallas' Courthouse Square for 40 years.
This year, town leaders moved it off public property after they received complaints from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The foundation claims it violates the separation of church and state.
The Nativity is now on private property about a block away from the Courthouse Square.
In response to the move, dozens of people in Dallas gathered over the weekend to put on a live nativity.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Residents replace removed Nativity scene with a live one" by Eric Wildstein, The Gazette (Gaston County, NC) 12/13/14
More than a hundred people staged a live Nativity scene on the [Dallas, NC] courthouse square Saturday night to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Participants dressed in costumes as biblical figures depicted in the story of Jesus’ birth.
Many of those who came said they were outraged the display would not adorn the courthouse square lawn this Christmas.
The owner of Beaty’s Service Center on West Trade Street agreed to erect the town’s Nativity scene at his auto repair shop on Friday. Jordan said she’s happy to see it up, but it’s a temporary fix. She hopes the demonstration will evolve into something bigger.
Dallas officials are searching for a solution. Mayor Rick Coleman said Friday town attorneys are working with several Christian legal organizations to try to return the nativity back to public property . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
