Atheists are demanding Brookville, Indiana, governing authorities tear down a nativity display that’s nearby the Franklin County Courthouse — where it’s been placed every Christmas for nearly five decades — but the townspeople are fighting back, saying simply if you don’t like it, don’t look.
Local commissioners, meanwhile, are largely ignoring the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s threat to sue, the local WLWT-TV reported.
This is the fourth year in a row that the atheist group has threatened to sue the town over its nativity scene, which is owned by the town, the Christian Post reported. The group’s argument is that it’s “unlawful for a government body to maintain, erect or host a holiday display that consists solely of a nativity scene, thus singling out, showing preference for and endorsing religion,” The Blaze reported.
But the town government has refused to back down. And local residents don’t seem appreciative of the atheists’ intrusion.
“If people don’t like the look of it, I think they can look the other way, or don’t look at all,” one local resident named Wayne Monroe told WLWT-TV. “It’s been a tradition here for many, many years, and I hope it’s here for many more years. I think we deserve the right to put up what the community wants, and I don’t think anybody else should tell us what to do.”
The town’s planning to rally around the nativity scene in support of its continued presence on Dec. 15, The Blaze said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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