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DemocRAT's War On Christmas - Atheists' move halts Christmas tradition in California, churches go to court to get it back
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patriotgames@democrathallofshame.com http://www.democrathallofshame.com
Nov 19, 2012, 8:40:14 AM11/19/12
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/18/atheists-move-halts-christmas-tradition-in-santa-monica-churches-go-to-court-to/?test=latestnews
Atheists' move halts Christmas tradition in California, churches go to
court to get it back
November 18, 2012
LOS ANGELES – Damon Vix didn't have to go to court to push Christmas
out of the city of Santa Monica. He just joined the festivities.
The atheist's anti-God message alongside a life-sized nativity display
in a park overlooking the beach ignited a debate that burned brighter
than any Christmas candle.
Santa Monica officials snuffed the city's holiday tradition this year
rather than referee the religious rumble, prompting churches that have
set up a 14-scene Christian diorama for decades to sue over freedom of
speech violations. Their attorney will ask a federal judge Monday to
resurrect the depiction of Jesus' birth, while the city aims to eject
the case.
"It's a sad, sad commentary on the attitudes of the day that a nearly
60-year-old Christmas tradition is now having to hunt for a home,
something like our savior had to hunt for a place to be born because
the world was not interested," said Hunter Jameson, head of the
nonprofit Santa Monica Nativity Scene Committee that is suing.
Missing from the courtroom drama will be Vix and his fellow atheists,
who are not parties to the case. Their role outside court highlights a
tactical shift as atheists evolve into a vocal minority eager to get
their non-beliefs into the public square as never before.
National atheist groups earlier this year took out full-page newspaper
ads and hundreds of TV spots in response to the Catholic bishops'
activism around women's health care issues and are gearing up to
battle for their own space alongside public Christmas displays in
small towns across America this season.
"In recent years, the tactic of many in the atheist community has
been, if you can't beat them, join them," said Charles Haynes, a
senior scholar at the First Amendment Center and director of the
Newseum's Religious Freedom Education Project in Washington. "If these
church groups insist that these public spaces are going to be
dominated by a Christian message, we'll just get in the game — and
that changes everything."
In the past, atheists primarily fought to uphold the separation of
church and state through the courts. The change underscores the
conviction held by many nonbelievers that their views are gaining a
foothold, especially among young adults.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released a study last month
that found 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious
affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years.
Atheists took heart from the report, although Pew researchers stressed
that the category also encompassed majorities of people who said they
believed in God but had no ties with organized religion and people who
consider themselves "spiritual" but not "religious."
"We're at the bottom of the totem pole socially, but we have muscle
and we're flexing it," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the
Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation. "Ignore our numbers
at your peril."
The trouble in Santa Monica began three years ago, when Vix applied
for and was granted a booth in Palisades Park alongside the story of
Jesus Christ's birth, from Mary's visit from the Angel Gabriel to the
traditional crèche.
Vix hung a simple sign that quoted Thomas Jefferson: "Religions are
all alike -- founded on fables and mythologies." The other side read
"Happy Solstice." He repeated the display the following year but then
upped the stakes significantly.
In 2011, Vix recruited 10 others to inundate the city with
applications for tongue-in-cheek displays such as an homage to the
"Pastafarian religion," which would include an artistic representation
of the great Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The secular coalition won 18 of 21 spaces. The two others went to the
traditional Christmas displays and one to a Hanukkah display.
The atheists used half their spaces, displaying signs such as one that
showed pictures of Poseidon, Jesus, Santa Claus and the devil and
said: "37 million Americans know myths when they see them. What myths
do you see?"
Most of the signs were vandalized and in the ensuing uproar, the city
effectively ended a tradition that began in 1953 and earned Santa
Monica one of its nicknames, the City of the Christmas Story.
The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee argues in its lawsuit that
atheists have the right to protest, but that freedom doesn't trump the
Christians' right to free speech.
"If they want to hold an opposing viewpoint about the celebration of
Christmas, they're free to do that — but they can't interfere with our
right to engage in religious speech in a traditional public forum,"
said William Becker, attorney for the committee. "Our goal is to
preserve the tradition in Santa Monica and to keep Christmas alive."
The city doesn't prohibit churches from caroling in the park, handing
out literature or even staging a play about the birth of Jesus and
churches can always set up a nativity on private land, Deputy City
Attorney Jeanette Schachtner said in an email.
The decision to ban the displays also saves the city, which had
administered the cumbersome lottery process used to award booths, both
time and money while preserving the park's aesthetics, she said.
For his part, Vix is surprised — and slightly amused — at the legal
battle spawned by his solitary act but doesn't plan anything further.
"That was such a unique and blatant example of the violation of the
First Amendment that I felt I had to act," said the 44-year-old set
builder. "If I had another goal, it would be to remove the 'under God'
phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance — but that's a little too big for
me to take on for right now."
--
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Tim Howard, Tom Sr, Tom Wheat
Atheists' move halts Christmas tradition in California, churches go to
court to get it back
November 18, 2012
LOS ANGELES – Damon Vix didn't have to go to court to push Christmas
out of the city of Santa Monica. He just joined the festivities.
The atheist's anti-God message alongside a life-sized nativity display
in a park overlooking the beach ignited a debate that burned brighter
than any Christmas candle.
Santa Monica officials snuffed the city's holiday tradition this year
rather than referee the religious rumble, prompting churches that have
set up a 14-scene Christian diorama for decades to sue over freedom of
speech violations. Their attorney will ask a federal judge Monday to
resurrect the depiction of Jesus' birth, while the city aims to eject
the case.
"It's a sad, sad commentary on the attitudes of the day that a nearly
60-year-old Christmas tradition is now having to hunt for a home,
something like our savior had to hunt for a place to be born because
the world was not interested," said Hunter Jameson, head of the
nonprofit Santa Monica Nativity Scene Committee that is suing.
Missing from the courtroom drama will be Vix and his fellow atheists,
who are not parties to the case. Their role outside court highlights a
tactical shift as atheists evolve into a vocal minority eager to get
their non-beliefs into the public square as never before.
National atheist groups earlier this year took out full-page newspaper
ads and hundreds of TV spots in response to the Catholic bishops'
activism around women's health care issues and are gearing up to
battle for their own space alongside public Christmas displays in
small towns across America this season.
"In recent years, the tactic of many in the atheist community has
been, if you can't beat them, join them," said Charles Haynes, a
senior scholar at the First Amendment Center and director of the
Newseum's Religious Freedom Education Project in Washington. "If these
church groups insist that these public spaces are going to be
dominated by a Christian message, we'll just get in the game — and
that changes everything."
In the past, atheists primarily fought to uphold the separation of
church and state through the courts. The change underscores the
conviction held by many nonbelievers that their views are gaining a
foothold, especially among young adults.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released a study last month
that found 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious
affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years.
Atheists took heart from the report, although Pew researchers stressed
that the category also encompassed majorities of people who said they
believed in God but had no ties with organized religion and people who
consider themselves "spiritual" but not "religious."
"We're at the bottom of the totem pole socially, but we have muscle
and we're flexing it," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the
Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation. "Ignore our numbers
at your peril."
The trouble in Santa Monica began three years ago, when Vix applied
for and was granted a booth in Palisades Park alongside the story of
Jesus Christ's birth, from Mary's visit from the Angel Gabriel to the
traditional crèche.
Vix hung a simple sign that quoted Thomas Jefferson: "Religions are
all alike -- founded on fables and mythologies." The other side read
"Happy Solstice." He repeated the display the following year but then
upped the stakes significantly.
In 2011, Vix recruited 10 others to inundate the city with
applications for tongue-in-cheek displays such as an homage to the
"Pastafarian religion," which would include an artistic representation
of the great Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The secular coalition won 18 of 21 spaces. The two others went to the
traditional Christmas displays and one to a Hanukkah display.
The atheists used half their spaces, displaying signs such as one that
showed pictures of Poseidon, Jesus, Santa Claus and the devil and
said: "37 million Americans know myths when they see them. What myths
do you see?"
Most of the signs were vandalized and in the ensuing uproar, the city
effectively ended a tradition that began in 1953 and earned Santa
Monica one of its nicknames, the City of the Christmas Story.
The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee argues in its lawsuit that
atheists have the right to protest, but that freedom doesn't trump the
Christians' right to free speech.
"If they want to hold an opposing viewpoint about the celebration of
Christmas, they're free to do that — but they can't interfere with our
right to engage in religious speech in a traditional public forum,"
said William Becker, attorney for the committee. "Our goal is to
preserve the tradition in Santa Monica and to keep Christmas alive."
The city doesn't prohibit churches from caroling in the park, handing
out literature or even staging a play about the birth of Jesus and
churches can always set up a nativity on private land, Deputy City
Attorney Jeanette Schachtner said in an email.
The decision to ban the displays also saves the city, which had
administered the cumbersome lottery process used to award booths, both
time and money while preserving the park's aesthetics, she said.
For his part, Vix is surprised — and slightly amused — at the legal
battle spawned by his solitary act but doesn't plan anything further.
"That was such a unique and blatant example of the violation of the
First Amendment that I felt I had to act," said the 44-year-old set
builder. "If I had another goal, it would be to remove the 'under God'
phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance — but that's a little too big for
me to take on for right now."
--
The DemocRATs Hall of Shame©!
http://www.democrathallofshame.com/
10,000+ Buckwheat & DemocRAT Pics!
Over 10 Million Hits Since 2/10!
11/04/12: Galleries Updated!
Nearly 200 New OBAMA & 'RAT Cartoons Added!
FREE Windows® Gadgets!
Learn the TRUTH about: Bradley K Sherman, Bret Cahill, Dakota, David Johnston, Kevin Cunningham,
Kurt Lochner, Jay Herblock, Lamont Cranston, Lee Curtis, LiberalHere, Lookout, Lickin Ass' and
Fakin' Military Service, Lubow, Mitchel Holman, Ramon Herrera, Ray Fischer, Rightardia, RobW,
Roneal, Sanders Kaufman, ShittingDuck, Sid9, SilentOtto, Sir Gay, Tater Gumfries, Tim Crowley,
Tim Howard, Tom Sr, Tom Wheat
Ron
Nov 19, 2012, 10:54:40 AM11/19/12
to
On Nov 19, 7:40 am, "patriotga...@democrathallofshame.com
http://www.democrathallofshame.com"
<patriotga...@democrathallofshame.com> wrote:
> http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/18/atheists-move-halts-christmas-tr...
From your source material:
The display was "....a life-sized nativity display in a park
overlooking the beach...."
Didja' see the phrase "in a park overlooking the beach"? A
park...public property.
You don't display religious messages on public (government) property.
Duuuhhh.....
http://www.democrathallofshame.com"
<patriotga...@democrathallofshame.com> wrote:
> http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/18/atheists-move-halts-christmas-tr...
>
> Atheists' move halts Christmas tradition in California, churches go to
> court to get it back
> November 18, 2012
>
> LOS ANGELES Damon Vix didn't have to go to court to push Christmas
> out of the city of Santa Monica. He just joined the festivities.
>
(SNIPPED)
> Atheists' move halts Christmas tradition in California, churches go to
> court to get it back
> November 18, 2012
>
> LOS ANGELES Damon Vix didn't have to go to court to push Christmas
> out of the city of Santa Monica. He just joined the festivities.
>
From your source material:
The display was "....a life-sized nativity display in a park
overlooking the beach...."
Didja' see the phrase "in a park overlooking the beach"? A
park...public property.
You don't display religious messages on public (government) property.
Duuuhhh.....
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