On Saturday, up to 5,000 supporters of a nativity scene at the Henderson County courthouse in Athens, Texas, gathered to send a clear message to the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.
"Don't mess with Texas."
The Wisconsin atheists oppose the nativity scene and have demanded it be removed.
But Texans in Henderson County are pushing back.
"Our fight, our relentlessness and our courage. Everything is bigger in Texas," notes an article at WTKR.
According to WTKR, many in the area see the dispute as a "holy war."
"The eyes of Texas are upon us," Pastor Nathan Lorick told the crowd.
"It's time for us to stand together and protect the very principles that made this nation great from its birth, " Pastor Lorick said.
"We've become so busy with our lives that we've forgotten our first love," he added.
The "first love" being Jesus Christ - the reason for the Christmas holiday.
WTKR notes the protest resembled a church service as thousands prayed and sang in the town square.
"What we need Christians is to stand and say Jesus Christ is the only way," Pastor Derek Rogers added.
The UK Daily Mail added:
The FFRF said that for non-Christians, the Nativity sent a message of intimidation and exclusion.
But their outcry in turn lead to anger through Texas.
The Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sent out a 'don't mess with Texas' message and said he would defend the county if the atheists sued.
“Our message to the atheists is don’t mess with Texas and our Nativity scenes or the Ten Commandments,” he told Fox News & Commentary last week, adding that his office "has a history of defending religious displays" in Texas.
Atheists have threatened to sue over the display, and posted a banner with their anti-Christian message, but that sign was removed shortly after it was put in place.
Henderson County, Texas, is not the only battle in what many see as a "war on christmas."
The Daily Mail reported:
Since it became popular and often times necessary to be politically correct, the holiday season has brought the now-token freedom of religion arguments.
So far this year, there have been incidents elsewhere in the U.S.
The Rhode Island governor getting in trouble for using the term Holiday Tree instead of Christmas Tree, and atheist groups being upset for being allotted a smaller amount of space at a Santa Monica, California, Christmas display.
So far, the Wisconsin atheists have targets 12 nativity scenes for elimination this year.
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