WEST CHESTER, PA – During the winter season, the Chester County Courthouse becomes the home for holiday displays. For the last three years, the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia (FSGP) has put up a Tree of Knowledge along side the Christmas Tree, The Jesus Crèche, and the Menorah.
Like the past two years, this year the Tree of Knowledge display had a considerable amount of obstacles to over come in order to be included with the other three displays. These obstacles are discussed in more detail in the previous article. However, even after FSGP has been successful in overcoming those obstacles the struggle has not ended.
After the displays were put up, the County threatened to take the Tree of Knowledge down. The claim was that the ornaments on the Tree were not the same size as the sample included with the application. No sample was even required, but FSGP decided to include one as a courtesy. There were no samples of the Jesus Crèche or the Menorah nor would those samples be expected to be actual size. It goes without saying that the Christmas Tree application didn’t include a sample ornament. The county conceded that point.
Not long after however, the Crèche was moved out of the official Free Speech Zone to a spot right in front of the courthouse. The Menorah also moved to the front of the courthouse. This has left the Tree of Knowledge as the only display left in the carefully plotted out Free Speech Zone at the side of the building. When FSGP asked to be moved with the rest of the displays, they were rejected.
It is important to note that before the new regulations were put into place that one of the County Commissioners asked to have more zones available in the Free Speech Zone so that more organizations would have an opportunity to put up winter displays. This would showcase the religious diversity of the county. The Commissioner was told that for safety reasons only four zones could be created and that these areas were carefully mapped out with the safety of the community in mind. Yet for all those carefully mapped out zones were discarded seemingly overnight… except in the case of the Tree of Knowledge.
While all the other displays were allowed to move to the front of the courthouse the Tree of Knowledge must stay at the back of the proverbial bus. FSGP has tried to make the most of the situation and asked that if they can’t be moved to the front of the courthouse with all the other displays, maybe the Tree of Knowledge could be moved out from under the low tree branch which obscures it slightly from view to the more visible spot that the Crèche once held. The answer was of course no.
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On Faith Series:
On Faith: holidays or holy days?
On Faith: Swiss ban on minarets
On Faith: A crèche in the White House?
Atheism 101 Articles:
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Atheism 101: Is there moral grounding without God?
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Atheism 101: Is the Bible the inspired word of God?
Atheism 101: The anti-intellectualism of religion
Atheism 101: Why has Christianity demonized nudity, sex and sexuality?
Atheism 101: Does it take more faith to be an atheist?
Atheism 101: What came before the Universe?
Atheism 101: How to respond to the ex-atheist
Comments
As for the decline in applmication of the 1th Amendment, drip! drip! drip!
This is even more sh**y than the sewers of NY.
I'd be interested in seeing where they would place my big old Yule pentagram!
Updated my article to link to your update article, Staks. www. examiner.com/examiner/x-26772-San-Francisco-Apologetics-Examiner~y2009m12d11-Atheist-Tree-of-Knowledge-courthouse-lawn-controversy. Thanks for the update. Can't say I'm surprised.
This is crooked i hope some punk kids vandalize the front of the coutrhouse displays and miss the Tree of Knowledge just becuase it wasn't moved that would be funny....ANy punk kids here reading this from PA...? LOL sorry I say it is time to go to court. Everytime they take a crack at the 1st there should be some one taking them to court.
"I'd be interested in seeing where they would place my big old Yule pentagram!"
Kris, I'll bring mine gaudily dressed up in flashing lights and see if it gets the same respect as the other gaudy flashing lights! Don't hold your breath.
Maybe I missed it but you really should include the town councils email address and any other offending persons contact info so that we can all voice our opinion to them directly.
That is a great point Open. Here is the phone number for the County Commissioner's office 610-344-6100.
New Jersey has been hit by the War on Christmas!
Montville, NJ, was caught using taxpayer money to buy/display Christian religious icons but ignoring requests from other religions. Secular Student groups from multiple NJ colleges have asked Montville to stop violating the US Constitution.
Meanwhile, Rutgers University Pastafarians has asked Montville to spend the same amount of money putting up displays of the Flying Spaghetti Monster god as the town spends on homage to the Christian god.
Thus, the town is besieged by some requests to EITHER take the Christian religious icons down OR to allow ALL religions equal displays.
The town is currently caught in the middle. Let's watch closely to see how it plays out.
It doesn't sound like they're caught in the middle if they're the ones that paid for the Christian decorations with taxpayer money. It sounds like they're caught on the wrong side. That needs to be taken to court in the name of any and all non-Christians (not just atheists).
We must understand that safety is of paramount importance here people. So I understand the city fathers/mothers decision to put knowledge on the back seat. And besides, with Christians knowledge always takes a back seat.
You see, Christians can't come close to a KNOWLEDGE TREE in case some of that knowledge rubs off on them. Or they smell the wonderful fragrance of knowledge and be lead away like the Pied Piper stole those children once. And if that happened -- then they could die. No! It's true!!! Because their god will kill them! I swear it's true I tells ya!!! Their god hates smart people!!! He prefers them stupid and pliable. It's one of the first things he tells them in his book. :-| /sarcasm
Merry Saturnalia/Io/Yuletide and a Happy New Set of Downs!!!!!
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