Remember when the Freedom From Religion Foundation created a media firestorm after putting up a pro-atheist plaque next to a nativity scene in the Washington state Capitol building last Winter?
Everyone wanted a symbol of their faith allowed in the building after that and officials had to put a moratorium on further displays.
This year, those officials do not want to see this all happen again.
Last month, they issued a temporary ruling on the matter, banning such displays.
Now, they’re trying to make it permanent:
Under the proposed rules, display or exhibits could not be placed in the public areas of buildings on the Capitol campus, except for a state-sponsored “holiday” tree in the rotunda.
At a public hearing Tuesday, some argued that the rules violated free speech rights. Others testified in support of the rules, saying they didn’t want to see a repeat of last year, when protests erupted over competing private holiday displays.
How can you help?
The state has a section on their website where they discuss current rules and invite comments from the public. The period for offering comments has been extended (PDF) until Thursday, October 1st.
You can make a comment here.
Let state officials know that you want to see NO display of anyone’s faith (including atheists) in the Capitol building. The government must either endorse no belief system or allow for all beliefs systems to host their own display. The latter would lead to chaos as it did last year. The state officials and the citizens of Washington would be much better off simply banning such displays. If Christians want to put up a nativity scene, let them do it on their own property, in their own homes.
(Thanks to Wendy for the link!)