Atheists to erect holiday display (in VERY RED Chester County, Pennsylvania)

[bbernardini]

http://snipurl.com/1ubbz

From the article:

For the first time a regional atheist group will display a holiday tree on the Chester County Courthouse lawn during the winter holidays, potentially setting a seasonal model for other communities."

County commissioners have allowed groups to display a Christmas tree and menorah on the lawn. But last year, The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, an atheist group, asked the commissioners to either let any group set up a seasonal holiday display or ban the displays entirely.

This fall, the commissioners approved a policy that allows any group to put up a seasonal display if it meets design, insurance and safety requirements.

<snip>

The group’s display, “The Tree of Knowledge,” will include a 15-foot evergreen with color copies of book covers as decorations. Some of the book covers will include the Holy Bible, the Quran, “Ethics Without God,” “Why I Am Not a Christian,” and “Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism.”

<snip>

In addition to “The Tree of Knowledge,” the courthouse lawn will feature a Christmas tree, a menorah and a crèche this year.

[Angela Shelley]

1. It´s too strange for me

[dysfunctional press]

2. wanna bet which one gets vandalized first when the lights go off for the night?

nt

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. I like it n/t

[riqster]

4. Sounds Constitutional to me. Good on them! nt

[PassingFair]

5. They should have done some sort of Solstice explanation.

A model of the earth and sun at Solstice.

Would have been more effective and less confrontational...

[MindPilot]

7. Yes, but I think being confrontational is the point. n/t

[PassingFair]

10. Personally, I don't think we need to be confrontational.

Our very presence seems to do the trick!
A simple "brought to you by Chesterfield County Atheists" or
whatever will be quite "confrontational" enough, don't you think?!

Atheists like to give and receive gifts and drink of the
milk of human kindness as much as religious people do...

The solstice marks a day to do that. A display that says, we
are NOT like you just seems....like an oppositional thing.

[MindPilot]

14. I disagree...the time for silence is over.

We've been doing that for a long time and it hasn't met with a whole lot of success as evidenced by the fact that we are still somewhere between terrorist and child molester on the list of public perceptions.

[blondeatlast]

6. I like it! And I'm a (very secular) Christian. Good for them and for the Chester Cty officials. nt

[DemGa]

8. I wonder, will they put a Richard Dawkins book on top

You know, kind of like a star?

[Arugula Latte]

9. Good for them!

:thumbsup:

[gatorboy]

11. What's the significance of the Christmas Tree anyway?

As it pertains to the Bible, I mean. Are there numerous mentions of Christmas Trees in script?

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. It's pagan ritual co-opted by early Xians who wanted their faith to seem more palatable to

pagans.

[bbernardini]

12. Personally, I'm wondering how many crayons the right-wingers will break in rage...

...while writing their indignant letters to the editor. There's gonna be some doozies, that's for sure.

[Elspeth]

13. The tree should be topped with Rene Descartes "Discourse on the Method"

...

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. How cool is that?

[zippy890]

17. Yay for freethinkers who are UNAFRAID to say so

hey, we pay taxes too - some of that public square is ours.

and to all those atheist-hating haters calling themselves Christian I say:

'Love thy neighbor'

:party: