This time, at the lawn in front of the Leesburg County Court House in Virginia:
Beside a Christmas tree and creche sits a large banner with a nativity scene in which baby Jesus has been replaced by a plate of spaghetti with googly eyes. A crowd that includes pirates and gnomes surrounds Jesus. At the bottom its message reads “Touched by an Angelhair.” The scene is the work of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monsters.
Near the courthouse fence is another display whose sign reads ”Greetings From Your Friendly Local Atheists.” It’s message is about celebrating the Constitution and honoring the separation of church and state.
Elsewhere on the lawn, a skeleton in a Santa suit hangs on a cross.
They killed Santa?
A local politician who was just elected (but not yet installed) as County Supervisor, Kenneith Reid is apoplectic.
Reid, who happens to be Jewish, claims that the Atheists have totally ruined Christmas, and that by putting their “beliefes” out in the open instead of just keeping their dirty godless mouths shut, they are forcing these “beliefs” on everyone else.
“Nobody is out there preaching like these guys. They’re out there in a blatant attempt to try to stamp out religion and ruin people’s Christmas,” Reid said. “The atheist groups over the past two years have used it as an opportunity to try to ban everything. It’s no longer sufficient to be an atheist, they have to go out there and proactively try to deny and make sure other people don’t believe in God.”
The atheists have a different take on this:
“The whole thing is a separation of church and state issue. We’ve been accused of trying to destroy Christmas, and that could not be further from the truth,” Rick Wingrove, the Virginia state director for American Atheists, told ABCNews.com. “There’s no war on Christmas. If there were a war on Christmas, I would have gotten a memo.”
No War on Christmas indeed!!!
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The real War on Christmas has always been, and should continue to be, consumerism. Shit, haven’t these people learned ANYTHING from Christmas specials? I think these people have shoes that are too tight, or heads that aren’t screwed on just right. Or perhaps the most likely reason of all may be that their hearts are two sizes too small.
Atheists don’t want to ruin Christmas; it’s already ruined. Christians ruined it centuries ago when they adopted pagan rituals. Commercialism ruined it further when they turned Santa into a marketing icon. Christmas today, specifically how it is celebrated, has nothing to do with Christianity, except the word “Christ”.
Atheists aren’t taking Christ out of Christmas. Christians did it long before many of us were born.
If these tender-hearted Christians don’t want to see displays of the flying spaghetti monster in front of court houses, then they should not be putting their baby Jesus displays there. It’s very, very simple. Try sticking to Santa and snow men.
Religious displays belong on churches and private property, but if Christians insist on taking up public space with baby Jesus (who wasn’t even born on December 25!) then they need to move aside and allow others to make similar displays.
I find this one particularly delightful and it certainly puts me in a festive mood.
Yes I agree. I have no idea what he’s talking about. When I was growing up people made holy noises about Christmas being about Jesus, but it never actually was in action. It was about presents, and decorating the house, and chopping down a tree to put in our living room, and being together, and eating good food. I don’t think we even put a seasonal Jesus cross anywhere in the house.
I am going to go out on a limb and say something that probably won’t be popular. Putting up these atheist displays to compete with religious (and non-religious) holiday displays is wrong.
The holiday displays are about cultural celebration. Municipalities have the right and duty to celebrate culture. The atheist displays are largely designed to mock that culture. That is not appropriate and it is not incumbent on municipalities to promote such mockery.
Now, I do believe that we have to oppose religious favoritism and perhaps that would include elimination of holiday decorations with religious meaning. Perhaps we should be fighting to have Christmas eliminated as a government holiday. Perhaps these atheist displays are a means to that end. But, I believe communities have every right to reject them as mocking culture rather than celebrating it.
If we as atheists want our own message, we should fight for a national atheism week and for displays celebrating atheism. To limit our message to one of we don’t believe in your holiday is to define ourselves as non-stamp collectors.
BKSea
Municipalities are required to remain religiously neutral; our courts have decided that a baby Jesus display is not neutral and may not be displayed without offering other religious viewpoints. The FSM is part of our culture too; it represents another viewpoint– a humorous one at that.
What is wrong with a secular “cultural display” of candy canes and snow man and lights and Santa? Why not keep baby Jesus on churches and private properties where such displays actually belong? Why the desperation to make it look as if the government is endorsing Christianity?
I think Christian entitlement has gone too far in our country. Those with other viewpoints demanding a piece of the pie may be the only way to get Christians to be as private with their viewpoints as they want others with conflicting viewpoints to be. If they don’t want to share space with the FSM then they need to put their baby Jesi on church grounds. Problem solved! Peace on earth– good will to all humans.
Besides, you have to admit– the gnome makes a nice touch. I have a feeling children will like this sort of display all most as much as they like a Santa display.
BKsea, it’s high time all Christians realized they don’t own ‘culture’ and its celebration. It is important they realize their (current) status as majority doesn’t grant them special rights. Especially when it comes to celebration done in the name of government of any level.
The FSM started as a mockery of using religion as a substitute for science, but it has become a symbol many atheists use as a marker. Seeing the FSM as part of a holiday display tells me I am not alone, I am part of the community and I don’t have to pretend I am something I am not in order to belong. That’s why FSM holiday displays are a good thing.
Ramen! That’s classic. Thanks Greg Laden. 🙂
“What is wrong with a secular “cultural display” of candy canes and snow man and lights and Santa?”
—-
As a devout believer in a self-canonized faith based around candy canes, snow men, lights, and Santa, I take offense at the dismissal of my deeply-held beliefs as “secular”
reid is jewish and he is worried about christmas?
WTH?
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a total logical fallacy. Read this blog if you want to know why. http://mikewinger.blogspot.com/2012/05/atheistic-issues-flying-spaghetti.html