Official Sued Over Wiccan Sign Removal

There is a definitely preference among many government officials for supporting Christianity and for displays of Christian symbols. It's OK to show state support for Christianity during Christmas, but it's apparently not OK to show support for any other religions.

As the Courier-Journal reports:

The debate began over a Nativity scene that has been displayed on the courthouse lawn by Grace Baptist Church of LaGrange each December since 1990. The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Kinser on Dec. 9, saying it had received complaints from residents, although it would not name them. After raising constitutional questions, the ACLU received permission to post its own display, which it did Dec. 19: a banner saying "American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky." But when four other groups posted their own signs Dec. 23, Kinser had them removed that evening because they didn't have permission, as the ACLU had for its banner.

The groups who had their displays removed weren't political, of course, but religion - Wiccan, to be specific. Now, the government has a good case - if they have a basic process for getting permission that is content-neutral, then what they are doing is well within constitutional boundaries. The ACLU should know that, so I'm not sure why they would be involved in the lawsuit unless there is more going on that the news story doesn't explain.

Read More:

• Secularism 101
• Separation of Church and State 101