What’s Legal and What’s Right
You’ve heard me note that I grew up in Toledo, a town of a couple thousand in Tama County…about 15 years ago, someone donated a large wooden nativity scene to be displayed on the front yard of the volunteer fire department in town. It’s a prime location, just off the downtown and adjacent to U.S. Highway 63.
But in the category of “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” the city received a letter from a group called the Freedom from Religion Foundation. They were tipped off to this by Justin Scott, an Iowa atheist activist who we had on KXEL some years ago. Stirring up things like this apparently earned Mr. Scott the title of “Atheist of the Year” by the national group six years ago…I’m not making that up.
The letter strongly suggested legal action would be taken if the nativity scene was not removed. A retired firefighter who owned property a few hundred feet away allowed the scene to be put up there. But of course, it’s not the same, so about 75 folks showed up at this past Monday’s city council meeting, all urging restoration of the nativity scene to the fire department location.
As a lawyer, I have to tell you this is a tough one. Government cannot endorse a specific religion, so it’s very likely that in order for the nativity scene to remain on city property, they’d have to allow other religious symbols, including satanic worship. The resolution of having it close by may be as good as it gets legally, but I’ve suggested folks in Toledo contact the legal team at the Alliance Defending Freedom for better advice.
Here’s something that can be done, though. What if all those folks who protested decorated their own front yards with a nativity scene, instead of inflatable snowmen and Santa Clauses? You could turn Toledo into the Nativity Capitol of Iowa, and print maps to guide people through town to look at the various displays, just like we do with those other Christmas decorations.
Alright, it’s probably hard this close to Christmas to organize all that…so here’s another thought. Instead of signs supporting one candidate or another in next month’s caucus, how about we print up a bunch of yard signs that say “I Support the Toledo Nativity Scene” and hand them out to folks. Again, it’s not at all the same thing. But it recognizes what’s legal…as well as what’s right. And imagine if a couple hundred houses had those signs in the front yard…what a powerful symbol it would be, without triggering those who can’t leave well enough alone. Well, who knows what triggers folks these days.
If anyone has an idea about any of this, drop me an email at jeff@kxel.com. Heck, I’d even drive down and hand out the signs during “KXEL Live & Local” some morning, doing the program live from the spot of the nativity scene. I’ve been meaning to make a trip back home before Christmas anyway.
