Secular speech protected; religious speech squelched

 

By: Wordsmith

LOS ANGELES — There’s no room for the baby Jesus, the manger or the wise men this Christmas in a Santa Monica park following a judge’s ruling Monday against churches that tried to keep a 60-year Nativity tradition alive after atheists stole the show with anti-God messages.
U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins rejected a motion from the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee to allow the religious display this season while their lawsuit plays out against the city.
Collins said the city was within its constitutional right to eliminate the exemption that had allowed the Nativity at the oceanfront Palisades Park because the change affected all comers – from Christians to Jews to atheists – and provided other avenues for public religious speech.
The coalition of churches that had put on the life-sized, 14-booth Nativity display for decades argued the city banned it rather than referee a religious dispute that began three years ago when atheists first set up their anti-God message alongside the Christmas diorama.
The judge, however, said Santa Monica proved that it banned the displays not to squash religious speech but because they were becoming a drain on city resources, destroying the turf and obstructing ocean views. Churches can set up unattended displays at 12 other parks in the city with a permit and can leaflet, carol and otherwise present the Christmas story in Palisades Park when it is open, she said.
“I think all of the evidence that is admissible about the aesthetic impacts and administrative burden shows that this was a very reasonable alternative for the city to go this way – and it had nothing to do with content,” she said during a hearing in federal court in Los Angeles.

 What’s next? The changing of the name “Santa Monica” to something more palatable to secularists?


This whole Grinch-stench began by a non-resident of the area, Damon Vix, in 2009. Then in 2011:

[Vix}The 14 scenes depicting Jesus Christ’s birth have long been a popular attraction among area residents and tourists to the southern California city.
This year, however, atheists have taken over most of the two-block stretch, nearly shutting out and angering a group of churches who contend the atheists have organized against the Christians and gamed a city lottery process allocating the holiday exhibit space.
In response, a leader of the atheist group says he’s just looking for evenhanded treatment to present his beliefs in a public space — and goes so far as to say that the city shouldn’t even be allowing any religious or even atheist expression in the park.
That’s why he and his group have put nothing on half of the park exhibit spaces that they’ve secured from the city this year.
The atheists are declaring the politically left-leaning seaside town of Santa Monica as their latest battleground in a national movement to assert their rights.
“I’m part of a growing movement in America of atheists standing up for their rights. It’s a very exciting time for us that we’re having more of an impact in our society,” said Damon Vix, the organizer of the atheist group.

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 FAITH7 says: 2
AH the TOLERANCE that comes from the LEFT and the non-believers, the hypocrites, the mockers…devoid of a soul or of a spirit….. makes me cringe….
….funny though…
NO ONE COMPLAINS when they get their [ "PAID" ] “Christmas Vacation/Holiday” [Schools-Colleges/Teachers/Professors] STUDENTS get more Vacation time…well, by gosh, a WEEK at least…
OR
When the “Congress” and the “Senate” gets THEIR ["PAID"] “Christmas Sabbatical”
OR
When People who actually work get ["Paid"] time off….
Gee, my Gosh!! Funny thing – No one Complains then?!? HUH??!??
Perhaps they should complain about not having to work on this Sacred Traditional Christian time and complain about getting paid for it as well…
Soulless People! Haters!!! Hypocrites!!