Written by Don Byrd
Following up an earlier post, officials at the Florida State Capitol have decided to approve the holiday display proposed by the Satanic Temple. The diorama (“depicting an angel falling into the pit of fire”) will be featured alongside a Nativity scene, a festivus pole made of beer cans and the display of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, among others.
The Tallahassee Democrat explains:
The flood of displays last year came after some groups took issue with the Nativity scenes being added in public buildings.
Pam Olsen, president of the Florida Prayer Network, said the idea is to wish everyone a Merry Christmas through Christianity, not to cause uproar over state-sponsored religion.
“There’s a lot of state capitols besides ours that are having Nativity scenes,” Olsen said. “It’s not government sponsored religion, it’s freedom of religion, which makes America great. Our heart is not to cause any contention; it’s simply to say Merry Christmas. It’s really important that people understand that.”
Freedom of religion does make America great! But a state government can hardly promote the holiday greetings of one group, while denying another with a different message. Is it worth the cacophony of holiday messages – from beer cans to pasta monsters just to display the Nativity? Do we really need the government’s help that much, to spread the Good News at Christmas?
