Posted on 12/20/2006 4:54:27 PM PST by Coleus
BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y., December 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Village of Briarcliff Manor officials have decided to remove their entire holiday display, including a 9-foot-tall menorah, from a public park rather than allow a resident to add a crèche after Alliance Defense Fund attorneys and allied attorneys won a temporary restraining order Friday from a federal judge. The lawsuit and TRO motion were filed Dec. 11 after the Briarcliff Manor Village's Board of Trustees refused to permit the display.
"The village's constitutional violations regarding religious expression in public make them look like the grinches who stole Christmas and Chanukah from the citizens of Briarcliff Manor," said ADF-allied attorney John Stepanovich. "It is truly sad that officials have chosen not only to thumb their noses at religion but at the justice system as well, since our client's request of equal access for a privately-funded crèche in addition to the menorah was entirely constitutional."
In place of where the holiday display once stood, village officials displayed a sign criticizing U.S. District Judge William C. Conner's decision to grant the temporary restraining order. The federal court judge's decision forced officials to either remove the menorah or grant resident Henry Ritell's request to display a nativity scene alongside it.
The sign read, "The Village erected a menorah and Christmas tree display in a spirit of inclusion. In response to a federal court order the entire display has been removed. We disagree with the court." Following outcry from the public, village officials removed the sign.
How is a pine tree a Christian Symbol?
PETA has taken to harassing those who stage "living Nativity scenes" even when there are no live animals involved. So yep, some zealots DON'T like to see animals.
People who don't agree with me should go to a different country.
Is the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus secular?
Did I say Christian?
This is stupid. How does suing get you want you want in this situation. It doesn't. Just pisses off people and they take everything down which makes even more people upset.
Now, regarding Little Red Man, what would you really like to know?
Did I say Christian? >>
how is a pine tree a non-secular symbol?
"Please just have the heads covered on the Jewish characters in the nativity scenes."
I suppose I could put tongue in cheek and say that a nativity scene is really just depicting the birth of a famous rabbi;
so that if you have that, you still don't have any gentile or 'christian' representations.
Therefore should the village be requested also to put up--what, a reindeer? A Santa?
I'd love to see the lawyers tie the Village up in knots over this issue. . .
The rabbi threatened to sue. He was wrong.
These people sued. They were wrong. I wish people would stop defending the rabbi, as he was WRONG, just as these people were wrong.
Doesn't say much for the season with these idiotic threats of lawsuits and actual lawsuits which acomplish nothing but ill will for the holiday season.
Can we jsut please cancel December in its entirety and jump right to New Years Day.
I am so sick of Christmas, Hannukkah, kwansa, ramadan, etc... every December. Every year the pettyness of it all gets worse and worse.
I hate this time of year! Its sucks!!!!!!!!!
If the a-holes who don't want to let him put down his creche (whatever that is), he should put it in his own yard. If the town tells him to remove it, he should tell them to get lost. If it's a gated community and they want him to remove it, he should tell them to get lost and if that doesn't work he should move to some place sane at the soonest opportunity. Some battles aren't worth fighting. As for Christianity, ask yourself whether the depth of your faith should be measured by the number of "creches" you place in the public square.
You could try hibernating for the month like a bear.
This is stupid. How does suing get you want you want in this situation. It doesn't. Just pisses off people and they take everything down which makes even more people upset. >>
obviously, you never heard of the ACLU. They've been succeeding in this area for years, it's about time a Christian fights back. And if you look closer at the article, it was a sensible judge who understood the issue who told the town: put up the nativity scene or take down the menorah.
from the article: "The federal court judge's decision forced officials to either remove the menorah or grant resident Henry Ritell's request to display a nativity scene alongside it. "
Instead of allowing the Christian Symbol, the town chose to have no Christian symbols displayed during the Christmas Season.
"You could try hibernating for the month like a bear."
I wish I friggen could! And miss my stupid birthday as well.
As a Jew, I never recall even THINKING about feeling "disincluded" when I saw crèches in public places. Rather, I felt warm and welcoming of my Christian neighbors, and tried to share in the joy they felt for the season which occasioned such displays. I felt then and feel now that free expressions of honest religious faith - especially those given in the spirit of love, peace and charity to all - should be welcome, as many of my neighors greeted the appearance of menorahs in other public locales.
I am disgusted and dismayed at what is happenening to our nation. With tears in my eyes at this moment, to my Christian friends here at FR, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, from the bottom of my heart.
You're not serious are you?
Hanukkah Menorahs Light Path for Nativity Displays-Christian Activists Cite Campaign as Precedent
Please just have the heads covered on the Jewish characters in the nativity scenes.
Realism is not a necessity. The most amusing Nativity scene I saw had a pig and chicken near the manger.
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