Posted on 12/10/2007 4:03:48 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0
GREENSBORO — Greensboro College staff will meet today to decide how to mark the Christmas season without the life-sized nativity scene that has been a holiday tradition for more than 70 years.
"It is very, very sad when people strike out against sacred symbols," said Craven Williams, president of the college. "It's a bigger issue than striking out at these life-size figures."
Williams said the 71-year-old nativity scene, which has been displayed on the college's lawn at 815 W. Market St. since 1990, is a total loss.
"It is clearly beyond repair," he said.
The nativity had artfully rendered fiberglass figures representing Joseph and Mary on the road to Bethlehem, the inn and the manger scene.
Those figures were knocked over, broken and smashed Saturday morning.
"This was the destruction of a set of values," Williams said. "It is very sad to see someone's violent response to those values."
Thousands of visitors have made viewing the scene part of their Yuletide routine, first at the Pilot Life Insurance Co.'s Sedgefield office, which began the tradition in 1936, and at Greensboro College for the past 17 years.
Williams said he knows of families who bring grown, out-of-town grandchildren back to the scene every year.
By Sunday, people had offered Williams help raising money to rebuild the nativity.
Each piece — including Mary, the wise men, the shepherds, sheep, camels and the manger — must be individually re-created, Williams said. After the Joseph figure was stolen in 1996, the school spent $5,000 to have it rebuilt, he said.
The college employs a security guard to watch the nativity overnight, but the guard left at 5:30 a.m., Williams said. He estimated the damage was done about 6:30 Saturday morning.
Police are investigating the vandalism and ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 373-1000.
Sad is not an appropriate choice of words.
It should make Craven Williams (good choice of name, BTW) ANGRY.
Ping
What pointless violence. Now what did it hurt anyone to let the Nativity scene bring joy to people? Some moron is laughing his head off thinking how famous he is now for ruining a Christian display.
Find them and give them a sex change without medication.
Since any attack on gays or Lefties is traced to the horrible “hate speech” from the right wing talkers, then will we see Air America attacked for this horrible act?
Just what Phillip Pullman would want!
Militant atheism at work in Greensboro.
Athiest mindset: Search and destroy is more effective than b*tch n moan.
There was a hired security guard who left at 5:30 am. That’s a bit late even for clubbing drunks to pass by on a Sat. morning. Makes me think it’s kids at the college or from adjoining UNCG campus who knew when there would be a window of darkness where the scene would be unprotected.
Remake em. This time out of reinforced concrete
If this had been a mosque, the FBI would already be there.
But it’s only a church. . .
“If this had been a mosque, the FBI would already be there.
But it’s only a church. . .”
It’s a methodist college, not a church.
This will not be a hate crime, it was against Christians.
“It’s a methodist college, not a church.”
But his point is valid. If it were a black college jesse and Al would already be on a flight.
Jesus was WHITE. Duh. the jessie/al posse wouldn’t care.
“If it were a black college jesse and Al would already be on a flight.”
That’s because Jesus/Joseph and Mary would have been black which would have made it a hate crime.
Why is this labeled as “vandalism” ... looks like a “hate crime” to me. Why can’t there be “hate crimes” against Christians, only against those of the Jewish faith or Muslims?
Words fail me. What awful thing to do.
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