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New York Village Would Rather Remove 9-Foot Menorah than Allow Nativity Scene
Life Site News ^ | 12.19.06 | JORGE FITZ-GIBBON

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.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; US: New York
KEYWORDS: aclumia; adf; antichristian; briarcliffmanor; brooklyn; catholic; chanukah; christmas; grinchstolechristmas; henryritell; jewish; menorah; nativityscene; religiousintolerance; waronchristmas; waronchristmas2006
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To: zarf
"Is a good looking Hooters girl secular or religious??"

The right reponse of course is "a prayer answered."

141 posted on 12/20/2006 7:36:37 PM PST by Luis Gonzalez (Some people see the world as they would want it to be, effective people see the world as it is.)
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To: Coleus

If no one answers him, he will just fade away.....


142 posted on 12/20/2006 7:40:29 PM PST by Bainbridge
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To: dr_who_2

More importantly, in the true spirit of democracy, free speech and freedom of religion, let everyone put up a display and let the public enjoy, embrace or ignore each of them...any restriction is offensive to everyone except the liberal atheists...and if they had any real brains, they would come up with some twisted graphic version of gayism, abortionism, liberalism, evolotionism, communism, environmentalism, etc. except that they all are behind DENIALISM OF THE FACTS OF LIFE!


143 posted on 12/20/2006 7:40:45 PM PST by Stayfree (Check out our Flush Hillary Calendar at FLUSH HILLARY CALENDAR.COM!)
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To: montag813
Why not have both? The Founders intended more religion, not less.


Yes...but that is not what I am saying. I am saying that if the issues is secular to secular and religious to religious

Then the breakdown is
Christmas tree = dreidal
and Nativity scene = menorah

any other combination is disrespectful and in my opinion offensive.
144 posted on 12/20/2006 7:43:20 PM PST by Chickensoup (If you don't go to the holy war, the holy war will come to you.)
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To: SJackson

What else is there? Gelt looks like an ethnic joke, and latkes are not so good.

A dreidel


145 posted on 12/20/2006 7:45:44 PM PST by Chickensoup (If you don't go to the holy war, the holy war will come to you.)
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To: Bainbridge
It is called a CHRISTmas tree, for heavens sake. >>

the day or the solemnity in the catholic church is called Christmas, a Mass of Christ. The tree is just a former pagan symbol the Germans brought over to the USA. I know many non Christians, Hindus and Muslims, who put a tree in their homes during the Christmas season and buy presents to keep their kids happy. A creche is a religious symbol because it signifies the Holy Family at the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. One reason why so many towns allow the "secular" "Christmas tree" and not the Nativity Scene/Creche
146 posted on 12/20/2006 7:46:21 PM PST by Coleus (Happy Chanukkah, Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe)
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To: taxesareforever
But then that says something about them. And her.

Sooooo. You want to make it illegal to honor one's religious holiday?

C'mon. That is NOT what America is about.

In fact, God help us if this country ever goes all secular, physically and mentally.

147 posted on 12/20/2006 7:46:39 PM PST by Edit35
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To: Luis Gonzalez

God is good. Thank you.


148 posted on 12/20/2006 7:48:39 PM PST by zarf
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To: andy58-in-nh

Andy, you have mail.


149 posted on 12/20/2006 7:49:15 PM PST by BoomerBabe
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To: Coleus

I am fully aware of all that, but I do not accept that fact that it is somehow devoid of any "religious" significance. Just silly.


150 posted on 12/20/2006 7:51:57 PM PST by Bainbridge
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To: MaDeuce
In case you haven't noticed (and apparently you haven't), Ramadan has been over for a while. Yeah, Muzzies are still killing other Muzzies in Iraq, but it's no longer part of the official Ramadan celebration.
151 posted on 12/20/2006 8:03:55 PM PST by BW2221
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To: Stayfree
I'm sure they have tried just that. Places like San Francisco may well be overrun with obnoxious liberals who want to offend the rest of the country. See where it gets them.

The "true spirit of democracy" doesn't give anyone 15 seconds on the "public megaphone" because the concept is hopelessly ridiculous. I remember hearing some kid from some Benelux/Scandinavian country gushing with perfect sincerity about the moral superiority of his country for giving a neo-nazi party a free 15 minutes of airtime on their public/quasi-public television network before an election. That's rubbish (and probably disingenuous to boot).
152 posted on 12/20/2006 8:04:37 PM PST by dr_who_2
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To: SJackson
I think it's generally agreed that the festival mentioned in John 10.22 was Hanukkah--the Greek text calls it Enkainia (literally "renewal") and notes that it was winter.
153 posted on 12/20/2006 8:06:26 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Dov in Houston

"If it is the ACLU is gonna come after me cause I like that symbol"

The ACLU is planning to come after you. They're just waiting until the new Congress is sworn in (using a Koran).


154 posted on 12/20/2006 8:11:04 PM PST by BW2221
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To: Bainbridge
Actually I have seen some of the county, and yes it is beautiful. I agree, the ones that spring up, seemingly out of nowhere, are no where near as nice.
155 posted on 12/20/2006 8:13:42 PM PST by gidget7 (2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:)
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To: muawiyah

I disagree. A creche is more a religious symbol which at Christmas time represents the birth of Christ. To a Christian the tree does have religious symbolism. However, it does not hold that symbolism for non-Christians but yet they put up a tree. You don't see them displaying a creche, do you?


156 posted on 12/20/2006 8:14:47 PM PST by taxesareforever (Never forget Matt Maupin)
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To: yochanan

In all fairness, they probably wouldn't even allow a Kwanzaa display. Nor should they, since it is a fraudulent holiday perputrated by a fraudulent Anti-American man.


157 posted on 12/20/2006 8:20:44 PM PST by oneamericanvoice (Shame on those who disparage the displays of religious icons.)
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To: rmlew
The first book of Maccabees has some curious items in it--for example, a sketch of the rise of the Roman empire in chapter 8, and a letter from a king of Sparta to the Jewish high priest about 150 years earlier which claims that the Spartans were descended from Abraham (12.21).

The feast of dedication is dated to the 25th of Chislev, the ninth month (4.52)--that is, they were still using the Mosaic calendar which started the new year in the spring, rather than the Babylonian year adopted by the Jews later, which has the new year in the fall.

158 posted on 12/20/2006 8:23:26 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Cecily
The term was not used from the destruction of Philistia in the 9th century BCE until the 2nd Century CE. It was used by the Romans only after the Bar Kochba uprising as an attempt historically cleanse the land, justify colonization, and further demoralize the thrice defeated Jews.
159 posted on 12/20/2006 8:23:39 PM PST by rmlew (Having slit their throats may the conservatives who voted for Casey choke slowly on their blood.)
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To: Coleus
New York Village Would Rather Remove 9-Foot Menorah than Allow Nativity Scene

Menorah? Isn't that a "holiday candelabra"?

160 posted on 12/20/2006 8:24:53 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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