Atheists to erect holiday display

daily local news (chester county, pa.) ^ | 11/28/2007 | staff

[SueRae]

WEST CHESTER — For the first time a regional atheist group will display a holiday tree on the Chester County Courthouse lawn during the winter holidays, potentially setting a seasonal model for other communities.

County commissioners have allowed groups to display a Christmas tree and menorah on the lawn. But last year, The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, an atheist group, asked the commissioners to either let any group set up a seasonal holiday display or ban the displays entirely.

This fall, the commissioners approved a policy that allows any group to put up a seasonal display if it meets design, insurance and safety requirements.

“This is a very rewarding step in our citizenry of Chester County, where we are now being recognized as an integral part of the community

[SueRae]

This is nothing more than an instigation, trying to get a rise from the decent people in Chester County. For as long as I can remember, the lefties have abused the center of town and the courthouse to espouse their anit-war diatribes and run exhaustive battles to remove a plaque from the courthouse walls because they it 'offensive' to display God's word in public. And yet, the Daily Local continues to give them legitimacy by printing this tripe. If they're looking for a fight, they'll get one.

[Clintonfatigued]

That’s true, but it’s a free country.

It’s best to ignore these cranks.

[tioga]

It depends on if it’s an innocent display or a political statement.

[\/\/ayne]

I wonder if it will be like the famous ACLU Christmas from The Young Conservatives of Texas - University of Texas Chapter.

[IronJack]

Gotta ask yourself ... what exactly is it that they're "celebrating?" For non-Christians, how is this "season" any different than any other? And don't hand me a bunch of hooey about Hannukah; it was a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar until someone decided Christmas needed some competition.

If this is something more than just a thumb in the eye of convention, then let these atheists explain what their display represents, and why they've chosen now to erect it.

[Billthedrill]

The group’s display, “The Tree of Knowledge,” will include a 15-foot evergreen with color copies of book covers as decorations. Some of the book covers will include the Holy Bible, the Quran, “Ethics Without God,” “Why I Am Not a Christian,” and “Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism.”

I'm thinking I can smell trouble coming here...

[xkaydet65]

Several points exactly what Holday are these people celebrating? The story does not say.
Secondly: Why does no one point out that while the Menorah is an actual religious icon, commemorating a miraculous event, the Christmas Tree has no real religious conotation aside from being a Germanic pagan symbol, adapted by some Christians as a symbol of eternal life, its evergreen nature being cited for this status.

[HerrBlucher]

Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia

LOL! Free thought means free to think like an athiest. So called free thinkers seem to believe that Christians did not come to their belief by free thought.

[pnh102]

Disgusting. As someone who grew up in Chester County in the 1990s, I saw first hand the result of all the human waste moving into the area from Philadelphia and other places. Local politics has veered towards the same communists who ruined Philadelphia and these disgusting anti-USA protests were unheard of until recently.

It used to be that Chester County was one of the more sane bastions of conservative thought in southeastern Penna. Unfortunately... it appears yet another beautiful place has been lost to the left.

[trumandogz]

Before you know it each faith and non-religion will have a display on the square. From the a Christmas tree, to what ever symbols are desired by atheists, Buddhists and Muslims.

[444Flyer]

:

[Redcloak]

Atheists seem to spend an unusual amount of time thinking about God.

[Robert A Cook PE]

This group, like anti-Christian and ACLU-liberals everywhere, are being deliberately antagonistically agnostics to remove ALL versions of God from public (then private) life.

The paper (the MSM everywhere) is giving them publicity and legitimacy - you can't fight that by ignoring them.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Opposing God IS their life.

(And will be their life after death as well.)

[Mr. Silverback]

If these fools* want to take this approach instead of squelching our Christmas and Hanukkah displays, I'm all for it. Better they go head to head than try to shut us down.

* "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"-Psalm 53:1

[Always Right]

Considering there are no religious decorations 11 months out of the year, aren’t the atheist beliefs already getting the majority display time?

[TheFreeperFormerlyKnownAs]

Note the etymology, from Merriam-Webster, of holiday

Main Entry:

¹hol·i·day

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy + dæg day

Date:

before 12th century

[discostu]

It’s Capitalism Month, they great festival of spending lots of money to give people crap they don’t want.

[Mr. Silverback]

Plus, Christmas is a secular national holiday. When Congress declared it as such, they said it was to honor the birth of a great philosopher, not a religious figure.

[Gondring]

Local politics has veered towards the same communists who ruined Philadelphia and these disgusting anti-USA protests were unheard of until recently.

Same thing happened in New York State. I wish the filthy lefties would stay in the cities that they ruined with their policies instead of expanding out and trashing more places!