Suppose a group wants to put up a display that's not associated with any religion or anti-religion? Advertising, for example?
Susan Ed Brayton wrote: > I think Green Bay has hit upon the ideal solution to the annual battles over > nativity scenes on public property. I think the court can fix the problem by > declaring two things: > > 1. the government cannot fund such displays. > > 2. if a private group is allowed to put up a display for their religious > holiday, then the government has created a limited public forum and all > groups must be allowed equal access to put up their own. > > No more battles over whether a given display has a sufficient number of > "secular" symbols mixed in to dilute the message of endorsement. No more > battles over what constitutes a secular symbol, e.g. a menorah or a star and > crescent as in the NY city school case. No more problems with endorsement of > any kind because every display is privately owned and maintained and all > private groups have equal access. Problem solved. Thoughts? > > Ed Brayton > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Susan Freiman > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 3:26 AM > To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics > Subject: Happy Festivus! > > http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WI_FESTIVUS_NATIVITY_WIOL-?SITE=WIFON > &SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT > <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WI_FESTIVUS_NATIVITY_WIOL-?SITE=WIFO > N&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT> > > Dec 16, 1:58 PM EST > > Festivus pole proposed at Green Bay City Hall > > > Advertisement > > > > > GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- The putting up of a nativity scene at Green > Bay's City Hall has prompted a tongue-in-cheek request from a suburban > man for permission to display a Festivus pole on the overhang of the > building's northwest entrance. > > The Festivus holiday created by author Daniel O'Keefe during the 1970s > and popularized by comedian Jerry Seinfeld two decades later is > celebrated by some both in earnest and jest on Dec. 23. > > The request by Sean Ryan of Allouez was made during the weekend after > Green Bay City Council president Chad Fradette received the go-ahead > last week from the city's advisory committee to install a nativity > display at City Hall. > > Fradette said he proposed the display in response to criticism of a > nativity display at a city park in nearby Peshtigo. > > A practicing Catholic who would prefer to see no religious displays at > a government office, Ryan said his request to put up an undecorated six > foot aluminum pole was intended to showcase how deciding what religions > to include in the display can turn to the absurd. > > "I was turning over how extreme things could get and how loosely things > could get interpreted, > > " Ryan said. > > "The real feat of strength would be for the mayor to stand up and say > this is absurd," Ryan added. "Let us keep nativity scenes where they > belong in the churches, in our homes and in our hearts." > > On Friday, a Wiccan pentacle was put up at the Green Bay City Hall > consisting of an evergreen wreath encircling a gold five-pointed star. > > Wicca is a nature-based religion based on respect for the earth, nature > and the cycle of the seasons. But variations of the pentacle not > accepted by Wiccans have been used in horror movies as a sign of the > devil. > > Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt said items besides the nativity scene to be > displayed need to associated with a religion, and the Festivus pole is > just pop culture. > > "This is kind of making a laughing matter of something that's rather > serious," he said. > > The mayor said "silly antics" would not help resolve the questions > facing the City Council on Tuesday, when it is scheduled to take up the > matter. > > The mayor said he plans to forward some preliminary guidelines to the > council Monday, including a limit on the time period for the displays > and how to determine if a display is representative of a religion. > > "This isn't an area that we have a lot of expertise," Schmitt said. > > --- > > Information from: Green Bay Press-Gazette, > http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com <http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com> > > === > > Buy your Festivus Pole at > > http://www.festivuspoles.com/pages/Festivuspoles.htm > <http://www.festivuspoles.com/pages/Festivuspoles.htm> > > _______________________________________________ > To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see > http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw > > Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as > private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are > posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or > wrongly) forward the messages to others. > > _______________________________________________ > To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see > http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw > > Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as > private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; > people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) > forward the messages to others. > > > _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
