Guess who's not welcome this Christmas at the Capitol's Christmas tree this year?
You probably already know, but read on for the full story from Texas Insider.
:The U.S. Forest Service has banned the name of Jesus from decorations being assembled by children in Arizona for the Capitol Christmas Tree this year. Yet a legal firm is challenging this censorship, Jonathan Scruggs, from the Alliance Defense Fund, said,"Banning Christmas from the Capitol Christmas tree is just absurd. Christian students shouldn’t be discriminated against for expressing their religious beliefs." Further more,"The First Amendment does not allow government officials to exclude schoolchildren’s ornaments for the capitol’s Christmas tree merely because they communicate a religious viewpoint.”
A concerned mother of a child who wanted to make orniments saying “Happy Birthday, Jesus ” and “Merry Christmas” with a manger contacted the Alliance Defense Fund with her concerns. The ADF demanded the restriction be rescinded or the family “will be forced to take legal action to protect her child’s First Amendment rights.”
The Forest Service Ornament Program states ornaments must be 9-12 inches tall, able to withstand winter weather for three weeks, include a loop of wire for hanging, and be able to be seen 75 feet away. Also, “Ornament designs may not reflect religious or political themes.” That is unless they contain the following image:
Let me be the first to wish you: "Merry Christmas!"
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