BOSTON - A constituent request was what prompted state Rep. Jim Lyons, R-Andover, to inquire about putting a Nativity scene on the front lawn on the Massachusetts State House, alongside a Christmas tree decked in blue-white lights.



Lyons's request to the Bureau of the State House was initially denied. Undeterred, he asked for the rule and then made a separate application for an indoor display.



Nearly a month later, Lyons stood in front of a small and simple Nativity scene inside the Great Hall as cameras snapped away at the three religious figures under the wooden roof.





Lyons had reached out to the Thomas More Society and the American Nativity Scene Society for some help. The Thomas More Society, a conservative not-for-profit law firm, stepped in and sent an opinion stating that it was legal to put the scene inside the State House, where an annual menorah lighting also takes place.



"The message that we're sending is that the nativity scene is a symbol of Christianity and it's certainly a symbol of love, joy and hope, and that's the message we're hoping people will come away with," Lyons said. "This is a great day to celebrate Christmas."



He still hopes to get a Nativity scene out on the front lawn. "One step at a time," Lyons said, adding that he also hopes the Nativity scene becomes an annual event.



While the Nativity scene was on display inside the State House, a local group of atheists were taking part in their own regular event: Unveiling a banner telling everybody "warm wishes from your friendly neighborhood atheists" on Boston Common.



"This is a tradition we've been doing for a few years now," said Zachary Bos, state director for American Atheists.





Asked about the Nativity scene inside the State House, Bos said, "This was an opportunity for Representative Lyons and the other officials at the State House to say, look folks, the State House is a space for all residents of Massachusetts and this is where we're going to draw the line around the separation of church and state."



As several of his fellow atheists prepared to put up the sign, Bos added, "If you open the doors, if you look past the windows of the Great Hall, you can see down Boston Common, you can see the holiday displays here. So it isn't as if members of these faith traditions aren't already represented in the public space."



The Thomas More Society's move was a grab a "low-hanging fruit," and was not neighborly, Bos said.