The Freedom From Religion Foundation can’t seem to catch a break in Indiana. A banner they placed on the grounds of the Franklin County Courthouse, in response to a Nativity scene there, was slashed into pieces:

You may recall all the legal drama that led to the dueling displays. To counter the Nativity, once they were allowed to do so, FFRF put up a Secular version of it, featuring the Founding Fathers, Statue of Liberty, and the Bill of Rights. There was also a banner that read “At this season of the Winter Solstice, LET REASON PREVAIL. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth & superstition that hardens hearts & enslaves minds.”

In early December, that banner was stolen.

It was replaced… and that replacement banner was the one that was cut up. FFRF was notified about the vandalism on Christmas Eve:

“The theft and vandalism of our banner shows the ‘forum’ is only safe for the dominant religion,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “We are very pleased the city is going out of the nativity scene business.”

No kidding. Because of all the controversy, the county decided to put the Nativity scene on private property next year, eliminating the need for FFRF to offer a different perspective on the courthouse grounds.

There’s one upside to all this. FFRF recently announced a campaign to raise money after any instance of vandalism to one of its displays. So the Christians who presumably destroyed this banner should be aware they just raised $889 toward even more atheist signs going up in the future.



