Fox Business host Eric Bolling invited an atheist to express his views on Christmas Monday — and then promptly kicked him off the show for doing so.

Last week, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) asked the Texas town of Athens to remove a nativity scene, claiming that the display violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over another.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Even though the town is not a Christian town, many residents think it is indeed a Christian town, and that non-Christians are not welcome,” FFRF’s Dan Barker explained to Bolling Monday. “We think the nativity scene belongs on private property. … Why would the city want to exclude residents? Why would they want to put up a discriminatory and insulting image? To a lot of Americans, the nativity scene basically is an insult to human nature, that we are all doomed and damned and deserving of eternal torment…”

“I have to take exception to the way you described the nativity scene,” Bolling interrupted. “It’s not an insult, certainly not an insult to me. I’m a Christian. It’s not an insult.”

“If the town is right, that that’s just free speech as opposed to government speech, then they should not disallow us [from] putting up an anti-Christian message,” Barker replied. “By the way, why was Jesus born? To save us from our sins. What an insult that we are degraded, depraved human beings, that Jesus created a hell, a place of torture.”

“I have to stop you,” Bolling interrupted again. “This is my show. See, the name of this show is Follow the Money with Eric Bolling. I can’t allow you to talk like that on my show. You’re absolutely wrong.”

“You, sir, are denigrating the name of Jesus Christ,” he added. “I’m not going to let it happen. I’m going to say goodbye to you right now. … Bye, bye.”

ADVERTISEMENT

With that, Bolling brought out Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert (R) to defend the nativity scene.

“It is a sign of love,” Gohmert declared. “That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Watch this video from Fox Business’s Follow the Money, broadcast Dec. 12, 2011.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

(H/T: Mediaite)