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The Freedom From Religion Foundation put up a billboard at the intersection of West Holly Avenue and Lambs Road which reads "Keep Saturn in Saturnalia," Friday, Dec. 13., 2013. This is in response to the "Keep Christ in Christmas" banner hung in downtown Pitman. (Staff Photo by Tim Hawk/South Jersey Times)

— The borough of Pitman and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) are back at it again this holiday season and, this time, the message from the foundation is clear: the Winter Solstice is not just for Christians.

&lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7644953/"&gt;'Keep Saturn in Saturnalia' sign: Free speech or poor taste?&lt;/a&gt;

Taking an even more brazen step forward from the "Keep Saturn in Saturnalia" banner that some members displayed at the "Welcome to Pitman" sign last year, the foundation has taken out a full-fledged billboard that now sits at the corner of West Holly Avenue and Lambs Road.

&lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/7644953/"&gt;'Keep Saturn in Saturnalia' sign: Free speech or poor taste?&lt;/a&gt;

The fight between the borough and the foundation dates back to 2011, when the foundation challenged the legality of the "Keep Christ in Christmas" sign that hangs over Broadway in downtown Pitman.

The foundation claimed that, through their investigation of open public records, the Knights of Columbus, a local religious organization who puts up the banner each year, did not have the proper permit to hang the sign even though it was hung on private property.

The "Keep Christ in Christmas" banner stretches across Broadway in downtown Pitman, Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. (Staff Photo by Tim Hawk/South Jersey Times)

For the past two years, the two sides have gone back and forth about the prominent display of Christianity that hangs over County Route 553, with Pitman residents arguing that the sign should be allowed to stay up in the middle of town.

The foundation sees the borough as endorsing Christianity and acting against the responsibilities of local government not to show preferential treatment to one religion over another.

Co-president of the foundation Dan Barker said the borough has been less than honest in their explanation of why the “Keep Christ in Christmas” sign is still allowed to be hung.

“It’s pretty clear to us because of all the delays and all the denials that Pitman wants to control the content of speech,” said Barker.

Saturnalia is an ancient Roman holiday celebrated during the Winter Solstice where there would be a large public feast, traditional gift-giving and slaves would be served by their masters for the duration of the Solstice.

Barker said when the foundation tried to put up a banner in Pitman that proclaimed, “Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds,” the borough stood fast in not allowing it to be displayed in a similar fashion to the Knights’ sign.

“When we came along with our request, either nobody knew what to do or ours was inappropriate,” said Barker.

So the foundation managed to get their message out this year in a way that the borough could not stop: by placing their tongue-in-cheek message on a private billboard that the borough can’t take down.

According to borough Mayor Russell Johnson, the billboard sits on borough-owned property that is leased out to Clear Channel Communications — a mass media company which pays an annual $2,000 stipend to place advertisements at the corner.

“We can’t do anything about it,” said Johnson. “They own the billboard and they pay us an annual lease to have it there.”

“I think the irony is FFRF’s whole initial problem. With this, you’re still hanging a religious sign on borough property,” added Johnson.

Johnson said that while he recognizes the foundation is completely within their boundaries to have the billboard stationed at the intersection, as a practicing Catholic, he still doesn’t appreciate the foundation’s attempt to challenge the Knights’ sign.

“In my elected capacity, I understand that they have the right of freedom of speech,” said Johnson. “It absolutely bothers me on a personal level as a resident. I recognize the (“Keep Christ in Christmas”) banner on Broadway.”

“But I don’t have to look at it,” added Johnson.

But for Barker and the foundation, the banner on Broadway is still an affront to the residents who live in Pitman who do not observe Christmas. He said the foundation is “going to keep fighting” against the banner.

“We’re not trying to silence the voices of religious people,” said Barker. “If there’s a war, it’s not a ‘War on Christmas,' it’s a ‘War by Christmas.’ We’re being assaulted everywhere we go.”

“What we are challenging is not the private expression (of religion). We’re challenging governmental suppression of speech,” said Barker.

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Contact staff writer Phil Davis at 856-686-3631 or pdavis@southjerseymedia.com