Atheist Group Challenges Bible Display at Fla. City Hall, Calls It a Violation of the US Constitution

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January 16, 2014|10:12 am

An atheist organization has taken up the cause of a Florida man who has complained for several years that the display of a Bible in one city council's chambers is a violation of the Constitution.

Randy Heine, the owner of Rockin Cards and Gifts in Pinellas Park, Fla., told The Christian Post he was "stonewalled" by city officials when he tried to have the Bible removed from the dais in the city council chambers back in 2005. He could not afford to take legal action against the city, he says, so his mission was put on hold.

In June 2013 he reached out to the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an organization that promotes the separation of church and state of which he is also a member, to share his concern.

An FFRF staff attorney sent a letter to Pinellas Park Mayor Sandra Bradbury shortly after claiming that, among other things, displaying the Bible is a government endorsement of religion and is therefore unconstitutional.

"No legitimate purpose is served by having a bible [sic] on the dais. Its presenceonly appears to express approval of its contents and of Christianity," wrote FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel.

Seidel told CP his organization sent several follow-up letters to the city, including one sent earlier this week, but city officials have not yet responded. The city has, however, worked with FFRF on an open records request that was included with the first letter.

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Several federal courts have declared that displaying the Bible on government property is a violation of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, he says. He also says he hopes city leaders will see that they can still exercise their beliefs privately and that FFRF is concerned with protecting the First Amendment.

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Atheist Group Challenges Bible Display at Fla. City Hall, Calls It a Violation of the US Constitution