Bethel Approves Atheist Holiday Banner

BETHEL, CT — The Board of Selectmen has approved an atheist holiday banner to be erected at the other end of P.T. Barnum Square, away from a Nativity set, the News Times is reporting.

The four-foot by eight-foot banner reads: “To our Bethel community, Happy holiday season! (whatever you celebrate) From your friendly atheist neighbors.”

The proposed banner, and the national atheist group that sponsored it, has been at the core of a controversy that has polarized the community.

Residents raised $5,000 last month to assemble and erect a Nativity scene in the town square. The work was unveiled on Nov. 17, and the the American Atheists Legal Center lodged a complaint less than a week later, asking the board of selectmen to rescind their approval.

The town will assemble a committee next year that will be tasked with developing a detailed policy regarding holiday displays in public.

For more, see the News Times.

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