ICC Note: In yet another attempt to remove every vestige of Christianity from the public sphere an atheist organization has demanded that the city of DeLand, Florida remove or change it’s 131-year-old city seal thanks to the “Christian theological virtues” it espouses. The seal contains a cross, heart, and anchor and was created in 1882 to reflect the cities values of “faith, hope, and charity.” Atheists argue this violates  the establishment of religion clause in the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment.The request for the removal of the seal is only one of many incidents around the United States in recent years where potentially Christian messages in public places have been targeted by atheist groups.   
9/30/2013 United States (Christian Post) – A city in Florida is battling an atheist group regarding its official city seal that depicts a cross, heart, and anchor. While the atheist group argues the symbols are biblically religious, the city argues they are a part of the town’s history and carry no sectarian meaning.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-partisan, non-religious group dedicated to defending the freedom of all religions, has argued that cases such as these are very “fact intensive and subjective,” and the ruling often depends on the “predilections” of the judge because there is no Supreme Court ruling that sets the standard for all cities.
In late August, the local Florida chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a national church-and-state watchdog group, sent a letter to the city of DeLand, Fla. arguing that its city seal violated the constitution’s First Amendment Establishment Clause because it depicted religious imagery on its municipal seal. The letter argues, in part, that the heart, anchor and cross on the seal “are widely understood to symbolize the Christian ‘theological virtues’ discussed by Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 13:13.” The group demanded the city take action and amend its historic seal within 30 days or it would take legal action.
The city’s Attorney Darren Elkind sent a return letter to Americans United in early September arguing that the city’s seal is not meant to suggest any religious theme, but rather it was created more than 130 years ago in 1882 as a testament to the city’s founder, Henry DeLand, to represent the virtues of “faith, hope and charity.”
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