New Jersey Borough Council Resists Humanist Group’s Demand to Remove ‘Religious’ Veterans Display
ICC Note: The American Humanist Association (AHA) recently issued a letter of complaint to a New Jersey mayor regarding a particular veterans memorial on public library grounds. The display was a cutout of a soldier kneeling in front of a cross grave marker and was intended to honor soldiers who have lost their lives. Despite the complaints from the AHA, the borough council held a vote, in which they decided to keep the memorial, ultimately deciding that the memorial is not unconstitutional.
By Heather Clark
08/26/2016 United States (Christian News Network) – The borough council of one New Jersey municipality has resisted a humanist group’s demand to remove what was deemed a religious veterans display from the lawn of the public library, voting instead to keep the figure in its place.
The American Humanist Association (AHA) recently sent a letter to Carl Hokanson, the mayor of Roselle Park, to demand that a silhouette of a soldier kneeling before a cross grave marker be removed. Hokanson had purchased the cutout with his personal money and donated it to the public library as a memorial to fallen soldiers.
“This letter demands that the cross display be removed immediately,” AHA’s correspondence, written by attorney Monica Miller, read. “If not, you are inviting litigation.”
She asserted that the display unlawfully endorses Christianity.
“Though apparently intended as a recognition of fallen military personnel, the display favors and endorses Christianity by suggesting that the government honors the service and sacrifice of Christian soldiers to the exclusion of others,” she stated. “If your government wishes to recognize fallen military personnel through a display, it must do so in a religiously neutral manner.”
AHA said that it received a complaint from local resident Gregory Storey about the silhouette, as he was unhappy that borough officials had not heeded his concerns. According to NJ Advance Media, Storey is married to council member Charlene Storey, who resigned for a time in December to show her opposition to another religious matter.