Christian Flag Removed From Georgia Courthouse Following Atheist Activist Group’s Complaint
ICC Note: As previously reported, a courthouse in Georgia received complaints from the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) regarding a Christian flag in the courtroom. The atheist group argued that the presence of the flag violated the Constitution’s Establishment Clause by serving as an endorsement of a particular religion on government property. The courthouse has since decided to agree to the FFRF’s demands and has removed the flag in order to avoid a legal battle.
By Heather Clark
07/31/2016 United States (Christian News Network) – A Christian flag has been removed from a county courthouse in Georgia following a complaint from a prominent atheist activist organization.
As previously reported, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a letter on July 6 to the clerk of courts at the Bryan County Courthouse to demand that the flag be ejected from the courtroom. The flag—a white and blue flag with a red cross first created in 1897 to honor the Christian faith—had been displayed in the corner by the judge’s bench.
“It has been said that the white in the flag represents the biblical conceptions of purity, the blue in the flag represents the baptism in water, and the red color of the cross is symbolic of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made when He was crucified,” attorney Elizabeth Cavell wrote.
“The inherent religious significance of the Christian flag and Latin cross is undeniable and is not disguisable,” she said. “No secular purpose, no matter how sincere, will detract from the overall message that the flag stands for Christianity and the overall display promotes Christianity.”
Cavell asserted that the flag is therefore a violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
“The display of these patently religious symbols on county property confers government endorsement of Christianity, a blatant violation of the Establishment Clause,” she wrote.