State officials removed a “mock nativity” scene from the Texas State Capitol Tuesday after the governor called for it to be taken down, claiming it mocks Christians.
The scene, placed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, shows Benjamin Franklin, the Statue of Liberty, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington around a manger containing the Bill of Rights.
Next to the display a sign read, “At this season of the Winter Solstice, we honor reason and the Bill of Rights (Adopted December 15, 1791). Keep State & Church Separate.”
It was taken down after Gov. Greg Abbot complain to the State Preservation Board in a letter.
Abbot wrote that the exhibit “deliberately mocks Christians and Christianity. The Biblical scene of the newly born Jesus Christ lying in a manger in Bethlehem lies at the very heart of the Christian faith. Subjecting an image held sacred by millions of Texans to the Foundation’s tasteless sarcasm does nothing to promote morals and the general welfare,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.
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