Christians attempt to silence non-religious messages at Christmas

[N4mddissent]

They never found out who stole the sign? Wouldn't there be finger prints on it? Could have been some teenagers, fanatical Christians or the very people that put up the sign. I'm a Catholic and I love Christmas (Yes I know it is not the actual day of the birth of my lord). I'm also an American and I realize that under our countries laws everyone has a right to free speech. If homosexual Black Panther Nazi's want to put up a sign that is fine. I don't agree with them but it is America. It seems the Freedom From Religion group is playing the victim. If I put up an Obama sucks sign in an all black neighborhood should I be surprised if it disappeared?

I think the point was that this is America and the people who stole the sign obviously thought that FFR should not have the right to free speech since they stole the sign. And I think your all-black neighborhood sign analogy is not accurate. If I put up a pro-Obama sign in a white neighborhood should I be surprised if it disappeared? If one group wants to put up a sign on public property representing one belief, then they should not get so bent out of shape (some going so far as exhibiting criminal behavior) when another group wants to do the same. And some people will say that it is the FFR people who are trying to oppress or silence the christians in this example. Makes no sense.

You and others here are apparently operating under the mistaken notion that freedom of speech translates directly to “freedom to post signs on public property”. As I pointed out earlier here, there is no such “freedom” and the Supreme Court has so ruled.

If the atheists, or the KKK, or the Nazis or any other extremist organization wants to post signs they can put them up in their yards, rent space on the sides of buildings, take out newspaper ads or any other number of ways to publicize their positions, they are quite free to do so. That is what freedom of speech is all about. However, their desire to put signs on public property is not protected by the Constitution. It’s as simple as that.

First of all, I agree that the "freedom to post signs on public property" is not necessarily guaranteed as free speech. However, this was in the context of a religious message being posted on public property, and if the government chooses to allow a religious message to be expressed on public property, then it cannot deny a non-religious message without being discriminatory and creating a de facto establishment of state supported religion. If religious message x is allowed, but non-religious message y is forbidden, especially when y is not in any way obscene or inflammatory, constitutes the state saying we accept x and deny y. I would be fine if nobody could post their message on public land. Let the atheists and the religious post their speech in magazines, newspapers, private property, etc... There are plenty of churches with land available to exhibit their nativity scene, and I don't have a problem with that at all. But government should be representative of all the people and not treat beliefs differently based on popularity or the whims of those in power.

Second, your characterization of atheists as "extremists", and comparing them with nazis and the kkk is one of the most ignorant statements I have seen on this site. First of all, most of the atheists I have met are more tolerant than average. I believe there was a strong protestant christian underpinning behind most of the kkk beliefs. It is just amazing that you call the atheists extremists, when in this case, they put up a simple sign expressing their views. How extreme of them! But the people that stole the sign must be moderates, right? And we know about all those terrorist who blow themselves up in the name of atheism. Don't forget those extremist atheists who bomb abortion clinics and kill doctors.

Are you really so insecure in your beliefs that anyone who simply says I disagree, I happen to not believe in your religion, is such a threat that you feel the need to label them extremist and nazis. Your fear is sad.