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SYLVANIA, AL (WAFF) -
The town of Sylvania will remove four biblical welcome signs along popular city routes.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation claims to be behind the move.
The signs contained a biblical quote from Ephesians 4:5: "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism." Mayor Mitchell Dendy sealed the signs with a stamp of approval.
FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliot addressed the issue in an April 17th letter.
"The Sylvania 'welcome' signs are not welcoming; they affiliate the government with one religion, Christianity, and exclude others," wrote Elliot. "The endorsement of the tenets of one religion on government signs is unconstitutional. No court would uphold this blatant violation of the Constitution."
Elliott called this violation "egregious."
"Whether to believe or not believe in 'One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism' is a personal decision protected under our First Amendment as a paramount matter of conscience," noted Elliott. "Local governments have no place in making position statements on such matters."
This is not the first time FFRF has remedied state/church violations in northern Alabama. This year FFRF has filed complaints with Marshall County, Marshall County Schools and Jackson County. School prayer, school board prayer and 'Bible Man' prompted FFRF to take action in those counties.
FFRF members convinced Sylvania to remove four Christian welcome signs.
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