Atheist Tree of Knowledge under attack
WEST CHESTER, PA – For the last three years, a local group of atheists, skeptics, rationalists, humanists, freethinkers, etc. have joined in the winter festivities by putting up a display representing their values along side other displays in front of the Chester County Courthouse in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The display, designed by Margaret Downey, president of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia (FSGP) is an evergreen tree decorated with laminated book covers from varying subject matters. The Tree of Knowledge is a symbol of humanist values. It represents knowledge, education, science, philosophy, morality, diversity, and of course curiosity. A complete list of all the books represented by the book covers is available here (pdf).
The Bible (also represented as an ornament on the Tree of Knowledge) references a tree of the knowledge of the fruit of good and evil. According to the Genesis story, Eve ate from the fruit out of curiosity and temptation and thus damned all of humankind with the original sin punishable by eternal torture in Hell. The FSGP Tree of Knowledge of course does play into that symbolism, but it doesn’t rely solely on it. While there are multiple books with morality, ethics, and the nature of good & evil represented on the Tree, it also represents our humanist values and our break from the Abrahamic tradition. It is not an attack on religion, but rather an expression of an alternative set of values (i.e. knowledge and reason).
Ever since the Tree of Knowledge first joined the Christmas Tree, The Crèche, and the Menorah, this display has been the center of controversy. Many Christians have claimed that the inclusion of humanist values next to the Jesus Crèche is an attempt to “steal” Christmas. It seems that many Christians are of the opinion that Christians own the winter season. They do not.
<snip>
Over the last two years, the Tree of Knowledge has been vandalized by loving Christians and demonized in the local newspapers and blogs in some of the most hateful ways. This year, the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia had to fight new regulations designed to bully their display off of the courthouse lawn. One new restriction was on the height of the display. No display can be higher then 10 feet tall… except for the Christmas Tree. Clearly the County endorses one religion over all other religious viewpoints. So instead of the 18 foot Tree of Knowledge, FSGP had to get a smaller 10 foot tree.
More:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-8928-Philadelphia-Atheism-Examiner~y2009m12d3-Atheist-Tree-of-Knowledge-under-attackUPDATE: Atheist Tree of Knowledge left at back of bus
<snip>
After the displays were put up, the County threatened to take the Tree of Knowledge down. The claim was that the ornaments on the Tree were not the same size as the sample included with the application. No sample was even required, but FSGP decided to include one as a courtesy. There were no samples of the Jesus Crèche or the Menorah nor would those samples be expected to be actual size. It goes without saying that the Christmas Tree application didn’t include a sample ornament. The county conceded that point.
Not long after however, the Crèche was moved out of the official Free Speech Zone to a spot right in front of the courthouse. The Menorah also moved to the front of the courthouse. This has left the Tree of Knowledge as the only display left in the carefully plotted out Free Speech Zone at the side of the building. When FSGP asked to be moved with the rest of the displays, they were rejected.
It is important to note that before the new regulations were put into place that one of the County Commissioners asked to have more zones available in the Free Speech Zone so that more organizations would have an opportunity to put up winter displays. This would showcase the religious diversity of the county. The Commissioner was told that for safety reasons only four zones could be created and that these areas were carefully mapped out with the safety of the community in mind. Yet for all those carefully mapped out zones were discarded seemingly overnight… except in the case of the Tree of Knowledge.
While all the other displays were allowed to move to the front of the courthouse the Tree of Knowledge must stay at the back of the proverbial bus. FSGP has tried to make the most of the situation and asked that if they can’t be moved to the front of the courthouse with all the other displays, maybe the Tree of Knowledge could be moved out from under the low tree branch which obscures it slightly from view to the more visible spot that the Crèche once held. The answer was of course no.
More:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-8928-Philadelphia-Atheism-Examiner~y2009m12d11-UPDATE-Atheist-Tree-of-Knowledge-left-at-back-of-bus
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
- Because he knows like we all do, that Christians are batshit crazy! And they don't want any of "their" voters getting hurt while they tear the shit out of that good-awful atheistic whatchmacallit. You know, that knowledge thingy tree. The stuff good Christians are supposed to stay away from or they will surely die!
