No Question: Nativity Displays Constitutional
by AFA Journal
November 3, 2004
(AgapePress) - The display of Nativity scenes to celebrate Christmas will soon cause questions of constitutionality to surface as the holiday season approaches.For Bruce Barilla, of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the controversy is not surprising. Barilla, founder of a ministry designed to encourage national, state, and local governments to recognize a Christian Heritage Week, came face to face with such a struggle last Christmas as he made preparations for a public display of a Nativity scene in his hometown.
"The owner of the car dealership which let me display the Nativity scene in 2002 changed his mind for 2003," Barilla said in a letter to the AFA Journal.
Although his initial efforts were thwarted, Barilla was determined to find a place for the scene's display and was prayerful in asking specifically for another location on Main Street.
"I went into the local cleaners and explained my purpose. The lady [Rosa Holliday] working there said she had been praying about what to do about decorating for Christmas. Needless to say, both our prayers were answered," Barilla explained in the letter.
In a phone interview, Barilla said Holliday played a big part in providing a new location to display his Nativity scene. However, he recognizes it as a divine intervention. "It was the perfect spot to display it and plug it in. It was protected from the weather and nobody could steal it. It was a blessing," Barilla said of the situation.
For those in a similar situation as Barilla, it is important to know the legalities surrounding the display of Nativity scenes. Such information can be found in an article published in the October 2003 issue of the AFA Journal.
Additional assistance in legal matters concerning the display of Nativity scenes is available from the American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy. Barilla also offers his assistance and suggestions about purchasing and displaying Nativity scenes and can be reached by calling 304-536-9029.
Barilla intends to send informational flyers about purchasing Nativity scenes to about 230 mayors around the state of West Virginia like he did last year. "If nothing comes out of it, at least we're trying," Barilla said.
This article appeared in the October 2004 issue of AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
