By BRENDAN FARRINGTON:
STARKE, Fla. — A group of atheists unveiled a monument to their
nonbelief in God on Saturday to sit alongside a granite slab that lists
the Ten Commandments in front of the Bradford County courthouse.
As a small group of protesters blasted Christian country music and
waved "Honk for Jesus" signs, the atheists celebrated what they believe
is the first atheist monument allowed on government property in the
United States.
"When you look at this monument, the first thing you will
notice is that it has a function. Atheists are about the real and the
physical, so we selected to place this monument in the form of a bench,"
said David Silverman, president of American Atheists.
It also serves another function – a counter to the religious monument
that the New Jersey-based group wanted removed. It's a case of if you
can't beat `em, join `em.
American Atheists sued to try to have the stone slab with the Ten
Commandments taken away from the courthouse lawn in this rural,
conservative north Florida town best known for the prison that confines
death row inmates. The Community Men's Fellowship erected the monument
in what's described as a free speech zone. During mediation on the case,
the atheist group was told it could have its own monument, too.
"We're not going to let them do it without a counterpoint," Silverman
said. "If we do it without a counterpoint, it's going to appear very
strongly that the government actually endorses one religion over
another, or – I should say – religion in general over non-religion."
About 200 people attended the unveiling. Most were supportive, though
there were protesters, including a group from Florida League of the
South that had signs that said "Yankees Go Home."
"We reject outsiders coming to Florida – especially from outside what
we refer to as the Bible Belt – and trying to remake us in their own
image," said Michael Tubbs, state chairman of the Florida League of the
South. "We do feel like it's a stick in the eye to the Christian people
of Florida to have these outsiders come down here with their money and
their leadership and promote their outside values here."
After a cover was taken off the 1,500-pound granite bench Saturday,
people rushed to have their pictures taken on it. The bench has quotes
from Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Madalyn Murray
O'Hair, the founder of American Atheists. It also has a list of Old
Testament punishments for violating the Ten Commandments, including
death and stoning.
"Some
people think it's an attack simply by us exerting our existence. They
put a monument on a public lawn that, if you put it in context, says
atheists should be killed," Silverman said. "It is an attack, but it's
an attack on Christian privilege, not an attack on Christians
themselves, and not so much an attack on Christianity."
At one point someone in a car driving by tossed a toilet seat and a
roll of toilet paper at the crowd. Neither struck anyone. At another
point, Eric Hovind, 35, of Pensacola jumped atop the peak of the
monument and shouted his thanks to the atheists for giving him a
platform to declare Jesus is real. Atheists shouted at him, and he
stepped down after about a minute. One man yelled that religion is a
fairy tale.
"The problem is it's not a fairy tale," Hovind said. "We definitely have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion."
Hovind and Tubbs did say they respect the right of the group to
install the monument, even if they disagree with the message behind it.
And the atheists said they expected protesters.
"There always are," said Rick Wingrove, the director of a Washington
D.C.-area office of American Atheists. "We protests their events, they
protests our events. As long as everybody's cordial and let people
speak. This is our day, not theirs. We're fine with them being here."
A call to the group that sponsored the Ten Commandments monument, the
Community Men's Fellowship, wasn't returned. But the group gave
Facebook updates on the legal battle with the American Atheists and
praised the compromise that allowed them to keep their monument.
"We want you all to remember that this issue was won on the basis of
this being a free speech issue, so don't be alarmed when the American
Atheists want to erect their own sign or monument. It's their right. As
for us, we will continue to honor the Lord and that's what matters," the
group posted.
While Silverman said he believes religion is wrong and teachings in
the Bible are violent, he said he welcomes non-Christian religions to
follow the atheists' example and put in their own monuments in
free-speech zones.
"I will back them because it will be their right," he said. "This is
one of the tricks that Christians have used, because they go up and call
it a free-speech zone and then they're unopposed. They get their
government legitimization because nobody else calls their bluff and puts
something in."
