Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Secularists Complain of Cross on Fla. City's Seal; It's 1st Time City of DeLand's Seal Is Challenged

The city of DeLand, Florida received a letter from Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) that claims an anonymous resident complained to AU about the city's official seal, the Charisma News website reports today (September 10, 2013).

The seal dates back to 1882, when the city was incorporated. It includes the city's name, its founding date and an anchor, heart and cross that AU claims is a representation of faith, hope, and charity. As far as the city is aware, this is the first complaint it has ever received about the seal in its 131-year history.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) sent a letter to city officials explaining that the city's seal is constitutional. The letter notes similarities between DeLand's seal and other city seals or insignias that have been upheld in court.

The ACLJ letter also states: "We included one court's observation that 'the people of the United States did not adopt the Bill of Rights in order to strip the public square of every last shred of public piety. The notion that the First Amendment commands a brooding and pervasive devotion to the secular... is a notion that simply perverts our history.'"

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