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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Our View: Capitol right to allow alternatives to Nativity display

The flap over holiday displays at the Capitol in Olympia shows the folly in the idea that you can carefully craft a mix of religion and government. A Christmas tree in the rotunda has led to a competing placard produced by atheists.

Where are the wise men and women when we need them?

For years, a Christmas tree donated by the Association of Washington Business has been placed in the rotunda, and the lighting ceremony has long been a tradition for many families in the south Puget Sound region. Bowing to the realities of our diverse culture and faiths, the tree was renamed a “holiday tree.”

But in 2005, Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane, objected to this name change and raised a ruckus. The next year, Gov. Chris Gregoire, accompanied by rabbis, lighted a menorah in the rotunda. Not to be outdone, an Olympia real estate agent applied to display a Nativity scene. The state balked but backed down when sued.

As a result, the state’s position is to open the Capitol to all applicants, as long as they meet some technical requirements. A group of atheists from Wisconsin seized the opportunity and found a Washington state resident to apply for a permit.

Now Ahern is upset again, claiming that religion is under assault – the claim itself has become a Christmas tradition – and that allowing atheists to participate is wrong because atheism isn’t a religion.

We yearn for those silent nights before the holiday tree caused such a commotion and merely raised millions of dollars for charities.

Clearly, limiting displays to religious expressions would turn the First Amendment on its head. A state that had to allow a neo-Nazi rally on the Capitol steps cannot shut down an expression against religion because it is offensive or because this is a particularly reverent time of year for so many people.

It’s too late to return to the days when a tree didn’t generate controversy, so that leaves two courses of action: Open the rotunda to a wide range of displays, or shut it to all of them. Any half measures or compromises will inevitably favor one belief over another, and those aren’t choices governments in America should be making.

Religion doesn’t need government’s imprimatur. That’s part of the genius of the Constitution. So there’s no reason to be offended when it isn’t extended. But if government does get involved, it must take all comers.