For his last Christmas in office before handing the reins of
government over to Gina Raimondo, Governor Lincoln Chafee mostly avoided the
idiotic lambasting he has received in previous years over his decision to refer
to the large decorated evergreen placed in the State House rotunda as a
“Holiday Tree” rather than a “Christmas Tree.”
Locally speaking, the annual “War on Christmas” was relatively
quiet this year, mostly, I believe, because of the election and because of the
attention being given to the #BlackLivesMatter protests.
As president of the Humanists of Rhode Island, I waited until
the day after the election to formally request a spot in the State House for
our Roger Williams banner. This banner, placed for the first time in the State
House last year, has been relegated to a spot on the second floor of the State
House, in an area designated for displays by local ethnic and civic groups.
The idea of such an area is to allow a “free speech zone,” a
place for symbols and ideas of a religious nature to be displayed on public
property. In this way has the law evolved so that the separation of church and
state may be violated.
Here you will find all sorts of statements and displays about
religion. There are mangers and baby Jesuses
But the law is the law, and it’s unlikely to change anytime
soon, so those with a secular and non-believing outlook will be compelled to at
least balance the religious views on displays with their own for the foreseeable
future.
There is one big problem though. Humanists, atheists and all
non-Christians and non-Jews are victims of viewpoint discrimination, an illegal
process where the opinions and ideas of certain religious groups are
prioritized over others. Certain groups are routinely being given better
placement in the State House, garnering their displays greater visibility than
others, which gives these groups the appearance of favoritism.
What I’m talking about is the placement of the Christmas Tree in
the main rotunda. Governor Chafee was onto something when he called it a
“Holiday Tree.” As a holiday tree, devoid of religious meaning, the tree could
stand every year in the best, most visible location in the State House, and no
one could make a case that their religion or non-religion was being
discriminated against. But calling it a Christmas Tree means that Christian
views are being prioritized by being given the favored spot, year after year.
The addition of a Hanukkah menorah, also always located in a favored
spot just off the main rotunda, does little to make the situation better. Note
that the menorah is never given the center spot, but is always off to the side.
Note that the Christmas Tree is never moved to the side so that any other
viewpoint might be displayed in its dominating place of honor.
The message the State of Rhode Island is sending is clear:
Christians are #1, Jews are #2 (perhaps by virtue of the history, monotheism
and holy texts they share with Christians) and all other viewpoints are
relegated to the second floor, where visitors must search them out.
This year I repeatedly asked that our banner be allowed to
occupy some space on the main rotunda, either hung near the tree or displayed
on a structure we would provide. My requests were ignored. When I said that I
wanted a place on the main rotunda, I was told that I could have the space on
the second floor or nothing.
This is wrong. The second floor is for second class citizens.
First class citizens are given the main rotunda, given a state sanctioned
lighting ceremony, and given the endorsement of our state government. This is a
clear violation of the first amendment, and a clear message to non-Christians
that this is a Christian state, run by and for Christians alone. The rest of us
are simply tolerated.
Next year the Humanists of Rhode Island will once again demand
placement on the main rotunda.
We hope that Gina Raimondo does the right thing
and allows our banner to be placed with the Christmas Tree.
Steve Ahlquist is a writer, artist and current president of
the Humanists of Rhode Island, a non-profit group dedicated to reason,
compassion, optimism, courage and action. The views expressed are his own and
not necessarily those of any organization of which he is a member.
His photos and video are usable under the Creative Commons
license. Free to share with credit.
Steve is happy to accept PayPal donations from those who feel
his journalism is worth something. You can use the email address below.
Email: atomicsteve@gmail.com
Twitter: @SteveAhlquist
Twitter: @SteveAhlquist
"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never
the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie
Weisel
