Missouri City Won’t Remove Public Cross Display Despite Atheists’ Demands

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: May 31, 2017

Missouri City Won’t Remove Public Cross Display Despite Atheists’ Demands

A Missouri city has decided to ignore an atheist organization’s demands that the city remove a cross from the property of a public park.

The Christian Post reports that the city of Neosho told the atheist organization the Freedom From Religion Foundation that they will not be removing a large cross from Big Spring Park.

"It is the position of the city council that the correspondence forwarded by this organization was deficient in identifying authoritative case law within the 8th Circuit and is further of the opinion that, in fact, controlling case law would support the continued presence of the cross within the park," read a statement from city officials.

"Therefore, it is the unanimous opinion of the city council that the city of Neosho will not remove the cross or take any other actions which in any way compromises the long standing history of our city,” the statement continued.

The cross at Big Spring Park has been in place since 1930, but the FFRF recently filed a complaint against it, alleging that it violated the separation of church and state.

"We ask you to remove the cross from Big Spring Park immediately or direct the display [to] be moved to a more appropriate private location,” the FFRF said in their letter to Neosho city officials, adding that courts had previously ruled against such religious displays on public property.

The city posted their response to the FFRF on Facebook and has been receiving a lot of support.

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: May 31, 2017



Missouri City Won’t Remove Public Cross Display Despite Atheists’ Demands