Tennessee
FFRF was assured that a religious quote was removed from an employee for the Bi-County Solid Waste Management (BCSWM) in Woodlawn, Tenn.
A city resident reported that a BCSWM employee was sending bible quotes to residents as part of official correspondence. According to FFRF’s complainant on Feb. 1, they received an email from a BCSWM employee with the bible quote from Phil 4:13 in the email signature, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The employee also signed off the email with “Have a blessed day!”
“By including biblical scripture in official emails to community members, BCSWM displays favoritism toward religion over nonreligion, and Christianity over all other faiths,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence wrote to the executive director of the department.
FFRF heard from W. Timothy Harvey, the BCSWM’s legal representative. Harvey wrote, “Proper supervisory personnel have addressed directly with the employee the referenced email and official business communications.” When pressed further for details, Harvey promised that the “organization acted on the issue you raised.”
