Screenshot of the Sneads Police Department Facebook page
The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter last week reminding the police department in Sneads, Fla. that it needs to remain neutral toward religion even on social media.
FFRF received a local complaint that the official Sneads Police Department Facebook page regularly promotes Christianity. Among other religious imagery, the department posted pictures of Jesus praying, Jesus saving a drowning man with a bible quote, and Jesus looming over a sunset with commentary by the police department telling viewers to pray.
Screenshot of the Sneads Police Department Facebook page
“As a government entity, the Sneads Police Department cannot endorse Christianity or any other religious faith via social media,” wrote FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel. “The Department’s repeated use of Christian images, comments, bible verses, and religious allusions create the distinct impression that the Sneads Police Department supports and endorses particular religious beliefs.”
Screenshot of the Sneads Police Department Facebook page
The letter asks that the department remove all images and posts that appear to endorse Christianity. “If members of the police department wish to disseminate these messages they must do so on their own, personal Facebook pages; they cannot use the machinery of the government to spread their favored religious belief,” Seidel said.
FFRF is a national state/church watchdog with more than 23,000 members, including 1,200 in Florida.
Screenshot of the Sneads Police Department Facebook page
