St. Joseph County (Ind.) has allowed a Christian nativity scene to be prominently displayed in the lobby of the County-City Building in South Bend. The crèche, which includes a sign describing the religious scene, is easily visible from both inside the lobby and outside the building, since it is placed near a large floor-to-ceiling window.
Freedom From Religion Foundation Legal Fellow Ryan Jayne has made a written request to the county for FFRF to display a Bill of Rights “nativity” scene and an accompanying explanatory description in a similarly visible area in the County-City Building. The request is for the display to be up from Dec. 22 through Jan. 5, 2016. If the county denies FFRF the permit, it has been asked to forward a copy of the written policy regarding unattended displays in the building.
FFRF, a state/church watchdog, has 23,000 members, including 350 in Indiana.
