Religious signs placed on courthouse lawn, county has them removed
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – No one seems to know who recently planted two large signs on the Montgomery County Courthouse lawn that read, “Christmas is all about Jesus,” but they became conversation pieces this week, igniting the question once again of what is acceptable in the debate surrounding separation of church and state.
The Leaf-Chronicle has fielded complaints about the signs from people who maintain that the message oversteps these boundaries, and many people were under the impression that Montgomery County government had them placed on the courthouse lawn.
Not so, says Montgomery County Chief of Staff Jeff Truitt.
“We found them standing there on Saturday when (Mayor Jim Durrett) and I showed up at the courthouse for the Christmas parade,” Truitt said. “Neither I, nor the mayor, put those signs up, and they were not put up by any county personnel on county time, using county equipment or vehicles.”
Left standing
The signs, nevertheless, were left standing.
Truitt said county maintenance crews had previously been instructed to take them down, but he added that workers have been busy and “haven’t had time to get to them yet (as of Tuesday afternoon).”
The signs were taken down at about 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Previous controversy
Religious signage, displays and ceremonies erected by cities and counties have resulted in costly lawsuits over the years. Courts have consistently ruled that a government that wishes to display religious signage or other materials must open itself to displays that include all religions, or even anti-religious sentiments.
Clarksville-Montgomery County is not new to such controversy. During the 2009 Christmas season, the city of Clarksville ended religious displays at the Christmas On the Cumberland after negotiating with the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.
The ACLU position on religious freedom is that is protects individuals, religions and the government.
“As enshrined in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, religious freedom includes two complementary protections: the right to religious belief and expression, and a guarantee that the government neither prefers religion over non-religion nor favors particular faiths over others,” the ACLU states on its website.
“These dual protections work hand-in-hand, allowing religious liberty to thrive and safeguarding both religion and government from the undue influences of the other.”
10,000 sign campaign
It was widely speculated that Pastor Jimmy Terry of Tabernacle Baptist Church was responsible for this week’s courthouse lawn signs. He’s been leading a community-wide crusade to plant 10,000 signs at residences, churches and businesses.
• RELATED STORY: Clarksville pastor placing Christmas signs in yards
But Terry said on Tuesday he was not behind the courthouse lawn signs either. “I’m not aware of who did it, but I will tell you that I have 10 more, 4-by-8-foot signs available,” Terry said.
The mass sign placement effort all over northern middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky stems from what Terry recently described to The Leaf-Chronicle as a growing belief that Christ is being left out of Christmas.
Terry stated emphatically in a previous article, “We have lost the meaning of Christmas throughout the entire world, and when I say ‘we’ I mean Christians. Christmas is no longer about Jesus Christ. It’s all about materialism. These yard signs are just one way we can help keep Christ in Christmas.”
The cost of the 10,000 signs is being paid for by donations. Terry said the signs are free to anyone who wants to place one in their yard. Contributions for the signs will be accepted but are not required.
Promoters of the campaign say that, for anyone who wishes to contribute to the cost of the signs, checks should be made payable to “Hilldale Baptist Church - Signs” and either brought or sent to Hilldale, 2001 Madison St., Clarksville, TN 37043. Dwight Dickson and Mike Harrison are co-treasurers for the project.
Senior Editor Chris Smith contributed to this report.
Jimmy Settle, 245-0247
Business editor
jimmysettle@theleafchronicle.com
Twitter: @settle_leaf