The Crucified Santa Claus:‘Skeleton Santa’

The historic Loudoun County Court House in Leesburg, Virginia is the site of an ongoing clash over religious displays on the lawn. A Nativity scene has been placed on the lawn at Christmas for years. For a long time, no other signage or displays were permitted.


Two years ago, a resident-led committee made the decision to unilaterally ban all holiday displays on the courthouse lawn. However, after much backlash from the religious community, that decision was reversed a few days later, and the old policy of allowing up to 10 unattended displays on the lawn was reinstated.


In 2010, members of the Atheist community in Loudoun County acquired seven of the 10 available permits for spots on the lawn. Some of the ensuing displays were tongue-in-cheek, such as one of a Jedi and one of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Others were more abrasive, and openly questioned some core tenets of Christianity, like a Santa/Easter Bunny/Jesus comparison. Others were more positive, honoring the Constitution and the separation of church and state.


Over the last year, members of NOVA Atheists and Beltway Atheists have put an upbeat and positive banner on the lawn every month, celebrating persons or events pertaining to science or the separation of church and state.


I get the free speech issue. Allow everyone to have a voice, but what is everyone voicing? If you want to have a religious holiday display have it at a church, temple, or private property. A courthouse is not the best location to have a Christmas display. What does a courthouse have to do with Santa Claus? Or even a cross?


By displaying a Nativity next to the crucified skeleton Santa it sends the message that the story of Jesus Christ is just as equal as the crucified skeleton Santa. It’s not equal. It’s a holy story. The story of the birth of Christ does not belong to a courthouse, a government, or even to Christians. The story belongs to God. Why must we believe that government should be the keeper of religious stories or religious expression? Sure, religious people founded our country – and that is part of our story – but those people wanted to create a society where government and religion would not entangle one another.


As for the crucified skeleton Santa, take it down. Take all those religious displays down at the Loudoun County court house. Even the Christian ones. As Christians, we are doing no good service to the message of the Gospel by allowing it to be an equal message with crucified skeleton Santa. Let the churches, religious groups, and private people freely express their faith without government playing a role.


We only water down the message of Jesus Christ by turning a display of a nativity or a cross into a media circus.