Pennsylvania City Council Yields to Atheists, Votes to Remove Park Bench That Features 'God' Quote
Yielding to atheists' pressure, a city council in Pennsylvania unanimously voted to remove a park bench that was meant to honor veterans after an atheist group objected to the presence of a biblical inscription on the bench.
The inscription reads, "Men who aren't governed by God, will be governed by tyrants." It's a paraphrase of a quote often attributed to Pennsylvania founder William Penn, Christian News Service reported.
Last Nov. 3, American Atheists (AA) sent a letter to the mayor of Oil City to request that the Justus Park bench, which was donated in 2003 by a local branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), be removed.
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The group argued that the inscribed text violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which instructs that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
The atheist organization also said the inscription disrespects non-Christians.
"[T]he Tyrants Bench contains an overtly religious message which endorses one particular religious viewpoint: Christianity. The statement ... not only has absolutely nothing to do with honoring our service members, but is derisive toward all non-Christian American service members who have served and died for this country," its letter stated.
Mark Schroyer, the city manager of Oil City, explained to Explore Clarion why they decided to give in to the atheists' demand even at the risk of incurring the residents' ire.
"From an administration standpoint, this is heading toward litigation," he said. "At that point, we have to decide what are our wins, losses and gain. ... Our collective opinion is, if it's winnable, it would be so costly [that] what would we actually be gaining other than taking the stand our residents are asking?"
City Solicitor Robert Varsek also admitted that the financial cost of litigation deterred them from pursuing it.
"Our biggest concern is exposure to attorney fees," he said. "We would be sued for injunctive relief where they order the city to remove the bench, and for damages and also be sued for attorney fees under the civil rights law."
Notwithstanding their city officials' capitulation, local residents are fighting back. They have launched a "Save the Bench" campaign through the savethebench.org where they pledged to contribute over $17,000 if the case goes to court.
The religious liberties group Liberty Counsel also offered to provide free legal services to the city.
"The VFW memorial, complete with the Tyrants Bench, is completely constitutional and does not violate the Establishment Clause in any way," said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. "The American Atheists are blatantly incorrect and acting out of complete ignorance. This William Penn quote is part of a tribute to the veterans and founders of America. I strongly urge the City Council of Oil City to maintain the bench in place."
