The Berkley City Hall Nativity Scene Brouhaha Returns

Last year my town of Berkley experienced a bit of a media circus due to one of the most cliched local political brouhahas around--the City Hall Holiday Nativity Scene.

The Berkley City Council, facing a potential ACLU lawsuit, and recognizing the separation of church & state, came up with a practical solution to the issue which solved the Constitutional crisis while still maintaining the city's tradition of displaying the nativity scene in question every holiday season--they struck a deal with the various churches throughout city limits to display the nativity in front of a different church each year.

Since the solution was pragmatic, legal, practical *and* respectful of both Christians as well as those of other denominations (or those of none whatsoever), those who came up with it were naturally attacked for being "anti-God", etc etc.

Things calmed down after the holidays, of course, but like a fungus, the issue is back again this year--it seems that a ballot proposal FORCING the city to display a nativity scene at City Hall is going to be on the ballot this fall:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/OPINION/...

I don't go to a dentist for an oil change, and I don't go to Jiffy Lube for a root canal.

The purpose of city hall is to conduct the day-to-day affairs of the local residents. The purpose of religion is to address the spiritual needs of the people. Why on earth would I want to mix the two?

Setting aside the obvious Constitutional reasons why it's wrong to put religious artifacts on government grounds, it's actually insulting to *both* religion and government to mix the two. Each has its' function, neither should be used for the others' purpose.

Furthermore, I've lived in Berkley for 6 years now, and the first time I ever saw the nativity scene in question was last winter, when it was located in its' proper place--in front of a church on 12 Mile road, which is a much more prominent and impressive location anyway.

I'm sure that no Christian would want Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist or (gasp!) Muslim artifacts displayed at City Hall (and certainly not at the exclusion of the Christian nativity scene), and I agree--none of those artifacts should be there. When I go to City Hall, I'm there to take care of mundane residential matters--paying the water bill or filing for a building permit, perhaps. I don't expect (or want) religious displays cluttering up the lobby anymore than I would want a Treasury Dept. official hawking U.S. Savings Bonds at my church or synagogue.

The City Council came up with an ideal solution to the issue last year--one which addresses the legal, financial and Constitutional issues (by removing the display from city property) while also remaining respectful of both the religious and traditional aspects (by keeping the nativity scene on prominent display, every year, within city limits). They could have simply removed the display completely; instead, they worked hard and found a way through the issue that is respectful towards everyone's feelings.

Sadly, this wasn't enough for some.

I urge my fellow Berkley residents to vote NO on this ballot initiative if & when it appears on the ballot.