The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), dedicated to protecting the separation of church and state, has discovered that a courtroom in Bryan County, Georgia is displaying a Christian flag.
Tucked away in southeast Georgia in what is considered a suburb of Savannah, a Bryan County courtroom has two flags on display. The judge’s bench is book-ended with an American flag on one side and a “Christian” flag on the other. The Christian flag even has its very own cross-topped flagpole.
For those unfamiliar with the Christian flag, the FFRF provided some background in its July 16 news release:
“The flag is a traditional Christian design, reportedly conceptualized by Protestants in the early 20th century. The white in the flag is said to represent the biblical notions of purity, the blue is supposed to stand for baptism in water and the red is meant to symbolize the sacrifice that Jesus made for mankind.”
Most often seen in certain Protestant church sanctuaries, or at the occasional Kim Davis anti-LGBT rally, the symbol of course has no place in the American courtroom; a place singularly associated with impartiality, the rule of law, and due process.
This was a sentiment expressed in no uncertain terms in a July 6 letter written by FFRF Staff Attorney Elizabeth Cavell to the Bryan County clerk of courts, Rebecca Crowe, putting the court on notice. Ms. Cavell wrote:
“The inherent religious significance of the Christian flag and Latin cross is undeniable and not disguisable. No secular purpose, no matter how sincere, will detract from the overall message that the flag stands for Christianity and the overall display promotes Christianity.”
She continued:
“The cross has an exclusionary effect, making non-Christian and non-believing residents of Bryan County political outsiders.”
The letter concluded with a simple request: remove the flag from the courthouse.
Here’s a video of Kim Davis thanking God for her anti-gay bigotry and of Mike Huckabee preparing to be sued for using Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” without permission.
Featured image modified from FFRF photo above.
