Texas Mayor Defends ‘Jesus Welcomes You’ Sign From America’s Biggest Atheist Group

The Wisconsin-based atheist group, Freedom from Religion Foundation, claims a sign in Texas that reads “Jesus Welcomes You to Hawkins” is “inappropriate” and “unconstitutional” and vows to sue the town for its removal.

The FFRF, popular for scouring the country to find what it deems unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, claims the sign delivers a message that it “prefers Christianity over other religions.” They delivered a letter on June 1 to the town to represent a complaint from a local resident who’s demanding the removal of the sign.

Mayor Will Rogers of Hawkins said the town might not have the money to fight the lawsuit but he believes they could win.

“That’s not a church, we’re not welcoming you to a particular church,” declared Hawkins, “that sign says “Jesus welcomes you.”‘

The Supreme Court ruled in the 1989 case Allegan vs. ACLU that the “justices believe that government accommodation of, and acknowledgment of public support for, religion were permissible so long as the government was not providing direct benefits to religion or coercing of religious beliefs.”

“To me and many others, Jesus is not a religion,” said Hawkins, “Jesus is in every religion across the globe. He’s in Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. He represents love and kindness.”

While Jesus is recognized as the son of God and second person of the Trinity in Christianity, other religions do recognize him and his teachings in varying and different capacities.

The 18-foot sign was created with private funds and placed on city property in 2011 through various community groups.

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