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Olympian: Nativity Scene to be Allowed on Capitol Grounds
State officials have approved the display of an enormous (50-foot-by-50-foot) nativity scene on the Capitol grounds in Olympia, featuring life-size figures including Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, the Olympian reports. The state allows private citizens to request space on the Capitol grounds for religious displays, and does not place any restrictions on how large they can be.
A full-fledged nativity scene probably wouldn't go over well at Seattle's city hall, but city officials have re-installed a menorah and kinara, symbols of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, respectively, alongside the traditional Christmas tree in the city hall lobby. As we reported in Fizz last week, the new head of the city's department of administrative services, Fred Podesta, reversed an earlier decision by his predecessor Brenda Bauer to remove the decorations. Podesta's spokeswoman, Katherine Schubert-Knapp, says the city chose the three displays symbols to highlight how many residents of Seattle mark their winter holidays.”
Two years ago, an atheist group displayed an anti-religion billboard inside the Capitol, alongside a "holiday tree" and a nativity. Since then, the Tribune reports, there hasn't been much controversy around holiday displays.
“There is no space limitation. The policy allows for GA to consider ‘time, place and manner,’” Department of General Administration spokesman Steve Valandra said Monday after the request was approved. “Since the only other display that’s up is the atheist ‘tree of knowledge,’ there’s no space issue.”
A full-fledged nativity scene probably wouldn't go over well at Seattle's city hall, but city officials have re-installed a menorah and kinara, symbols of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, respectively, alongside the traditional Christmas tree in the city hall lobby. As we reported in Fizz last week, the new head of the city's department of administrative services, Fred Podesta, reversed an earlier decision by his predecessor Brenda Bauer to remove the decorations. Podesta's spokeswoman, Katherine Schubert-Knapp, says the city chose the three displays symbols to highlight how many residents of Seattle mark their winter holidays.”
Two years ago, an atheist group displayed an anti-religion billboard inside the Capitol, alongside a "holiday tree" and a nativity. Since then, the Tribune reports, there hasn't been much controversy around holiday displays.
