Why the Christian Flag Does Not Belong in a Courthouse

"There go those damn atheists again, always stirring up trouble. Why are they so determined to eradicate every trace of religion in America? Don't they know we are a Christian nation?" We atheists are routinely accused of creating controversy, of attempting to banish religion from the public square, and even of persecuting religious believers. These same accusations will soon be leveled as we move forward with efforts to have the Christian flag in the Rankin County Justice Court removed. So what is our motivation? Why should this flag be removed?

Believe it or not, the answer is not particularly complicated. The "Establishment Clause" of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from promoting religion. Unlike the Ten Commandments, where at least a cogent argument can be made that our legal system was influenced by it and that it has taken on a largely secular role today, nothing comparable can be said of the Christian flag. So the simplest answer would involve pointing out that displaying an unequivocally religious symbol like this is unconstitutional. It violates the law of the land, and it should be removed.

However, I believe that the real objection we receive from our religious critics is not about why the flag should come down but why we care enough to actually do something about it. That is, what they really object to are the meddling atheists and not even necessarily what we are trying to accomplish.

So let me turn their central question on myself. Why I give a damn that there is a Christian flag hanging in the Rankin County Justice Court?

The problem with displaying the Christian flag in a courthouse is, besides the illegality of it, that there are non-Christian citizens in and out of that building all day. This flag communicates something powerful to these citizens - that they are the outgroup, somehow less worthy than those to whom the flag refers. That this happens in a courthouse, where people are supposed to be convinced that they are equal before the law, makes it even worse.

Let's review. Why should the Christian flag be removed from the Rankin County Justice Court?

• It is an unconstitutional promotion of religion by the government.
• There are many non-Christians in Rankin County and the rest of Mississippi who are symbolically excluded by this symbol. Having such a flag in a courthouse stands in opposition to the democratic ideal that we are all equal in the eyes of the law.
  

As for why we should be involved with efforts to remove the flag, I have only one question for you to consider. Who else is going to do it?

I know what you're probably thinking at this point- what about the Mississippi state flag itself? I find the inclusion of the Confederate battle flag in our state flag utterly disgusting and despise what it represents (e.g., slavery). I think it should be removed too, for some of the same reasons. But that can be another post.

Tags: Mississippi, atheists, religion, Christian nation, Christian flag, Rankin County Justice Court, Constitution, law, Rankin County