Anyone who follows religious freedom is well aware of the loathsome Freedom From Religion Foundation. It is an organization of atheist jihadis who have made it their mission to eradicate Christianity from the public square. It is pretty instructive that you don’t find them active in places like Dearborn, MI, which have become virtual no-go zones for non-Muslims for the obvious reason. Beating up on Christians doesn’t result in bodily harm.

Somehow this group had browbeaten the Texas State Preservation Board into allowing it to place a manger scene — a creche — on the grounds of the State Capitol:

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has acquired a permit to place its Bill of Rights “nativity” display in the Texas Capitol Building, to balance a Christian nativity there. FFRF’s display setup event will take place on Friday, Dec. 18, at 9 AM. The location is the Ground Floor Rotunda in the Capitol Building, located at 1100 Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas.

All are welcome to help FFRF celebrate the Winter Solstice and the “birth” of the Bill of Rights on Dec. 15, 1791.

FFRF is a state/church watchdog with about 23,000 nonreligious members, including nearly 1,000 in Texas.

“We’re very grateful to Texas State Rep. Donna Howard for agreeing to sponsor our ‘equal time’ display,” said FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover. A state sponsor is required by Capitol rules. The display is privately funded and is not endorsed by the state.

The Bill of Rights “nativity” features Founding Fathers Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington gathered in reverence before the Bill of Rights, overseen by the Statue of Liberty. In addition to the “nativity,” the display will also feature a sign celebrating the Winter Solstice.

The idea that there needs to be a “balance” to a Christian scene placed to commemorate a Christian holiday — Christ Mass, get it? — is ludicrous. But that wasn’t even their point. Their point was to mock Christianity. The display featured Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin clustered around a copy of the Bill of Rights in a manger overseen by the Statue of Liberty.

It is obvious that the intent is not to honor the Bill of Rights, a document for which the FFRF has nothing but contempt, but to create a parody of a traditional creche.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wasn’t amused:

Fox 7 Austin reported the nativity scene had permission to be at the Capitol through the Christmas holiday before Abbot pulled plug. The scene featured the three Founding Fathers and the Statue of Liberty worshipping the document rather than Jesus Christ. It was placed in the basement rotunda of the Capitol on Dec. 18, according to the Fox affiliate.

“This was a really indecent way to promote an agenda,” Nicole Hudgens, an official with Texas Values, told the station.

Abbot ordered the scene removed on Tuesday after sending a litter to the State Preservation Board saying they have “no obligation to approve displays that purposefully mock the sincere religious beliefs of others.”

The governor also said the exhibit “promotes ignorance and falsehood as it suggests that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson worshipped the Bill of Rights in the place of Jesus.”

This needs to become a more regular occurrence. Christians are under no moral, legal, or ethical obligation to allow equal time to people whose sole purpose in life is trolling believers. If we are silent in the name of tolerance and civility we will see Christianity driven into a ghetto and that ghetto eventually burned to the ground.