REDINGTON BEACH, FL. – Although the Christmas holiday season is seven months away, the town’s board of commissioners will soon be faced with a difficult decision.
Should the town retain its traditional Christmas season angel decorations or choose a display that won’t offend those who believe the angels are an endorsement of the Christian religion? Political correctness could win that battle and the angels could have their wings clipped.
That literally happened in Orlando a few years ago. According to information obtained on the Internet, the manager of an Orlando area retirement home ordered an employee to cut the wings off the angel on the Christmas tree so as not to offend anyone.
Vice Mayor Mark Deighton said he doesn’t believe angels relate only to Christianity. Deighton cited how the angel Gabriel helped lead the Jews out of Egypt and appeared to Mohammed in his cave to dictate from God the Koran.
“Any question of the appropriateness of an angel would be satisfied by their appearance with other religions,” he said.
Christianity is certainly not the only religion that believes in angels. According to information obtained on the Internet, in Islam, angels are completely devoted to the worship of God and carry out certain functions on his command. In Judaism angels are considered heavenly beings created by God.
In Hinduism angels are celestial beings with supernatural powers that grant material benefits to humans upon praying and sacrifice.
The Supreme Court in the 1980s ruled 5-4 that a city-sponsored Christmas display including a crèche, reindeer, a Christmas tree, candy-striped poles and a banner that read “Seasons Greetings” was permissible.
The court said the symbols depicting the origins of the holiday served legitimate secular purposes. Whether or not angels would fit that judicial determination will be up to Town Attorney Andrew Salzmann.
“It depends on who challenges it,” Salzman said. “If it is somebody of another faith and they are not getting equal representation, we could add something. At any rate from a legal perspective case law will determine what is considered legal.”
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