Atheists Demand NC Town Remove Ten Commandments From Town Hall

Atheists now have their sights set on Newland, North Carolina, where the secular Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter demanding that the town remove a Ten Commandments plaque from a government office building. In a letter sent to town manager Brenda Pittman, the group said that a local individual saw the display, was offended and would like it taken down.

The letter, written by FFRF staff attorney Patrick Elliot reads, in part, "I'm writing...to urge you to immediately remove the Ten Commandments plaque from Newland Town Hall...Anyone entering the building for necessary government business will be confronted by it."

Below, see an image of a portion of the letter, courtesy of GoBlueRidge.net:

GoBlueRidge.net has more:

The letter was brought to the attention of the Newland Town Council at Tuesday night’s meeting, and was distributed to the press.  Town board members were incensed over the outside interference, and passed a motion to ask for the press to publish the letter, but took no other official action except to turn the matter—and the letter—over to the town attorney.

If the plaque is not removed, precedent would indicate that the FFRF will continue its battle against it. Generally speaking, these letters are only the first step in a slew of tactics used to ensure that religious items are removed, taken down or altered so as to appease the group's staunch stance on the separation of church and state.