An atheist organization is protesting for the removal of a Ten Commandments painting displayed in a Kentucky county clerk office.
Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based organization pushing for the separation of church and state, sent a letter to Trigg county clerk Carmen Finley, and demanded the removal of a painting of the Ten Commandments, asserting that the display violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott wrote in a letter to Finley in which he cites a 2005 case which he believes set a precedent for religious displays in government offices.
"In McCreary County v. ACLU, the Supreme Court ruled that a modern display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses violated the U.S. Constitution,” Elliott wrote in his letter. "The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a permanent injunction against such displays in 2010, finding that the counties acted with an impermissible religious purpose."
The group claims that the display of the painting is equivalent to the county’s endorsement of a specific religion and “is unmistakably sending a message that it gives the display its stamp of approval,” FFRF wrote in a statement.
"How can nonbelievers feel welcome in the Trigg County clerk's office when they have such an obviously biblical message staring them in the face?" FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor asked, according to a statement.
According to Charisma News, Finley has taken the display down since receiving the letter.
