The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s annual Winter Solstice display, first erected in 1995, is back up in the Wisconsin state Capitol rotunda in Madison for the 30th year in a row.
The freethought display first went up in the legislative seat of the state/church watchdog’s home state in 1995, after a fight with then-Gov. Tommy Thompson, who tore down FFRF’s permitted sign advocating the separation of church and state.
Composed in protest by the group’s principal founder, Anne Nicol Gaylor, the gilt sign reads:
“At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail.
There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell.
There is only our natural world.
Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”
On the back is a tongue-in-cheek admonition, “Thou shalt not steal,” as well as a short poem by 19th century Wisconsin freethinking poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox (of “Laugh and the whole world laughs with you/ Weep and you weep alone” fame), reading:
The World’s Need
So many Gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
When just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs
After a Christian nationalist advocacy group began placing a Christian nativity scene at the Capitol, FFRF added a second seasonal display — its own “nativity” — celebrating the birth of the Bill of Rights. The irreverent cutout by artist Jacob Fortin depicts Founders Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington gazing in adoration at a “baby” Bill of Rights while the Statue of Liberty looks on.
A sign reads:
“At this Season of the Winter Solstice, join us in honoring the Bill of Rights, adopted on Dec. 15, 1791, which reminds us that there can be no religious freedom without the freedom to dissent. Keep religion and government separate!”
The exhibits will be up through the end of the month to counter various religious activities and displays in the Capitol.
FFRF reminds Wisconsinites that the Winter Solstice, occurring on Dec. 21, marks the shortest, darkest day of the year, heralding the symbolic rebirth of the sun. It has been celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere for millennia long before Christianity existed, with festivals of lights, evergreens, gift exchanges and seasonal gatherings.
“The Winter Solstice season is for everyone, because it celebrates a natural holiday,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “At this time of the year, there has to be ‘room at the inn’ for the views of the one-third of our population today that is nonreligious or religiously unaffiliated.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national state/church watchdog based in Madison, Wis., has over 41,000 nonreligious members and several chapters all over the country, including more than 1,600 members and a chapter in Wisconsin. Photo by Chris Line. Thanks to FFRF Human Resources Specialist Bella Benoy, Events & Outreach Manager Sadie Pattinson, Legal Intake Assistant Daniel Dossey, along with Attorney Chris Line (photographer).
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