The "Emmaus Creche Is Moved To Avoid Lawsuit" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Driving home from a visit with a few of my fellow retired teachers to the Cabella's store in Hamburg, PA.  While passing through the square in the town of Lititz and seeing the Christmas Nativity display in front of the Bank, I told my fellow travelers about a newspaper article I had read a few days ago.  Story about a nearby town in Pennsylvania with the Biblical name of Emmaus that was warned to remove a Christmas Nativity scene from their Public Library lawn five days before Christmas of 2017.  

The creche as seen in Emmaus, PA

The warning letter that was sent to the city's Mayor was sent by the Americans For Separation of Church and State which is a nonprofit group.  They did not threaten any legal battle, but did site a list of legal precedents showing why Christian Nativity scenes, that stand alone, without displays representing other faiths, violate the First Amendment's establishment clause.  The Mayor didn't want to create any problems so he agreed to abandon the yearly tradition starting this year.  The event upset many people, especially since the town is named Emmaus which in the book of Luke in the Bible and is the town through which Jesus and his disciples travelled to leave Jerusalem.  Some in town saw it as part of a broader way to exclude people of faith from the public square.  Well, this year the Borough Manager asked the Emmaus Moravian Church if they would like to have the display in front of their Church which is only a few blocks from the library.  Being that the church is the most prominent building in Emmaus, it was a perfect fit.  It was the perfect answer and suited just about everyone in town.  Now, the reason I mention all of this is because in the early 1990s the same thing happened in Lititz, PA.  The American Civil Liberties Union contacted the Mayor and told him to take down the creche which featured a stable with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  

The creche in the square of Lititz, PA.

Shortly the creche was moved to the nearby Lititz Moravian Church.  But then it was determined that the small triangular piece of ground in front of the bank in the center or town actually belonged to the Moravian Church who settled and owned much of the town when they organized the town years ago.  Wasn't long before the creche was rededicated on the small piece of ground in the center of town.  Close to 3,000 people showed up for he ceremony.  So, not only all is well in Lititz, but it seems to be that way once again in Emmaus, PA.  Our country was built on freedom of religion for all and designed an amendment to help ensure that freedom.   Who would have thought lawsuits would have to be filed to keep that freedom.  Keeping church and state separate has been a constant job, but in most cases has been done by civil means.  There have been a few cases where religious displays, plaques or monuments have been ruled by the courts as admissible.  Just not in the little biblical town known as Emmaus.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.