So far this holiday season, the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has only received one complaint about a nativity scene on public property. However, spokeswoman Annie Laurie Gaylor expects that's just the tip of the iceberg.
She says even though the leaders of most communities know it's wrong, they go ahead with the manger scenes anyway. Gaylor says a lot of rogue public officials think there's nothing wrong with abusing their positions to plan religious displays on public property. She says the Foundation is ready to challenge any displays that are put up in the state this year.
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the foundation's argument that displaying nativity scenes on public property violates the constitutional separation of church and state.