Atheists Erect Holiday Display Next To Nativity At Nebraska State Capitol

Atheists and Christians are expressing their beliefs at Nebraska's State Capitol by erecting their own displays ahead of the holidays.

One day after a local Catholic group put up its first-ever nativity scene at the Nebraska State Capitol's first floor rotunda, the Freedom from Religion Foundation put up their own sign next to the nativity that reads: "Religion is but myth and superstition."

A local atheist, Scott Braley, said he wanted to put up the anti-religion sign to show that there are also ways to be non-religious during the holiday season.

"We're not saying we hate God," Braley told Omaha.com. "But to respect all religions, you can't pick one and put it on a pedestal."

One day before the atheist display was put up, carolers gathered at the Rotunda to celebrate the first-ever nativity scene, sponsored by the local Catholic attorney association, the Thomas More Society.

"We want to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas," Omaha attorney Christine Delgado, who heads the Omaha branch of the Thomas More Society, told Omaha.com in a separate article as to why her group chose to sponsor the nativity display.

"The goal is to keep the awareness out there about what is obviously the point and purpose of the Christmas season," Martin Cannon, another member of the Thomas More group, told Omaha.com.

"It's a reminder that the public expression of your faith is not something you have to squelch," Cannon said.

In other parts of the country, atheist groups have been rivaling religious messages during the holiday season by erecting billboards to discuss religion as a myth.