Pennsylvania county relocates memorial bench that mentions God following atheist complaint

A memorial bench in Venango County, Pennsylvania, has been relocated from a public park to a private property after an atheist group complained about the inscription on the bench.

On Monday night, a crowd gathered outside the Oil City Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post, along the banks of the Allegheny River, for the re-dedication of the memorial bench that was intended to honor veterans.

"The problem we're solving today is the effect of the negative influence of persons who demand respect for their beliefs, but are not willing to do so toward others," VFW Commander Jason Reed said at the ceremony, as reported by CBS Pittsburgh.

The memorial, called the Tyrant's Bench, was donated to the city by a local branch of VFW in 2003.

Late last year, the New Jersey-based American Atheists Legal Center sent a letter to city officials, explaining that it received a complaint about the bench inscription, which says, "Men Who Aren't Governed by God, Will Be Governed by Tyrants."

The group argued that the inscription was in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution and warned that the city could face a lawsuit unless the bench was removed from the park.

Despite the atheist group's claims, Reed said he does not think that the inscription on the bench is religious.

"It's a quote from William Penn. The founder of Pennsylvania, that's where that quote came from," he said, referring to the 17th century Quaker, street preacher and author.

In the letter, the American Atheists complained that the inscription was "derisive toward the all non-Christian American service members who have served and died for this country."

Oil City Mayor William Moon said that he received the letter "out of the blue," noting that the memorial bench had been in the park for 13 years.

After receiving the letter from the American Atheists, the city tried to decide whether the case should be taken to court. However, the city officials ultimately decided to remove the bench to avoid costly litigation.

On April 27, the Oil City Council unanimously voted to remove the monument from Justus Park. It was then returned to VFW, along with another bench and a memorial.

"I proposed, give us the whole memorial back. We didn't just donate a bench to the city – we donated an entire memorial," Reed said, according to a report from Explore Venango. "Let's keep it together and after a short discussion, the decision was made," he added.