The anti-religious courthouse lawn displays crafted by Rick Wingrove and the others were erected for one purpose only: to insult and provoke those who believe in God. Mr. Wingrove and the others whine about free speech” and “establishment of religion, but this is nothing more than mean-spirited attack by the faithless on the faithful.

Mr. Wingrove has talked of a sinister church/state collaboration” and of “religious incursions” and “implicit endorsements. I know it sounds like he’s talking about the latest Dan Brown church scandal novel, but he’s actually talking about a Nativity scene. He has compared his displays and the other insulting ones to the religious displays, whining that they have just as much right to be there.

That’s true Mr. Wingrove, you do have the legal right. No one is disputing this. This isn’t about the law, it’s about common decency—what is right and wrong.

The religious displays were put up to celebrate Christmas and to bring joy and happiness to those who see them. The anti-religious displays were put up to demean those of faith. They are nothing more than a thumb in the eye of the vast majority of Loudoun residents during what is generally the happiest time of year, people who many atheists consider to be irrational because they believe in something without scientific proof.

How unhappy Mr. Wingrove and the others must be. Studies have shown that people of faith are generally happier than those without faith. The insulting displays serve as a very vivid example of that. They also serve as yet another reminder of the decline of common decency in this country. I am a man of faith but I don’t need God to tell me what is right and wrong. My parents taught me that.

John Phillips

Hamilton