Religious leaders and school children prayed and sang carols at the unveiling on the first floor of the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday. Event organizer Pam Olsen says the display doesn't reflect a state-sponsored religion, since it was paid for with private funds. She also noted that a Jewish Menorah is located in the Rotunda, about twenty feet away.
"Freedom doesn’t mean just freedom for me as a Christian, or freedom for Jewish people as Jews, or any other groups. It’s freedom for all. Isn’t that what’s awesome about America?"
But Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, says no religious symbols, including a Menorah, should be displayed in government buildings."And I'm not sure the people who manage the state Capitol fully appreciate the door that they have opened. They're not going to be able to say 'no' to the group that they don't favor and yes to today's group that they obviously do favor."
Olsen, who is president of the Florida Prayer Network, says a nativity is also on display in Illinois this year, and that her group hopes to expand to more state capitals next Christmas season.