'Tyrants Bench' That Mentions God Relocated in Pennsylvania After Atheist Complaint
A controversial bench in Pennsylvania that mentions God has been relocated from a park to private property after atheists took offense at the message.
KDKA reported on Monday night that a crowd gathered outside the Oil City Veterans of Foreign Wars Post for a re-dedication ceremony of the so-called "Tyrants Bench," meant 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.
The controversial bench inscription in question reads, "Men Who Aren't Governed by God, Will Be Governed by Tyrants."
The Patriot Motorcycle Guard accompanied the bench to its new home.
Reed insisted that despite a legal letter sent last year by the American Atheists organization arguing that the text violates the U.S. Constitution, he does not find the quote to be 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.
American Atheists said in its letter in November that it received a complaint about the bench, and argued that the inscription "not only has absolutely nothing to do with honoring our service members but is derisive toward the all non-Christian American service members who have served and died for this country."
The atheist group argued that the message "denigrates and excludes the sacrifices made by nearly a quarter of this nation's military personnel," referring to statistics claiming that 23.5 percent of men and women in the military have no religious preference.
The group offered to donate a new bench to replace the Tyrants Bench, which was donated in 2003 by a local branch of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, that would serve as a memorial to veterans, except this time it would honor all soldiers who fought for the United States, it said.
Oil City Mayor William Moon said he received the letter "out of the blue," explaining that the monument had been there for 13 years.
"The history of Pennsylvania alone is all right here," VFW lifetime member Larry Deal said. "It's right here, and the veterans and the [fighting] we done for this country, it's just all right here."
Venango County GOP chairwoman Martha Breene noted that Oil City could have put up more of a fight to keep the bench in a public space.
"I don't think [the city] studied it nearly like they should," Breene stated. "They didn't study it like they should have, I know they didn't."
As City Solicitor Robert Varsek said in an article on Christian News in April, however, the biggest concern stemmed around attorney fees.
"We would be sued for injunctive relief where they order the city to remove the bench, and for damages and also be sued for attorney fees under the civil rights law," Varsek said.
