A new atheist monument was unveiled on Saturday in front of a Florida courthouse after settling a case to remove a granite statue of the Ten Commandments.
American Atheists tried to sue to have a stone statue reading the Ten Commandments removed from the Bradford County courthouse. According to the Associated Press, since the statue was placed in a free speech zone, the atheist group came up with a new deal.
“We’re not going to let them do it without a counterpoint,” said president of American Atheists David Silverman. “If we do it without a counterpoint, it’s going to appear very strongly that the government actually endorses one religion over another, or – I should say – religion in general over non-religion.”
Around 200 supporters and protesters attended the monument unveiling. The 1,500-pound granite has quotes from various founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams. While some people sat on the monument’s bench to take pictures, others protested with signs.
This is the first atheist monument on public property, the Inquisitr reports. In 1999, the Alabama Freethought Association unveiled an atheist monument to honor atheists who served in past wars.