City Sues Church over Jesus Sign

“Jesus Welcomes You To Hawkins,” reads a church’s sign in the city of Hawkins, Texas. But some atheists don’t appreciate the welcome, so the city is suing the church in order to fend off a lawsuit from the atheists.

Two local funeral homes displayed the “Jesus Welcomes You” sign on a plot of land. In June, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)—one of the most militant atheist organizations in America—threatened to sue the city if the sign is not removed. FFRF alleges that the sign is actually on city property, not private property.

The city investigated, and found that the title to the part of the land parcel on which the sign stands is unclear. In 1994, the city abandoned part of the land on this street, which is now held by private owners. But the city now claims that it did not abandon the part of the street where the sign stands, and that there’s a public easement on the land in any event. The description of the land’s dimensions, and the public easement’s dimensions, are in dispute.

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