A small town in rural Kentucky is now the center of a nation-wide controversy about public religious expression.

The Wilmore city water tower stands above the campus of Asbury University, a private Christian college. On top of the water tower is a small cross. Until 1976, the university owned the water tower. When they transferred ownership of the tower to the city, they stipulated in the contract that the cross remain in place.

Now an atheist activist group, the “Freedom From Religion Foundation” (FFRF), has resorted to bullying tactics by threatening Wilmore with a costly First Amendment lawsuit.

Mayor Rainwater had this to say in response to FFRF’s email:

To be honest with you, I look at an email as spam. … I’m trying not to underestimate this and I am trying to take it seriously. I don’t underestimate the reach of well-funded liberal agendas . . . but I’m not going to take a cross down because of an email.

There’s a groundswell of support to keep [the cross] and I’m certainly going to fight to keep it with everything I’ve got. I think it’s symbolic of our town. I 100% support keeping it there. We won’t take it down unless we’re forced to take it down.

Read the article “Wilmore, KY Asked to Remove Cross from Water Tower by Freedom From Religion Foundation” on citizengo.org.