SANTA MONICA—Tempers ran high in Santa Monica this December, where atheists and Christians sought to display their exhibits on Ocean Avenue. City officials doled out 18 of the 21 available slots to atheist groups such as the American Atheists.

The 2011 holiday poster. Photo courtesy of the American Atheist website.

Some Christian groups, including the Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee, are not happy with the break from Palisade Park’s 57-year-old tradition. “A small group of out-of-town atheists schemed to monopolize display space,” the group claims on its website. Last year, the group maintained 14 displays depicting the story of Jesus's birth from the Gospel; this year, Christian groups were allotted two display spots, while a Jewish group acquired the last spot.
   
American Atheists, a national group established in 1963, recently released a new poster and billboard campaign following in the footsteps of last year’s “MYTH” campaign. “Offending people is not our goal, but we know people are going to be offended,” said Blair Scott, Communications Director for American Atheists in a press release. Some arguments coming from atheist camps claim these religious displays on public property violate the concept of separation between church and state.

The 2011 holiday poster. Photo courtesy of the American Atheist website.

According to its website, the group is "dedicated to working for the civil rights of atheists, promoting separation of state and church, and providing information about atheism."
  
 “This is nothing less than a publicity stunt to advance an anti-religion,” Merry Network LLC editor and overseer Jeff Westover told Canyon News. "The very idea of separation of church and state,” he continued, “is not constitutional. The Constitution bans the state establishment of religion -- it says nothing about the use of religious names, symbols, signs, language or imagery on anything anywhere.”
   
The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee began its S.O.N.S. (Save Our Nativity Scenes) campaign this year in an attempt to reclaim the 12 lost spots. “This 57-year-old community Christmas tradition is threatened,” the S.O.N.S.’s page claims.
   
A petition is being signed by those in favor of re-allotting the displays to accommodate the Nativity scene. If unsuccessful, the committee plans to present this petition next year to ensure its 14 spots are returned.

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