A small town in South Carolina is defiantly refusing to remove a Nativity scene from a local market parking lot after the mayor demanded that they do so.
Small Town Refuses To Remove Nativity Scene
Kimberly Byrd, head of the Mullins Beautification Committee in Mullins, South Carolina, told Fox News that this all started around Thanksgiving. It was then that her small town decided that it would be fun to decorate the their brand new marketplace area “like a Hallmark movie” for its first Christmas season. Indeed, they were hoping that this would draw more holiday shoppers to their local businesses.
Paying for the project out of their own pockets, the group spent two weeks putting up various Christmas decorations. Their decorations included a snowman, wreaths, lights, Santa Claus and a small 3-by-4-foot Nativity scene.
The display ended up being nothing short of adorable. That’s why Byrd was stunned to receive a text from Mayor Miko Pickett demanding that she take the Nativity scene down. Mayor Pickett’s reasoning? That some residents have other faiths and beliefs.
Byrd found the demand to be nothing short of shocking.
‘Christ Is Why We Celebrate Christmas…’
“Our small town, we have a church on every corner,” Byrd explained. “It’s a faith-based community in the Bible Belt. I’ve been here 53 years of my life and never heard of anything like this happening here.”
Byrd immediately alerted the rest of the city council about this. Most of them were just as disturbed as she was. They quickly agreed to take a stand with Byrd by refusing to take down the Nativity scene.
“Christ is why we celebrate Christmas,” Byrd said. “I really thought she would probably change her mind or come back and say, ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake. Let’s have a meeting about this,’ but nothing.”
Mayor Pickett would only release a brief statement about the situation to Facebook. In it, she attempted to clarify her remarks. The mayor claimed that she “requested that the nativity scene be removed solely from the PUBLIC parking area.”
“The reason for this is the separation of Church and State applies to muncipalities as well, regarding religous symbols on public property and parks,” the mayor later added.
‘It’s About The Birth Of Jesus…’
Byrd has vowed that if the mayor or anyone else succeeds in taking the Nativity scene down, she will personally remove all of the other Christmas decorations as well. She wants the world to know that this is how strongly she feels about Christ being at the center of Christmas.
“How are we supposed to explain to our kids that we have to hide our religion, hide our beliefs, and hide what Christmas is about?” Byrd lamented. “Christmas is not about Santa Claus. It’s about the birth of Jesus.”
Byrd concluded by saying that she’s been overwhelmed by the support that’s poured. She’s received support not only from the people of Mullins, but from all over the country. In the end, it’s clear that this has resonated with Christian Americans everywhere.
“I never thought I’d have to do anything like this,” she said. “But at the end of the day, we have to stand for what we believe in and what is right.”
This serves as a reminder that as we head into the week of Christmas, we should never forget the reason for the season. God bless Byrd for taking a stand for Jesus by refusing to take down the Nativity scene!