Editing Nativity scene (section)

=== United States ===
Nativity scenes have been involved in controversies and lawsuits surrounding the principle of [[accommodationism]].<ref>Sherrill, Roland A.. ''Religion and the Life of the Nation''. University of Illinois Press. 1990. p. 165.</ref>

In 1969, the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] did not want a nativity scene at [[The Ellipse]]. After the matter was resolved by the [[United States Court of Appeals]], the nativity scene was not displayed in 1973.<ref name="Menendez">Menendez, Albert J.. ''Christmas in the White House''. The Westminster Press, 1983 pp. 51–52.</ref>
[[File:American Nativity Scene.jpg|thumb|A nativity scene inside an American home.]]
[[File:United States Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony - December 5, 2007.JPG|thumb|Nativity scenes are permitted on public lands in the United States as long as equal time is given to non-religious symbols.]]

In 1985, the [[United States Supreme Court]] ruled in ''ACLU v. Scarsdale, New York'' that nativity scenes on public lands were unconstitutional unless they also displayed non-religious symbols.<ref name="Comfort">Comfort, David. ''Just Say Noel: A History of Christmas from the Nativity to the Nineties''. Simon and Schuster, 1995. {{ISBN|0-684-80057-8}}.</ref> This principle was further clarified in 1989, when Pittsburgh attorney [[Roslyn Litman]] argued, and the Supreme Court in ''[[County of Allegheny v. ACLU]]'' ruled,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=8 October 2016 |title=Roslyn Litman, Antitrust Lawyer and Civil Liberties Advocate, Dies at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/us/roslyn-litman-antitrust-lawyer-and-civil-liberties-advocate-dies-at-88.html |website=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> that a crèche placed on the grand staircase of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, PA violated the Establishment Clause, because the "principal or primary effect" of the display was to advance religion.

In 2006, a lawsuit by the [[Alliance Defense Fund]], a Christian legal organization in the United States, was brought against the [[Washington (state)|state of Washington]] when it permitted a public display of a holiday tree and a [[Menorah (Hanukkah)|menorah]] but not a nativity scene. Because of the lawsuit, the decision was made to permit a nativity scene to be displayed in the [[Rotunda (architecture)|rotunda]] of the state [[Washington State Capitol|Capitol]], in [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]], as long as other symbols of the season were included.<ref name="FFRF">[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008458044_noreligion02m.html "Nonbelievers' sign at Capitol counters Nativity"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122104247/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008458044_noreligion02m.html |date=22 January 2012 }}. ''Seattle Times''. 2 December 2008.</ref>

In 2013, Gov. [[Rick Perry]] signed into Texas law the [[Merry Christmas bill]] which would allow school districts in Texas to display nativity scenes.

[[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]] (PETA) claimed in 2014 that animals in living displays lacked proper care and suffered abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15892404|title=PETA mistakenly targets nativity scene – US news – Weird news – Animal weirdness – NBC News|work=msnbc.com|date=25 November 2006 |access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226102612/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15892404/ns/us_news-weird_news/t/peta-mistakenly-targets-churchs-nativity-scene/#.U9zVnONdWbA|archive-date=26 December 2014}}</ref> In the United States, nativity scenes on public lands and in public buildings have provoked court challenges, and the prankish theft of ceramic or plastic nativity figurines from outdoor displays has become commonplace.<ref>[http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/thefts-are-common-during-the-holidays/article_003d47ef-2341-5e23-a806-9f851f6ea12c.html?mode=jqm] {{dead link|date=March 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>