City reverses 'religious art' ban

[Soldier4Christ]

Painter contributed scenes of everyday life for Black History Month
Posted: February 17, 2006

Just hours after being served with a lawsuit, a Florida town today reversed its decision to censor an artist's paintings from a Black History Month display at City Hall because they were deemed religious.

Lloyd Marcus filed the lawsuit this morning in federal district court after the city of Deltona refused to respond to a letter from the public-interest legal group Liberty Counsel demanding the paintings be reposted.

Letters were sent to Mayor Dennis Mulder and acting City Manager L. Roland Blossom.

The city had allowed its employees and local citizens to display artwork to celebrate Black History Month, but Blossom ordered Marcus' paintings removed because of their religious viewpoint.

Blossom told the Daytona Beach News-Journal last week, "I saw the word 'Jesus' and the Holy Bible just sort of thrown in the painting," and because the display is in a public building, observers might "think this government is advocating in favor of one religion over another."

Due to the lateness of the day, Marcus will bring the paintings back to City Hall Monday morning, where they will be displayed for the rest of Black History Month, Liberty Counsel said.

Marcus, a Deltona resident and president of the Deltona Arts and Historical Center, is a well-known artist, entertainer and composer.

His artwork, displayed in the lobby of City Hall, included a partially covered Bible and church sign. Another picture depicts a festive New Orleans funeral and a third shows a Christmas basket. The paintings are a published series reflecting Marcus's childhood in his father's Baltimore church.

The city has continued to display works of other local artists that do not contain religious viewpoints, including a charcoal sketch of three famous African-Americans and a pastel rendering of jazz artist B.B. King.

Commenting on the city's decision, Mathew D. Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, said "religious speech is not an orphan to the First Amendment."

"An important part of black history for Lloyd Marcus is the church where his father pastored a congregation from a storefront building," Staver said. "Black history cannot be separated from its religious history, and the First Amendment certainly does not require the two to be at odds."