Hide caption By Diane Smith / Reporter A nativity scene that was added to the Christmas display at the Ravenna Courthouse Lawn last year was the subject of complaints, including a letter from an out-of-state group that advocates for the separation of church and state. Rebecca Markert, legal director of the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wis., wrote a letter last December to Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman after he allowed the display, which was painted by a Ravenna resident. The scene, put up among other decorations, featured wooden cutouts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, along with a star and a sign with a Bible verse. Seman, according to the foundation, responded to the letter in January, agreeing to handle holiday decorations differently during the following season. The woman who painted the display, who did not want to be named, questioned why Seman waited 10 months to inform her of the decision. “This battle isn’t about Christianity,” she said. “This is about any and all religions that have the right to display their symbols of their beliefs on public property without any interference by the government.” Seman recently informed community volunteers about his decision at a meeting about decoration […]
