Atheists' move ends Christmas tradition in Santa Monica, prompts churches to sue

Californian Damon Vix did not have to go to court to push Christmas out of the city of Santa Monica. He just joined the festivities.

The American atheist's anti-God messages beside more traditional life-sized nativity displays in a park overlooking the beach over the past three years ignited a furious debate.

In response, the city snuffed the tradition this year rather than referee the rumble, prompting churches that have set up a 14-scene Christian diorama for decades to sue over freedom of speech. Their lawyer will ask a federal judge to resurrect the depiction of Jesus' birth, while the city aims to eject the case.

"It's a sad, sad commentary on the attitudes of the day that a nearly 60-year-old Christmas tradition is now having to hunt for a home," said Hunter Jameson, head of the Santa Monica Nativity Scene Committee.

Missing from the courtroom drama will be Vix and his fellow atheists, who are not parties in the case. Their role outside court highlights a tactical shift.

"In recent years, the tactic of many in the atheist community has been, if you can't beat them, join them," said Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Centre and director of the Newseum's Religious Freedom Education Project in Washington. "If these church groups insist these public spaces are going to be dominated by a Christian message, we'll just get in the game - and that changes everything."