Sound like this is a religious item that is suppose to be hung outside the office door if he plans on placing it at that door. Although it is not a luck item like a horseshoe, it is an item to remind of the faith. I had to look them up to figure out what they are, but the cases I saw were very well crafted, very decorative. Since proper placement is a sign of respect, and improper placement is insulting, the polite thing to do is to place it properly on the door frame if you wish to display it for all to see.

I think I can overlook a small religious symbol on a doorframe if it makes others happy to see it there, even if I’m not of the faith.

And yet, Gov. Crist is not Jewish, is he? But why the outrage?

From the Palm Beach Post… Gov. Charlie Crist views it as a sign of respect, but, for some, the mezuzah hanging outside his Capitol office has morphed into a controversial symbol…. “The problem is that if he says yes to…

Further, an elected official’s office is more comparable to a judge’s chamber, or office, than a courthouse. It’s a totally different case.

Great stuff, as always!

At least the Florida ACLU has finally cleared that up and admitted that atheism is a religion.

Missed this the first time…

If that’s how he felt, the whole “or even those representing atheism” part would be redundant. That’s pretty unlikely especially when you consider that he used the word “even”.

If he meant to convey that atheism was a religion, he would have said, “…of other religions, including atheism.” or “…of other religions such as X, Y, and atheism.”

Snark aside, I’d love to see where the Supremes ruled anything that would apply thusly to this set of facts. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong, and then I’d have a different problem about which to post.

One wonders if the Governor would be allowed to have the item inside his office. What about a photograph in his office in which a Star of David appears?

It would probably depend on the prominence of the item.

My boss has no problem with me having some pictures on my desk. He would probably balk at a large poster on the wall. He would definitely balk at a large poster on the outside of the door. The same would be true of a religious item.

There is difference in principle between possessing an item for your own purposes and displaying it in a prominent manner.

When a government official has a relatively insignificant religious item in his office, no big deal. We all have personal effects at work. When the same official displays the same or similar item in a prominent way, he crosses the line by using his official position to promote the item and by extension, the religion.

You can argue all day about whether that constitutes “establishing a religion”, but I don’t have the time or desire for that and SCOTUS is on record as disagreeing with you, so you shouldn’t have much trouble understanding why the ACLU is on pretty safe ground with this one.