MARSHALL, N.C. – The Freedom From Religion Foundation doesn’t like a North Carolina school logo that mentions the words “God” and “spiritually.”

The anti-Christian organization is trying to bully the school district into dropping the logo by threatening legal action that might cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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Madison County Schools, headquartered in Marshall, North Carolina, adopted a logo designed by a former superintendent more than 10 years ago.

On the outside of the logo is a circle featuring the words “unity and teamwork.” Inside the circle is a square with the words “mentally,” “socially,” “physically” and “spiritually.”

Inside the square is a triangle with the words “God,” “family” and “job.”

Former superintendent Ronald Wilcox told a local newspaper that he designed the logo to “sum up the culture here and what we believe.”

But the culture of the community is offensive to the Madison, Wisconsin-based FFRF.

“It is well settled by the courts that public schools may not advance or promote religion,” FFRF lawyer Patrick Elliott wrote to the chairman of the Madison County school district board. “Furthermore, courts have continually held that school districts may not display religious messages in schools. Displaying this inherently religious logo violates the Establishment Clause because it demonstrates district preference for religion over non-religion.”

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A school district belongs to the community that is serves. It’s an extension and a reflection of the community. There is nothing wrong with the school district’s logo representing the fundamental values of the majority of citizens in the community.

The Madison County school logo is not violating the U.S. Constitution by endorsing a specific religion. It only mentions “God.” Most religions – Christian and non-Christian – are based on a belief in God.

U.S. currency mentions God, with the full blessing of the United States government. That’s because the majority of Americans believe there is a God, and the government’s job is to reflect the values of its citizens. That’s a pretty strong precedent for the school district to cite.

The word “spirituality” can mean a lot of different things. The FFRF would have a hard time convincing any reasonable judge that the word, standing alone, specifically refers to religious spirituality or the existence of a God.

The worst part is that the FFRF is not content with trying to convince the school to drop the logo based on the merits of its argument. Perhaps that’s because its leaders know they are on shaky legal ground.

So the organization is employing bullying tactics instead.

“…Continuing use of the logo poses a serious liability problem for the school system, since earlier this year FFRF won a judgment against the Chino Valley Unified School Board in California in a challenge to its unconstitutional religious practices that resulted in an award of more than $200,000 in costs and attorney fees,” the organization wrote in a website post.

FFRF leaders are fully aware that most public schools are pressed for revenue these days, and can’t afford outlandish legal costs to defend themselves in court – even against frivolous lawsuits.

This is how the FFRF has managed to impose its will on many school districts around the nation. The message is “you can’t afford to fight us, so don’t bother trying.”

It will be interesting to see if the Madison County school board stands up for its community and autonomy and tells the FFRF to mind its own business. Two years ago, the FFRF sent a similar letter of objection to the district and did not receive a response. That’s a good sign.

Perhaps some local and state business interests could establish a fund to pay any legal costs that the school district might incur by standing its ground. Then there could be a fair fight in court … if the FFRF really believes its case is strong enough to actually take to court.