Question

your rights: freedom of religion
decision: county of allegheny v. aclu
there is no doubt, of course, that the crèche itself is capable of communicating a religious message.... thus, by permitting the \display of this crèche in this particular physical setting,\... the county sends an unmistakable message that it supports and promotes the christian praise to god that is the crèche’s religious message.... thus, by prohibiting government endorsement of religion, the establishment clause prohibits precisely what occurred here: the government’s lending its support to the communication of a religious organization’s religious message.
—justice harry blackmun,
opinion of the court,
county of allegheny v. aclu
1989
according to blackmun’s decision, why did the crèche display violate the establishment clause?
it was not accompanied by a menorah.
it was located inside a county building.
it forced county workers to honor a religious figure.
it celebrated the origin of a religious holiday.

Explanation:

The Establishment Clause prohibits government endorsement of religion. The crèche display in a county building (government property) showed the county supporting a Christian religious message, which is government endorsement of religion. Let's analyze the options:

• "It was not accompanied by a menorah": The presence of a menorah isn't the issue; the problem is government support of a religious message, so this is incorrect.
• "It was located inside a county building": A county building is government property. By displaying the crèche there, the county (government) was lending support to a religious organization’s religious message, violating the Establishment Clause. This matches the reasoning.
• "It forced county workers to honor a religious figure": The text doesn't mention forcing workers; it's about the government's message, so this is incorrect.
• "It celebrated the origin of a religious holiday": The issue is government endorsement, not the holiday's origin. The crèche's religious message being supported by the government is the violation, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

B. It was located inside a county building.