Question on a church-state related issue

[nickinSTL]

I have a situation where I work.

I have a part-time job (in addition to my full-time job) at a public library.

The staff at the library for several months have been posting poetry on the walls in the staff bathroom.

Some of it has been mildly religious in nature, but not to the point of being offensive.

However, when I went in last night, I saw that now there are Bible verses posted...and I'm starting to feel like I'm in a Christian sermon when I go to the restroom.

I know that in public areas of the library, I could easily argue that it violates church-state separation.

Does anyone know what the deal is for a staff-only area in a public building?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Interesting situation. Religious passages are unlawful if certain

conditions exist, like they are put up without secular literature to "blunt" their impact, whether the place is one where one is "compelled" to use it because of lack of alternatives, to name a couple.

My feeling is to post your own stuff. Robert Ingersoll, Thomas Paine, church-state decisions from the Supreme Court (Torcaso, Schempp, McCollum, Everson, etc.), Ralph Waldo Emerson might be quite inspiring to lovers of liberty.

[nickinSTL]

3. I'd considered that...

and secular/progressive stuff sounds like a good idea.

I'd considered posting stuff relating to my own religion...but that might ignite a religious war of sorts...if the Christians ever realized what they were looking at.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. Let it ignite

Rather than you making a big deal by complaining, let a religious war erupt and have the library administrators see for themselves why religious postings are not such a good idea.

[Beaver Tail]

2. Looks like a "Conflict of Interest"

If employees are using work time for their personal religious beliefs than they are using a government institution to push a religious agenda.

It is not the business of government or government employees to push religious ideology but to serve the people in a secular nature. To use the government agencies to push religious beliefs is a violation of your human rights.

IMO

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

4. Does it violate church-state separation to freely post

Christian poems and Scripture in a public library? Isn't the library supposed to be open to all expression? It's one thing to play favorites (i.e. Muslim works thrown out, Christians works favored), but doesn't this person have the right to post religious items, as you have the right to post non-religious ones?

[Donald Ian Rankin]

5. I suspect it's fine.

I'd be surprised if it wasn't technically legal, and amazed if any court would rule against it. And I don't think it's particularly objectionable to put up a few religious posters, especially somewhere where there have been non-religious ones too. Why not put up someof your own (although I'd suggest picking the most non-confrontational ones you can find if you want to make the right kind of impact).