A Voice for ‘God in Public Places’ : Religion: The new American Spiritual Liberties Union has approached three cities about putting Nativity scenes on city property.

Many religious groups believe God is everywhere, but Redondo Beach lawyer J. Bud Mirassou thinks God’s presence is lacking in public parks.

Mirassou is executive director of the newly formed American Spiritual Liberties Union, a nonprofit law center in Redondo Beach that is dedicated to “putting God in public places.”

The center, which opened in September, provides legal support to religious groups seeking to express themselves on public property, including city parks and schools. It deliberately picked its name to position itself against the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes placing religious symbols on public property.

In recent two weeks, clients of the law center and members of its board of directors have sought permission from three South Bay cities to place Nativity scenes and “Merry Christmas” signs on public property.

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The center scored its first victory recently when the Redondo Beach City Council unanimously granted permission to religious groups to put displays at city parks. The decision followed a colorful debate in which one council critic vowed to publicly read from Hamlet in the nude as his own brand of self-expression.

The Hermosa Beach City Council has rebuffed the law center, but the group plans to raise the issue again now that three new members have been sworn into office. The Manhattan Beach City Council is also expected to consider the issue. Other South Bay cities may face similar requests in coming weeks.

“The moral fiber of society has significantly (disintegrated) since God was taken out of public places,” said Mirassou, who hopes to eventually broaden the group’s focus to include prayer in public schools. “We have to try something. I believe (this) is a good place to start.”

Although holiday greeting signs may abound in cities, Mirassou says few are explicit about the religious nature of the season.

In 1971, the Supreme Court ruled that governments may allow displays with religious overtones on public property as long as they have a secular purpose, do not advance or inhibit a religion and do not foster an “excessive entanglement with religion.”

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But the court’s ruling has been interpreted in various ways, causing longstanding debates over the constitutionality of religious holiday displays.

A federal appellate court decision last March buoyed the spirits of religious groups that want such displays. In that case, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld San Diego’s right to permit a private group to install a life-size Nativity scene in a public park during the Christmas season.

While Mirassou is confident his group has the legal standing to force cities to permit religious displays in public parks, the American Civil Liberties Union says the location and size of the displays will determine their legality.

“It is true (the appeals court) did permit (a Nativity scene) in Balboa Park, but that is a park in which lots of organizations, lots of people who want to promote a particular cause, are allowed to have displays,” said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU Southern California office.

“That is quite different from a civic center park where there are buildings representing city government,” she said. “What it really depends on is the accessibility of other organizations who want to have displays.”

In Redondo Beach, where resident Bill Russell wants to place a life-size Nativity scene in Veterans Park, City Atty. Jerry Goddard said he believes the council met that test by agreeing to make the park available to all religious organizations. But, he added, the city has the right to regulate the kinds of displays that are allowed on city property.

Redondo Beach city staffers are now drawing up guidelines to handle requests for religious displays on public property. Sue Armstrong, director of recreation and community services, said she expects to grant Russell permission to install his creche.

Russell also wants to place “Merry Christmas” signs at City Hall.

“We’ll come back on that later on,” Mirassou promised. “It was such a great victory that I didn’t want to muddy the waters.”

The only city that has rejected the group’s request so far is Hermosa Beach. If the council allowed someone to place a Nativity scene on city property, several council members said, it would then be required to allow other groups to put up religious displays there too.

“You start with a Nativity scene, then you have to allow a mosque and a Star of David,” said former Hermosa Beach Councilman Bob Essertier, who was among those voting against considering the request. “The next thing you know, you’re going to have people advertising to drink suicide Kool-Aid and (to display) those little miniature dolls you stick pins into.”

Manhattan Beach has not yet taken up a request by resident Darryl Nyznyk to place a manger at Culican Park on Highland Avenue.

The idea for a law center evolved from a breakfast round table started in January by Mirassou and other local business leaders who meet every Wednesday at Hennessey’s Tavern in Redondo Beach to discuss spiritual issues and what they see as an ethical breakdown in modern society.

“For most people, you’re not going to get ethical conduct without God,” Mirassou said. “We want to put God in public places . . . because we think that will bring us back to the kind of society that the framers of the Constitution envisioned.”