A Praying Soldier Falls to Secular Pressure
A North Carolina town has finally thrown in the towel on a years-long court battle by agreeing to remove a veterans' memorial statue from its central park that featured a praying soldier kneeling before a cross and a Christian flag.
After spending approximately $50,000 in legal fees to help preserve the memorial at King Central Park, and willing to spend no more, the King City Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to agree on a settlement with the plaintiff, a former U.S. Army soldier, that would force the city to remove the statue and take down the Christian flag.
The city council vote took place in front of a room of about 60 of the town's residents and many of them shook their heads in disapproval as the board announced the settlement. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that a few residents interjected with notions such as: "What else are you going to give up next?"
Council members who voted for the settlement cited their reasoning to be that the city's taxpayers could no longer afford to fight in the court battle.
