The University of Florida has reached a decision that it will not remove a biblical inscription on a campus building despite coming under scrutiny of an anti-religion organization.
In April, the Wisconsin-based anti-religion group Freedom From Religion (FFRF) filed a complaint to university President W. Kent Fuchs stating that the inscription of Micah 6:8 on the archway of Heavener Hall-- the building that houses the Heavener's School of Business-- is in violation of the "Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and cannot remain on university property."
"The inscription demonstrates a school preference for religion over nonreligion and for Christianity over all other faiths. When a school chooses to display an excerpt from a religious text, it signals students who hold differing beliefs that they are outsiders, that they are excluded from the campus community," the letter reads.
Micah 6:8 reads, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
This verse had been chosen by the building's donor James W. Heavener, a Christian business owner who is a University of Florida trustee, a board member of the Tim Tebow Foundation, and the CEO of Full Sail University.
The university announced on Monday, Oct 12 that the biblical inscription will not be taken down. Instead, three quotes from secular sources will be added to make the archway an "ethical portal."
"Three of the quotes are from secular sources. Of these, two were contributed by a faculty member who teaches ethics. A third relates to the School's commitment to global, ethical business, was suggested by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and was approved by the ethics faculty member and dean," the statement reads.
The following quotes will be added to the archway:
- "To restrain our selfish[ness], and to indulge our benevolent affections, constitutes the perfection of human nature." Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759
- "Wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else." Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
- "My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man, 1791
FFRF complied to the compromise, finding the addition of the new quotes acceptable to the presence of the Bible verse.
"In an ideal world there would be no religion or irreligion inscribed on public university property, but we think this compromise is acceptable, given that the biblical engraving was a fait accompli," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-President of FFRF.
