Washington, D.C. – At a press conference today on Capitol Hill, Third District Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), additional members of Congress, and representatives from The Christian Defense Coalition, Faith and Action and Generation Life to kick off “The Nativity Project: A Public Witness to Keep Christ in Christmas.”

“The Nativity Project” is a public witness to remind people of the powerful message delivered on the very first Christmas, “Peace on Earth. Good will toward men.” It is also a witness to address the growing hostility toward public expressions of faith, especially during the Christmas season.

“For those of us who are Christian, this is a very special time of year,” Congressman Jones said. “We should not allow attempts at political correctness to shut out any recognition of the religious significance of this season of the year.”

“America is about freedom of religion, no matter what one’s religion may be,” Jones continued. “True tolerance would not discourage Americans from expressing their faith through the celebration of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ. Let us all be free to celebrate the season as we see fit.”

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, stated: “Sadly, we are seeing a growing hostility toward expressions of faith in the public square. This is especially true during the Christmas season where there appears to be a concerted effort to remove the true meaning of Christmas from public view. ‘The Nativity Project’ is a positive way to share the message of the season which is one of peace and good will toward man. It is also a strong reminder that the First Amendment provides freedom ‘of’ religion and not freedom ‘from’ religion and the role of government is to protect expressions of faith and not crush them.”

With a nativity scene on display at the news conference, the faith organizations encouraged the display of nativity scenes at public buildings across America during the Christmas season and called for members of the faith community to apply for permits to set up nativity scenes in front of their city halls, governments centers or state capitol buildings between December 19th through the 22nd.

For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.