Christian minister objects to ‘pagan’ license plate

In the USA many states have attractive images on their license plates. Oklahoma is no exception, their plates currently feature a picture of a statue created by artist Allen Houser. It’s called Sacred Rain Arrow and it depicts a Native American firing an arrow into the sky. It was displayed at Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and can now be seen outside the Gilcrease museum in Tulsa. The tourism industry loves it, it’s a travelling advert for the state, but one Methodist minister isn’t quite so happy, claiming that this pagan imagery is an affront to his Christian beliefs. He has taken this to the courts to demand his right to be able to opt out of displaying this image on his vehicle. It was initially thrown out of court, but he has appealed and has been given the right to another hearing.

Many people have voiced their opinion on this issue. Many people are proud of the history of their area, regardless of their own belief system and have no problem with displaying this beautiful and evocative work of art on their license plates.

It remains to be seen if the minister will be allowed to have a plate without the image on, or if he’ll just have to learn to be more tolerant.