contributed photo Justin Scott of Denver, IA appears in a FoxNews piece on the nativity controversy in Toledo.

“It’s like deja vu, all over again.” — Yogi Berra

Over the past year, Toledo and Tama County have witnessed a troubling pattern of intolerance, but not from atheists or Satanists who have been unfairly scapegoated. Instead, the real source of this divisiveness has come from a handful of elected officials and one vocal, hate-filled individual masquerading as a religious leader.

It started in December 2023, when I pointed out to the City of Toledo that the nativity scene on the grounds of the fire department violated the Constitution and set the City up for a lengthy and costly lawsuit. Despite reports to the contrary, I never demanded they take it down completely, instead I suggested ways they might improve it to keep it legal.

Rather than responding to me directly, Mayor Sokol decided the better path was to instead run to Fox News to cry persecution by an out-of-town atheist. Rather than address this issue quietly behind closed doors, it was the Mayor who chose to turn this into the public spectacle it became.

Shortly after, Pastor Todd decided that Christ’s teachings about love, patience and kindness–the bedrock of Christianity to many Christians–wasn’t good enough for him. Instead, he took to a hate filled sermon (you can find it on YouTube) resorted to demonizing atheists and claiming that my efforts were nothing more than an attack on not just Christmas but Christianity itself. His rant, which was the very opposite of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, branded atheists as “bloodthirsty baby Jesus killers,” and spewed harmful, baseless rhetoric that was designed to mislead and rile up his congregation into a frenzy; to hell with understanding the legal and ethical concerns of the matter or preaching tolerance and patience.

Then, in September 2024, the Satanic Temple of Iowa, simply exercising their rights to free speech, religious freedom, and peaceful assembly, was told they weren’t welcome in the community by both Pastor Todd and his lemmings, along with the Tama Co. Board of Supervisors.

And now, here we are nearly a year later, and as if all of that wasn’t enough, Pastor Todd has kept the wheel of intolerance spinning full speed by boasting on Facebook that his church’s annual nativity scene will now demonize atheists in addition to celebrating the so-called birth of Christ (we’ll leave that discussion for another day). His post shows that the display now features a figure of a bloodthirsty King Herod wielding a bloody knife with the word “atheist” scrawled across its forehead.

If you think I’m offended by this, let me assure you, I’m not. In fact, I find it almost laughable that I’ve apparently lived rent-free in Pastor Todd’s mind for the past year. What’s truly tragic, however, is how this demonstrates the misplaced priorities of certain so-called “leaders” in your community. Pastor Todd, Mayor Sokol, and the entire Board of Supervisors could have focused their time and energy the past year on helping those in need–there are plenty in this community who would have benefited from their support. Instead, they’ve chosen to waste their influence on divisive rhetoric, sophomoric trolling and stoking division. This isn’t just a squandered opportunity; it’s a glaring misuse of their positions of power.

It’s time for Christians in Toledo and Tama County–and across Iowa who actually follow the teachings of Christ–those who understand that love and compassion should extend to everyone, including those who believe differently–to step up and speak out for religious pluralism in our state and country. Email Pastor Todd. Email Mayor Sokol. Email your Board of Supervisors. Speak up during public comments. Don’t let this continue unchecked. If you want to live in a community and a state where all Iowans–atheists, Satanists, and Christians alike–feel welcomed, it’s time to take action.

The truth is, mocking atheists, Satanists and other non-Christians won’t solve Toledo’s problems or those across Iowa. It won’t help the hungry, it won’t improve schools, and it won’t unite your community or our state. It will only drive people apart and we’re already divided enough as a country.

The real solution is simple: focus on what brings people together, not what divides them.Or brace yourself for this sense of déjà vu all over again.

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Justin Scott is a proud atheist that has been fighting to keep religion and government separate for nearly a decade. His advocacy includes establishing the Eastern Iowa Atheists, delivering the first ever atheist prayer inside the Iowa State Capitol while ending government sponsored prayer across Iowa, and earning numerous national awards including American Atheist’s coveted “Atheist of the Year” award. He can be reached at iowaatheist247@gmail.com.