GRISWOLD, Conn. (AP) The Christmas music begins emanating from a local church steeple about this time every year, ushering in the holiday season in this sleepy eastern Connecticut town.
In a tradition that began more than a decade ago, songs such as ``America the Beautiful'' and ``Away in a Manger'' are played every hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. The music, in the form of chiming bells, flows from a large speaker hidden at the top of Jewett City Baptist Church.
But the sounds of the season are under attack from the state chapter of American Atheists Inc., which wants town officials to stop or change the practice.
The group says in a complaint filed with the town and borough governments that the music is too loud. It is also raising a constitutional issue after learning the borough owns the sound system in the church.
``This is clearly a violation of the separation of church and state,'' said Dennis Paul Himes, director of the state chapter.
Cynthia Kata, warden of the borough government, disagrees.
``If there is one of the songs that they find offensive, I'll take it off,'' Kata told The Day of New London. ``But I'm not going to get rid of 'Jingle Bells' or 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' because some nut doesn't like it.''
It was a decade ago that the borough bought a sound system with some grant money, thinking it would be nice to have church bells ringing along Main Street.
In a deal with the church, the congregation agreed but said it would not be responsible for the equipment or any complaints. The church said it would allow secular music, but ``no Elvis.''
Besides bell chimes at regular intervals each hour, a song from a collection of 400 tunes is played on the hour. Most of the songs are not religious.
Songs are played throughout the year. The selection in the spring and summer includes ``Danny Boy,'' ``Over the Rainbow,'' and ``God Bless America.'' In the fall and winter, ``Joy to the Word'' and ``O Little Town of Bethlehem'' stream from the steeple.
William Russell of Norwich, an atheist who visits a relative in the borough a few times a month, cringes at the first notes of ``Onward, Christian Soldiers,'' which is played every day at 9 a.m. He alerted the state chapter of the atheist group about the music.
``It's against the Constitution,'' he said. ``It needs to be silenced.''
The group is asking the borough to divest itself of the chimes by selling the equipment for a fair-market price to the church, and then monitor the volume.
Pastor David Honeychurch said the church is not interested in buying the equipment. He also said no one who lives in town has complained about the music.
Kata, the borough warden, said borough officials will discuss the complaint at their next meeting, possibly this month. Members of the atheist group say the matter may end up in court if local officials don't take action.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
