A Tennessee county and sheriff have reached a settlement with an atheist group over a lawsuit the latter filed based on a religious post on Facebook.
The American Atheists sued Bradley County and Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson in May after a post was uploaded on the sheriff's official Facebook page on March 27, which read "He Is Risen" and "Jesus die(d) on the cross for our sins."
A Bradley resident sent a complaint to American Atheists and the two filed the lawsuit.
Watson has strong Christian faith and has long been posting religious messages on the sheriff's Facebook page.
"When I campaigned for the office of sheriff, and before that, the office of state representative, I never made any effort to hide or deny my strong, personal Christian faith," he said, according to the Independent.
Under the settlement, the amount of $41,000 will be paid to American Atheists and to a Bradley resident. However, neither the county nor the sheriff will admit to the charges. The money will be paid by the county's insurance.
The settlement also requires Watson not to post religious messages on the sheriff's Facebook page, which will be required to have no comment section.
The sheriff, however, can post religious and any other messages on his personal Facebook page.
In a statement on the settlement, Watson said the "He Is Risen" post "reflects my faith which is founded on the belief that Jesus Christ died for my sins and the sins of mankind. The historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the basis of my salvation through accepting him as my Savior."
"The case filed against me and Bradley County has been time-consuming and reflects the inevitable clash between three clauses of the First Amendment. With the assistance of Bradley County's attorney, the attorney for the Local Government Insurance Pool, my personal counsel and Magistrate Judge Steger, mediation was successful," he said, the Cleveland Daily Banner reported.
He said those who visit his personal Facebook page "will be able to know my personal opinions, expressions of faith and other views in a totally unimpeded manner."
Watson added that "I maintained my denial of responsibility for any violation of the rights of the plaintiffs."
"I am grateful for the cooperation among law enforcement agencies which exist and pledge that we will continue to cooperate with all agencies and all people who are committed to making Bradley County an ever better place to live and work," he said.
