Texas Christians Raise Money for Atheist Activist’s Eye Care

Last updated on: March 23, 2012 at 2:51 pm by Nancy French

Texas Christians Raise Money for Atheist Activist’s Eye Care 2012-03-23T14:51:54-05:00 Nancy French

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A Texas atheist who earlier this year fought to ban religious symbols on government property in his town is reportedly “flabbergasted” that Christians have offered to help him pay his bills.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph is reporting that Christians in Henderson County have raised around $400 to help Patrick Greene, an atheist who is at risk of going blind in one eye due to a detached retina.

Greene, a former Air Force officer and taxi driver who was forced to retire due to his eye condition, wrote a letter to members of the Henderson County Commissioner’s Court in February threatening a lawsuit if they did move a Nativity scene from court property, the Malakoff News reported.

The Nativity scene had been a source of controversy since it was erected in front of the courthouse last December, an ongoing battle between a variety of groups on which theMalakoff News has reported extensively.

Greene eventually did file suit, but when doctors told him about his eye condition, he decided that could no longer pursue the lawsuit and dropped the case. At that point, he had been forced to retire from his job driving a taxi and was facing mounting medical bills.

So when local Christians wrote him a check for $400 to help him pay his living expenses, Greene was more than surprised.

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