An atheist gang pushed an Arkansas elementary school to remove “One Nation Under GOD” from a patriotic display — rejecting an initial compromise that covered a Christian cross with an American flag.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation celebrated the removal of religious language from Bergman Elementary School’s display as a victory for inclusion, according to its news release.

The campaign went beyond objecting to Christian imagery. Even after the cross disappeared, the organization insisted that the familiar words from the Pledge of Allegiance remained objectionable when displayed separately.

In an Oct. 21 follow-up letter to Superintendent Sarah Alexander, FFRF attorney Samantha Lawrence argued that extracting the phrase from the full pledge showed religious favoritism. She specifically objected to the school emphasizing God in capital letters.

“The religious display is still constitutionally problematic even with the removal of the cross,” Lawrence wrote. That was the organization’s legal position; the correspondence does not identify a court ruling against this particular display.

The dispute began after a community member complained about a photograph posted on the school’s official Facebook page. FFRF’s initial Aug. 31 letter demanded that district officials remove the display.

“Religion is a divisive force in public schools,” Lawrence wrote in that letter.

The district initially changed the bulletin board and supplied a photograph, according to FFRF’s correspondence. The organization then renewed its demand, arguing that retaining the religious wording continued the problem.

Todd Starnes is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and host of The Todd Starnes Radio Show.