What This Atheist Said after Dropping 'Baseless' Suit against TX Church

An atheist who sued a Texas pastor and his church over their plan to build the nation's tallest cross has dropped his case, according to KRISTV.com.

In his lawsuit, atheist Patrick Greene had accused Pastor Rick Milby and Abundant Life Fellowship of violating the state's constitution with their plan to put up a 230-foot cross on church property.

But on Tuesday, he agreed to dismiss the case in a settlement after the church counter-sued.

KRISTV.com reports that Greene said his wife's health motivated him to drop the suit. He also pledged this week to stop filing baseless lawsuits over the freedom of exercise of religion.

"We hope that Mr. Greene along with atheists everywhere that seem to file baseless lawsuits will now think twice about doing such a thing," Jeremy Dys, Milby's attorney and senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, said.

City Council member Carolyn Vaughn said it is a win for religious freedom.

"I think it's a day that we need to celebrate for religious freedom and freedom to speak and say what we think. And we should be able to do that," she said.

Greene named Vaughn in the lawsuit along with Mayor Nelda Martinez and City Council member Lucy Rubio, all of whom had attended a January groundbreaking ceremony for the cross.

"The only thing I was hoping to achieve was for a judge to tell the mayor and the two city council (members), you screwed up this time by going there in your official capacity, so don't do it again," explained Greene, who admitted his lawsuit was "vexatious" and "without merit."  

Meanwhile, Dys says the settlement should send a "clear message to anti-religious-freedom activists everywhere." 

"If you abuse the legal system by suing people simply because you don't like how they exercise their religion, there will be legal consequences," he said.