WINFIELD, Ala. — Officials in an Alabama city recently passed a resolution declaring the municipality of Winfield a “city under God.”

The resolution was passed in late December at the prompting of Mayor Randy Price, who urged city council to make the statement and take a stand for Christ.

“I feel like we need to stand up for what is right,” he told AL.com. “Our forefathers said ‘One nation under God’ and we went so far away from that. There are not enough godly people involved in day-to-day decisions.”

“Whereas we acknowledge God is the owner of the City of Winfield and that it is a City under God. We acknowledge that at all times, He is in control,” the resolution reads. “Whereas, we acknowledge that through His leadership, the mayor and city council will seek his wisdom and knowledge to be good stewards of the city.”

“Whereas, we acknowledge that though prayer, with His guidance and presence, that we will be able to trust that no problem will be too large or too small to overcome,” it continues. “Whereas, we acknowledge that the City of Winfield is where it is today because of God’s grace and mercy. Whereas, we acknowledge that at all times and in all circumstances, His will shall be done. Whereas, we acknowledge that to God be the glory.”

Some expressed support for the statement following passage.

“[W]e like the idea that God is acknowledged and that He is given the glory,” reads an editorial in the Marion County Journal Record. “Mind you, some of other religions—or no religions—might fuss, but if our coins can say, ‘In God We Trust,’ we see no harm in acknowledging the Almighty…”

“[T]his resolution may not change the city, either, but it will not hurt. And, if anyone in Marion County deserves our thanks, it is Him, for all He has blessed us with,” it continued. “At least, that’s how we feel.”

But when atheists across the country learned of the resolution, they criticized the move.

“Who are they even trying to impress? I promise you God has better things to do than take over your city,” wrote blogger Hemant Mehta, known as “the friendly atheist,” who advised that he turned the matter into the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF).

But Mayor Price said that although some may not like the message, he will stand for God in the face of sin and darkness.

“It will continue to be bad if we don’t start standing up for God and for what’s right,” he told reporters. “I’m going to step on a lot of people’s toes but there’s not but one God and, that one God, to Him be the glory. There’s no other way; there’s no other God. There are a lot of religions out there but only one God.”

As previously reported, last January, the mayor of Flower Mound,Texas announced that he was declaring 2014 “the Year of the Biblle.”

“There’s so much benevolence on helping your fellow person,” he told local television station KDFW. “And the morality that helped build our country is based on the values that are found in the Bible. And as we look at problems, maybe we’re getting away from those values. And in my little small way, I want to encourage people to get back into those values.”

In 2012, lawmakers in Pennsylvania likewise declared a “Year of the Bible.” The resolution stated that not only has the Bible been an important part of America’s history, but that in difficult times such as the present, there is a “national need to study and apply the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.”

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