SPRINGFIELD - A Lincoln man has received permission to erect a Christian nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus inside the Capitol Rotunda during the month of December.

Daniel Zanoza, a freelance writer and political activist, received the OK from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, whose office manages buildings in the Capitol complex.

The display's purpose is two-fold, Zanoza said. Along with celebrating Christmas, he said its presence in the Statehouse will show others that religious displays shouldn't be banned from public buildings.

"Some people believe that religious liberty is under assault in this country," Zanoza said.

The display, however, has drawn the attention of the Illinois office of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is reviewing the state's policy regarding religious articles being placed in state buildings.

"Before I want to say anything, I want to make sure our folks get a chance to sort through this and get a good sense of what's going on," ACLU spokesman Ed Yohnka said Thursday.

It's not the first time religious displays have been erected in state-managed buildings.

In 2004, a menorah was placed in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago and in the Capitol building in observance of the start of Hanukkah. A large artificial Christmas tree has been displayed in the Capitol Rotunda for years during the holiday season.

However, just as other states have grappled with displays of the Ten Commandments and other religious items in public buildings, Illinois has not been immune to controversy. In 2003, state officials kicked a group out of the Thompson Center because its display ridiculing psychiatry promoted a religious philosophy.

Zanoza said he has lined up an attorney in the event there are legal challenges to his plan, but he hopes that doesn't happen.

"I'm personally not looking for any legal battle," Zanoza said. "We don't want to offend anybody."

White has an "open policy" when it comes to allowing displays in the Capitol, said agency spokesman Henry Haupt.

"We want to accommodate everybody," he said, adding guidelines for exhibits, whether religious or not, center on keeping high traffic areas from getting clogged and marble floors from getting marred.

Haupt said the nativity scene is different from a permanent display like the Ten Commandments because it is privately funded and temporary in nature.

It is scheduled to be in the Capitol from Dec. 2-28 near the doors of the governor's budget office, pending a successful fundraising effort to buy the display, Zanoza said.

Under Secretary of State rules, the display must be no taller than 4 feet and no wider than 8t feet. In addition, no live animals can be used.