National
Alliance Against Christian Discrimination "Protecting and Promoting the Christian Faith and
Our Religious Heritage."
Updates 6:
Public Housing Displays
"We applaud Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez
for his public recognition of the First Amendment rights of public housing
residents to express their religious beliefs.
In the past, many residents of public housing have been led to believe
they are not allowed to display religious symbols in common areas of government
housing sites. However, as Secretary Martinez points out in his December
20, 2001 letter to public housing directors, there is no such HUD policy
barring such activities.
We join Secretary Martinez in encouraging all public housing directors
to amend any policies, which would interfere with the constitutionally
protected right of American citizens to express freely their faith."
(Family Research Council. Ken Connor, president. 12/26/2001.)
Seasonal Christian Bigotry
"During December's Christmas season - a special time for Christendom
- it appears anti-Christian bigotry reared its ugly head. Christmas cards
this year poked fun at the Virgin Mary and other aspects of the Christian
faith. The Catholic League found no cards poking fun at Islam, Kwanzaa,
Judaism, or other faiths." (Agape Press. 12/20/2001.)
Monkeys 1; Christians 0
"The U.S. Supreme Court declined on 1/7/2002 to consider the case
of a science teacher in Faribault, Minn., who raised questions about the
teaching of evolution. Rodney LeVake, a biology teacher at Faribault High
School, was reassigned by school officials in 1998 after he said he wanted
to include information questioning the scientific principles of evolution
in a science class.
The Christian teacher claimed that the reassignment violated his constitutional
rights
to free speech and religion. Justices rejected his case without comment.
LeVake said the court's inaction leaves unanswered two questions: Does
a teacher in a public school have First Amendment rights? And does it
make sense to cover what he calls 'the inconsistencies of evolutionary
theories' in class dealing with evolution?
LeVake was moved to a different science teaching position after he told
school officials that he was uncomfortable teaching evolution as fact.
While he did not want to teach creationism or make reference to God or
religion, he told reporters, he did want to tell students about what he
saw as 'flaws' in evolutionary theory." (Star Tribune. 1/8/2002.)
Michigan Desires God
"A Michigan law passed on New Year's Eve that will 'strongly encourage'
state and local government offices to display the U.S. motto, 'In God
We Trust,' CNSNews.com reported.
The new law, which was signed by Republican Gov. John Engler and went
into effect on 1/7/2002, 'strongly encourages each state agency and unit
of local government to exercise their constitutional ability to place
the national motto "In God We Trust" in or on public buildings
or land owned or occupied by that state agency or unit of local government.'
The American Family Association of Michigan announced that it plans to
place the motto in every public school classroom in the state, and offered
the donation of a framed copy of the motto for each classroom in the Detroit
suburbs of Troy and Rochester." (LifeLife News. 1/4/2002.)
Kentucky & the ACLU
"The various 10 Commandment displays in Kentucky are surrounded by
historic documents such as the Magna Carta and the Mayflower Compact.
Jeff Vessels, executive director of the ACLU of Kentucky, says the displays
in the counties being sued still don't meet the court standard of separation
of church and state.
So far, the ACLU has sued seven Kentucky counties in two rounds of federal
lawsuits. The displays are in courthouses, schools and a county-owned
hospital. The ACLU has prevailed in the initial judgments in the latest
dispute, but more rulings will come.
In November, the ACLU sued four rural counties, seeking to have the displays
removed from courthouses. All four counties kept the commandments posted
and intend to fight the suits. At least 20 other Kentucky counties post
the commandments in public buildings, including courtrooms, and each could
be the next target for litigation, said Vessels." (Newsday.com. 1/1/2002.)
How to Frame Religions So Society Fears Christians
"The irony is that the Islamic terrorists responsible for the September
11 fatalities are merely clones of America's own Christian right extremists,
sheathedin a different religion." (The San Francisco Examiner. Kimberly
Blake. Taken from Agape Press. 1/21/2002.)
There is a new fad spreading through our nation via the liberal media
- and that is, comparing conservative Christians with Muslim extremism
and the Taliban. Will mainstream America buy into this faulty comparison
that is being fed to us? Do most "God-fearing" citizens of this
country really believe that the "Christian Right" is nothing
more than the Taliban in different clothing?
First, my concern over this topic does not come from just one isolated
event. The media seems to be mounting a unified voice on this matter and
is framing the issue to cause fear and distrust towards concerned Christians
or conservative citizens. Let me give you some examples to chew on
"A Boulder doctor, Warren Hern, on 1/21/2002 criticized a decision
by the state Health Department to cut funding to Planned Parenthood of
the Rocky Mountains and compared Gov. Bill Owens to the Taliban. 'Governor
Owens has brought the spirit of the Taliban to Colorado,' said Dr. Hern."
(The Gazette. "Owens Compared to Taliban." 1/22/2002.)
So, if you are conservative or a Republican or are Christian or hold to
moral standards or are pro-life or are...add your own supposed "right-wing"
behavior...BEWARE...you have the "spirit of the Taliban." This
example hits home. Also, my own American Family Association was implicated
as Talibanish!
"The American Family Association is a religious hate group that is
closest to the Taliban in mindset, agenda and actions."
(Infoshop.org. January 2000.) "Two of the anthrax letters were sent
to Senators Tom Daschle and Patrick Leahy, both Democrats. One group who
had a gripe with Daschle and Leahy is the Traditional Values Coalition
(Rev. Lou Sheldon), which, before the attacks, had issued a press release
criticizing the senator for trying to remove the phrase 'So help me God'
from the oath." (National Public Radio. NPR's Morning Edition Show.
1/22/2002. David Kestenbaum.) Or...
"AgapePress cited several examples of liberal activists and media
pundits in the U.S. using events in Afghanistan and America to compare
conservative Christians to members of the Taliban terrorist network. Those
examples included comments from The San Francisco Examiner, The New York
Times, and MSNBC." (Agape Press. "Another News Report Likens
Religious Conservatives to Taliban." 1/25/2002.) Or...
"In a recent article about President Bush's bioethics committee and
cloning, Washington Post reporter Rick Weiss equates religious conservative
pro-lifers to the Taliban." (Agape Press. 1/25/2202.) Or...
"The Taliban would agree with the proponents of a measure aimed at
protecting marriage in the District of Columbia."
(Homosexual activist and homosexual Democratic Congressman, Barney Frank.
EWTN News.) Or...
After hearing some tapes with Osama bin Laden, who was praising Allah
repeatedly, Chris Matthews of MSNBC's nationally televised TV show Hardball
commented that it "sounds like the Islamic version of the 700 Club
(with Pat Robertson)." So...
You should have no doubts that the liberal media is framing this issue
so mainstream America will fear Bible-believing Christians. Christian
behavior, even the most extreme fundamentalist kind, can not be compared
to Muslim extremism. But, persecution is coming. (The Salt Factor Newsletter.
February 2002.)
Library Prohibition Request
"According to one resident, the town's public library should reconsider
its policy of allowing religious groups to hold services in the building.
Mercyhouse, a church sponsored by the Baptist Convention of New England,
holds services Sunday morning in the large meeting room at the Hones Library
at
43 Amity Street in Amherst, New York.
Saul Gladstone, who introduced himself as a member of the Critical Issues
Committee at the Jewish Community of Amherst, raised the issue with the
Jones Library Board of Trustees. 'They are an evangelical Christian Church.
Their intent is to proselytize and that's not desirable to encourage.
By allowing them to meet here you encourage that,' said Gladstone. But
the Rev. Robert Krumrey of Merchyhouse defends his use of the building.
'It's appropriate to hold religious services in the library as long as
it's open to everyone,' he said recently.
The group doesn't pay rent since it is a nonprofit organization. However,
it pays a library staff member to open and close the building as required
under the meeting room use policy. The local library policy states that
meeting rooms are made available as a public service, and booking a room
in no way constitutes an endorsement of the program or philosophy of the
group or individuals using the facilities." (Daily Hampshire Gazette.
1/14/2002.)
Judge Nixes Faith Programs
"Taxpayer funding of a program once touted by President Bush as an
example of the kind of partnerships he hopes will flourish under his 'faith-based'
initiative has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.
On Jan. 8, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb of Wisconsin ordered the
state's Department of Workforce Development to discontinue the giving
of direct grants to Faith Works - a Milwaukee addiction-recovery program
for fathers.
The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit arguing
that the unrestricted grants from the governor's discretionary fund, as
well as pay-for-service grants from the state's department of corrections,
violated the religious-liberty clauses of the First Amendment. The judge
disagreed with attorneys for Faith Works who argued that sufficient safeguards
existed to separate the program's secular and religious components. (Maranatha
Christian News Service. 1/18/2002.)
No Crosses in Schools
"A Wisconsin high school Bible Club that was denied the right to
paint a cross in school to promote the group plans to take the case to
the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit last
month that contends free speech rights were violated when members of Trojans
Loving Christ (TLC) were prevented from painting the Christian symbol
on a hallway mural at Kenosha's Tremper High School in 1998, the Associated
Press reported.
'It's not over yet,' said Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, which is representing
TLC. 'My reaction is that there are school board policies that have been
promulgated by the
U.S. Department of Education, and the problem is either school personnel
are ignorant or just simply don't care to adopt good policies, and therefore
engage in constitutional violations.'" (Charisma News Service. 1/18/2002.)
School Rejects Big Ten
"The Kerrville School Board rejected a plan recently that would have
displayed the Ten Commandments at a San Antonio-area high school, local
TV station KSAT reported. The proposal would have placed stone tablets
of God's laws alongside historical documents, including the Constitution.
Fearing controversy and lawsuits, a majority of the school board voted
against the plan, despite a plea from member Keith Williams. 'The Ten
Commandments is part of our system of beliefs and the basis of our judicial
system,' Williams said." (Maranatha Christian News Service. 1/18/2002.)
"No" to Free Church Parking
"A Newport Beach, Calif., agnostic claims a city's longtime policy
exempting meter fees for churchgoers is unconstitutional. John Nelson,
a developer-contractor, filed a federal lawsuit recently, alleging that
the city has been violating a 'constitutional separation of church and
state' for 32 years, The Los Angeles Times reported.
But Mayor Tod Ridgeway said that lifting the free parking would create
problems for those living near the churches, because churchgoers would
then take the unmetered spots in front of their homes." (Maranatha
Christian News Service. 1/18/2002.)
No Praying for Institute
"A federal judge ruled on 1/24/2002 that the saying of grace before
dinner at the state-supported Virginia Military Institute is unconstitutional.
VMI, based in Lexington, has been holding the prayers since the 1950s.
The ACLU sued the school last May on behalf of two cadets who had complained.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon called the ceremonies
a 'State-sponsored religious exercise.'
'Because the prayers are drafted and recited at the direction of the institute's
superintendent, the result is that government has become impermissibly
entangled with religion,' Moon wrote." (Yahoo!News. 1/25/2002.)
ACLU Goes to Bat for Satan
"The American Civil Liberties Union has threatened a federal lawsuit
against the mayor of a Florida town for her proclamation banning Satan
within the town limits. The ACLU has sent a letter to Mayor Carolyn Risher
that said it will file a federal lawsuit unless she removes anti-Satan
proclamations from four posts that sit at the town's entrances. The group
also wants the town commission to pass a resolution repealing Risher's
edict and demands Risher reimburse the town for any costs of printing
it.
Risher, the mayor for nine years, wrote the proclamation on Halloween
night. It was typed on town stationary, signed by Risher and Town Clerk
Sally McCrainie, and affixed with the town seal. Risher, reportedly a
Christian, put a copy on her office wall and then placed others at the
town entrances. She has contacted Liberty Counsel, a nationwide religion-based
organization that offers legal help, for possible assistance.
Polly Bowser, a resident of this town of 1,400 people about 75 miles north
of Tampa said she was outraged when she saw a copy of the proclamation
on the door to the community center. Bowser started a petition drive to
remove Risher." (Fox News. 1/24/2002.)
The Great Religious Purge
"The drive to rid our culture of God and decency is moving along
like an out-of-control freight train, despite Sept. 11. That day must
have given the American Civil Liberties Union heart palpitations. Think
about it: The horror, the mayhem and the death brought out the most basic
human emotions - the need to cling to hope and to believe in something
greater than ourselves...God.
We were awash in patriotism (horrors!) and enveloped in prayers (even
worse!). The godless had to endure seeing public prayer - on television
even! And think of it: politicians in church! There was the huge cross,
made of steel building beams pushed together, found in the WTC wreckage.
Mainstream media mostly ignored it, but the cross was honored by emergency
workers and the 'little folk.' It was blessed and considered a miracle,
of sorts.
Imagine the effect all that public expression of religion and God had
on those dedicated to removing all traces of them from our lives. Too
bad it didn't last. Barely out from under the immediate memories of that
infamous day, we're being hit between the eyes again. Just recently, word
is the ACLU won again. As a result of its lawsuit, a federal judge ruled
it's unconstitutional (UNCONSTITUTIONAL, for heaven's sake) to say grace
before meals at the Virginia Military Institute. Never mind that it's
been done for nearly 50 years. Never mind that no one objected. Well,
almost no one. Actually two (TWO?!?!) cadets complained. I guess they
were 'offended.'
Never to be accused of consistency in anti-religion, the ACLU is threatening
to sue a town in Florida because of a proclamation by the mayor not to
permit Satan in town. It seems one (ONE!) resident was - all together
now - 'offended!' SCORECARD: God out. Satan in.
The New York City Board of Education ruled that a sign saying 'God Bless
You' - put up in front of a school after Sept. 11 by the parents association
- is illegal and must be removed. God loses again. And it's not only God.
Decency is losing too. I read some approved materials used in the Los
Angeles Schools that are part of the 'diversity' programs for students.
They are filth. This material is so sexually explicit and graphic
that it should be in a porn shop. There is a concerted effort here!"
(Barbara Simpson. The Babe in the Bunker editorial. WorldNetDaily. "Checking
the 'God' Scorecard." 1/28/2002.)
Purging Our Founding Fathers
"Public school students in New Jersey may never know about some of
the nation's founding fathers, thanks to a new politically correct set
of standards for history courses. For those who have long recognized that
many of
the nation's public schools have become the incubators of liberalism,
the New Jersey story will probably not come as much of a shock.
The Washington Times reports that among other things, the New Jersey Department
of Education has removed the names of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
and Benjamin Franklin from the new revised version of its history standards.
Also excluded are references to the pilgrims and the Mayflower.
There are many critics to the New Jersey move. David Saxe, a Pennsylvania
State University education professor who reviews state history standards
nationwide, calls it an 'historical irresponsibility.' And Brian Jones
of the Education Leaders Council in Washington believes the word 'pilgrim'
is being dropped because it implies religion - and references to anything
about the Bible, he says, are becoming more and more difficult in America's
public schools." (Agape Press. 1/28/2002.)
Sneering Agnosticism
"Prior to the attacks of Sept. 11, a regular feature of my radio
program was a segment devoted to spotting Mormon-bashing among the elite
media as the Olympic games approached. I am not a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but PBS sent me to Salt Lake City
in 1996 to interview Elder Neal Maxwell for the series and book 'Searching
for God in America.'
Sometimes religious prejudice by the media is subtle and sometimes it
is so boldly breathtaking as to make a reader blink. In the four months
since Sept. 11, hard-line secularists like Thomas Feldman and Anthony
Lewis of the New York Times have wasted little time in urging the delegitimization
of all people of faith who hold beliefs that argue for their absolute
truth.
The triumph of sneering agnosticism is pretty much complete within elite
media these days. As sociologist Peter Berger once observed, if India
is the most religious country in the world, and Sweden the least, then
the U.S. is a nation of Indians ruled by Swedes. To which I would add
a corollary: Elite media is 99 percent Swedish. The vast majority of Americans
despise bigotry - even when it's dressed up as journalism." (Hugh
Hewitt. "Sneering Agnosticism." WorldNetDaily. 1/15/2002.)
Religious Tiles Banned
"Religious symbols on tiles painted by families after the Columbine
High School shootings were banned to protect students' mental health and
keep the school from becoming a memorial, school officials say.
The families argued that their views were wrongly excluded while other
religious-themed exhibits inside the school were allowed, including a
framed poster saying, 'God wept over Columbine this day, April 20, 1999.'
The school district appealed a ruling last year by U.S. District Judge
Wiley Daniel that school officials had violated the families' First Amendment
guarantees of free speech." (Rocky Mountain News. 1/23/2002.)
The Far Christian Right?
"The Minneapolis Star Tribune began a recent article by saying that
'Wayne Pederson wants to change the image of the nation's largest and
most powerful Christian broadcasting organization.' The organization is
the National Religious Broadcasters and Mr. Pederson is its new president.
It's Pederson's idea of what is wrong with the Christian broadcasting
industry that has set off a controversy within the membership of NRB.
Mr. Pederson believes Christian broadcasting is influenced to its detriment
by what he calls the 'far Christian right.' Whom specifically he is referring
to, he won't say.
As they say, he's entitled to his opinion. But when you make statements
like this and you are the president of the National Religious Broadcasters,
you're going to have to defend your words.
The phrase 'far Christian right' is a pejorative used against Christian
conservatives that one normally hears from the likes of Dan Rather or
CNN's Bill Snyder. It's meant to discredit and discredit absolutely.
This is not new. Everyone knows this. So when I see this kind of talk
coming from
the new leader of the National Religious Broadcasters - whose membership
roll is substantially made up of people the secular media considers members
of the 'far Christian right' - it makes me question if Mr. Pederson is
on the same side of the great cultural struggle for America's soul that
I'm on. And I am a Christian broadcaster and have been for ten years."
(Tim Wildmon. American Family Assoc. Exec. VP. WorldNetDaily. 1/23/2002.)
Religious Dismantlement
"For more than 40 years, the heathen left have successfully executed
a systematic, step-by-step dismantlement of a structure of morals and
values carefully put in place to protect the history, heritage and cultural
identity of America. Our books, movies, art, television and music are
now a unified chorus of smut and anti-social messages. Religious apartheid
is officially sanctioned and practiced by the government; and bewildered
taxpayers are told they have no choice but to pay for liberal propaganda,
blasphemous art and pornography on public television.
There was a statement made by Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court. Chief Justice Warren, remembered as a liberal jurist, was quoted
in Time magazine on Feb. 15, 1954, as follows:
'I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing
that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning
been our guiding geniuses...I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into
being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their
belief in it.'
Less than 50 years later, if a nominee to the Supreme Court today said
what Chief Justice Warren said, he would not have any chance at all of
being confirmed by the Senate. He would be considered too extreme to interpret
the Constitution. He would come under immediate and heavy attack by the
ACLU, NOW, NAACP, NAE, GLAAD, Planned Parenthood, National Council of
Churches...and other assorted self-righteously outraged constituencies
of the Democrat Party.
In a larger sense, anything having to do with religion - particularly
the symbols and ideas of the Christian religion - has been treated like
an unhealthy contamination, and systematically exorcised out of what has
come to be called the public (as opposed to the private) sector. Perhaps
the greatest challenge facing America today is whether people of faith
will allow themselves to be quarantined." (WorldNetDaily. Linda Bowles.
1/15/2002.)
Jesus Sign Threatened
"The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit recently
demanding the removal of signs outside a southeastern Louisiana town that
proclaim: 'Jesus is Lord over Franklinton.'
ACLU officials said public money was used to put up the signs on state
roads, violating the constitutional separation of church and state.
The suit names the town, its mayor and surrounding Washington Parish as
defendants. Franklinton Mayor Earle Brown said the town had nothing to
do with the signs and has told the ACLU so." (The Gazette. 1/30/2002.)
Student Can't Write Letter?
"A school superintendent near Lubbock, Texas, who attempted to censor
a student's letter to the local paper is now facing a lawsuit for alleged
infringement of the student's constitutional rights.
Following the September 11 tragedy, the Crosbyton High School band in
Lubbock was told they could not play 'Amazing Grace' during halftime of
a football game, as a tribute to those who died. At the game, the other
team's band honored the victims of the attack by playing, 'God Bless the
U.S.A.' Crobsyton band member, Justin Latimer wrote a letter to the local
paper, saying he was 'deeply saddened and ashamed' that his band was not
allowed to play 'Amazing Grace.'
The same day the letter was published in the Crosby County News and Chronicle,
Latimer was called to the office of Larry Morris, superintendent of the
Crosbyton Consolidated Independent School District. According to the lawsuit,
Morris told Latimer - in the presence of the band director - that the
letter had hurt the school, the band, and Morris personally, and that
he was forbidden to write any more letters to the editor without Morris'
approval.
The American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy filed a
lawsuit in federal court in Lubbock on Latimer's behalf. Steve Crampton,
chief counsel for the CLP says it is a simple case of censorship. 'If
the First Amendment means anything, it means a government official may
not dictate the content of private speech,' Crampton says. His group has
asked for a temporary order to prevent Morris from interfering with Latimer's
right to free speech." (Agape Press. 1/30/2002.)
Editor's Note: And many wonder why I say there is a move to purge public
Christianity.
Teaching Intelligent Design
"The latest challenge to evolution's primacy in the nation's classrooms
- the theory of intelligent design, not the old foe creationism - will
get a hearing next month before the Ohio Board of Education, which is
considering whether established science censors other views about the
origins of life.
An intelligent designer - perhaps God as depicted in Genesis, perhaps
someone or something else - had to provide the original impetus, they
say. Opponents of intelligent design see it as a sophisticated variation
on the decades old effort to force theism into the public schools, this
time by leaving the notion of a divine creator less explicit. 'It's a
shrouded way of bringing religion into the schools,' said Martha Wise,
a state board member who is the lone opponent of intelligent design on
the standards subcommittee." (The Gazette. 2/11/2002.)
Judge Halts Bible Classes
"A federal judge recently ordered an end to Bible classes that have
been taught for 51 years in the elementary schools of the county where
the Scopes 'monkey trial' was held. The classes in Rhea County violate
the First Amendment's clauses calling for the separation of church and
state, according to U.S. District Judge Allan Edgar. A couple with two
children attending the schools had challenged the Bible classes. A branch
of the Freedom From Religion was a plaintiff." (The Gazette. 2/9/2002.)
A Coach Swimming Upstream
"A federal judge, deciding that the city of Northglenn wrongly terminated
a swimming coach who preached his faith poolside, has issued an order
allowing the man to resume his swimming program at a municipal pool.
John Hays, who used the city-owned pool as a training facility for his
D.A.D.S. swim team since 1997, was banished from the facility in mid-October.
But on Dec. 6, after hearing testimony from swim team parents and city
officials, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Nottingham sided with Hays,
granting a temporary restraining order that allows the coach to use the
facilities until the lawsuit is settled.
The judge said, 'I'm satisfied by a preponderance of the evidence that
religious speech was the overwhelming factor - in the dynamic that produced
the decision to terminate him.' City officials have said in published
reports they intend to fight the Hays suit." (Rocky Mountain Christian
Times. Feb. 2002.)
Shamans In; Christian Out
"Shamanism is practiced and funded by University of Florida's College
of Medicine. The Shamans wrote books about the rituals: 'Creative Healing'
and 'The Path of the Feather' - these books funded with UF monies describe
rituals and how to become a shaman including photos of rituals at the
University of Florida.
Mary Jensen, a Christian, walked into a 'public-invited' occult prayer
ritual at UF with a Jesus banner and Bible. The women with shaved heads
wearing fairy wings chanted around their sacred circle with a crystal
in the middle of it dancing around like fairies with their prayer rocks.
They received funding for these rituals.
The Christian was hauled off in handcuffs and jailed for one week. A psychiatric
evaluation was ordered and not given within the 72 hours mandated by law.
She was held in solitary confinement for 6 days where she was forced to
use the bathroom in front of male inmates. The front of the cell was glass.
The University of Florida has barred the Christian for life from UF property
across the state as they 'do not want weird people on their campus.' One
month later the same prayer rocks were hauled to the 13 stone divination
sacred circle dedicated at Kanapaha Park in Gainesville, Florida. Vijali
Hamilton, a Seer who talks to rocks was sponsored by UF Shands Hospital
to dedicate the 13 stone sacred circle.
The federal judge continues to refuse the Christian's complaint for relief
and damages. The witches and pagans are uniting in strength to defend
their right to have shamanism funded and practiced at the University of
Florida.
Unlike the University of South Florida who paid $269,000 to each defendant
who filed
a lawsuit against Dr. James Rowsey for Christian prayer. The University
of Florida
is claiming monetary immunity for Christian persecution." (Personal
Email sent to me on 2/23/2002 by Kris Miller.)
Gay Man Threatens Christian Leaders
"A man, Bruce Allan Ross, who used his pro-homosexual website called
usQueers.com to call for a 'slow, painful death by any means' for 'het
(heterosexual) supremacists,' including Dr. James Dobson, Rev. Donald
Wildmon, Rev. Lou Sheldon, Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer, Paul Weyrich, Sen.
Jesse Helms, and other religious and conservative leaders, was sentenced
in San Diego County Superior Court on a kidnapping charge." (WorldNetDaily.
2/6/2002.)
NEW QUOTES for newsletter (March 2002)
Setting Churches Free
"In 1954, when Senator Lyndon B. Johnson pushed a little-noticed
law through Congress, ministers were then barred from preaching about
political candidates. Under the law, churches are prohibited from endorsing
or opposing candidates or risk being stripped of their tax-exempt status
by the Internal Revenue Service. The law is frequently flouted.
Now a Republican member of Congress from North Carolina, Walter B. Jones,
Jr., decided last year to make it his signature issue. The bill is called
the Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act and would 'permit
churches and other houses of worship to engage in political campaigns.'
Although it has yet to be scheduled for a hearing before the House Ways
and Means Committee, the legislation, H.R. 2357, has gathered 112 co-sponsors,
all but four of them Republicans." (The New York Times. 2/3/2002.)
Campaign Signs on Church Property?
"It's just one more political campaign sign to Pastor Mark Hoffman.
But tax experts say it violates laws governing nonprofit organizations
and is worthy of government intervention. The sign endorsing Gary Kendrick
for City Council was put up in December outside Hoffman's church. Hoffman
says his landlords put it up, as they did similar signs at two other churches.
When former council candidate Lisa Durso saw the signs, she contacted
the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. The Washington,
D.C. group is preparing a formal complaint for the Internal Revenue Service.
Church leaders say they've done nothing wrong, but tax law attorneys and
professors say all three churches risk losing their tax-exempt status.
Hoffman's Foothills Christian Fellowship, and the owners, could lose their
property-tax exemption for 2001 and 2002, when the sign was up."
(Union-Tribune. San Diego, CA. 2/6/2002.)
House Signs on Home Property
"A Houston woman, Ivy Raschke, and her son, Derek Roberts, told a
state district judge that they made a covenant with God to put signs on
their homes stating, 'This is a house of prayer.' The signs spurred a
lawsuit from the Oak Forest Homeowners Association, which took the them
to court and alleged they breached deed restrictions prohibiting advertising
and placards other than for the home's sale or rental.
'It's just religious discrimination,' Rashke said recently. 'I will not
put my faith in Jesus Christ on trial.' Her son also sees the case as
one of religious freedom, saying, 'Someone has to stand up for our rights
or they'll just keep taking our rights away.'" (Houston Chronicle.
2/6/2002.)
In God We Trust - Florida
"Riding a wave of patriotism, a state House committee voted to post
'In God We Trust' in every public school in Florida. Republican state
Rep. Mike Hogan of Jacksonville got the idea from a similar bill passed
in Mississippi last year. The House Council for Lifelong Learning unanimously
approved HB 915.
Larry Spalding, an American Civil Liberties Union lobbyist, complained
that the bill is a threat to the separation of church and state.' This
is no more than a constitutional means to get religion in the schools
through the back door,' he said. Spalding said the ACLU would not aggressively
oppose the bill because of past court rulings around the nation concerning
the issue." (Orlando Sentinel. 2/8/2002.)
Trusting God Part II - Indiana
"Indiana is one step closer to joining the growing list of states
who have passed laws requiring the posting of the national motto in schools.
Several other state governments have since followed suit, or are in the
process of doing so. Arkansas and Michigan have passed legislation comparable
to Mississippi's and legislatures in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
and Oklahoma are considering similar measures." (Agape Press. 2/8/2002.)
Trusting God Part III - Virginia
"The Senate approved legislation 2/18/2002 that would require posting
of the national motto, 'In God We Trust,' in state courtrooms. On a 30-10
vote, the Senate approved the bill the House had OK's overwhelmingly in
January." (The Virginian-Pilot. 2/18/2002.)
Vouchers - Sacred or Secular?
"For Roberta Kitchen, the national debate over school vouchers is
more about the education of her 11-year-old daughter than entrenched arguments
over separation of church and state. The girl attends a Lutheran elementary
school almost entirely on the public dime. Her tuition is paid by a pilot
program available to parents whose children attend Cleveland schools.
Hers is the test case in the legal battle over voucher plans that give
parents alternatives to public education. Civil liberties groups (ACLU)
and many educators (NEA) want the Supreme Court to declare the Cleveland
program unconstitutional. The case presents a straightforward constitutional
question: Is it a violation of the principle of separation of church and
state for public tax money to pay for religious education?" (The
Gazette. 2/17/2002.)
Churches Can't Expand?
"The Virginia Senate voted 34-5 with one abstention for legislation
that would remove a limit on the amount of real estate that churches may
own. If it becomes law, the measure could resolve a conflict the Rev.
Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg encountered in
its efforts to expand. Falwell sued in U.S. District Court contending
the state's acreage limit for churches was unconstitutional." (The
Virginian-Pilot. 2/18/2002.)
School Prayer Bill
"The Florida state House overwhelmingly approved a bill recently
that would allow student-led prayer at some school events, despite warnings
from opponents that it could exclude religious minorities. The bill would
allow school districts to let high school students hold invocations, benedictions
and other inspirational messages at graduation and other events. Rep.
Mark Weissman, D-Parkland, criticized the 'Taliban rhetoric' of bill supporters
and said they were trying 'to force your religion on my children.'"
(St. Petersburg Times. 2/13/2002.)
Christian Club Equal Access
"The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to review a case involving
the actions of a Wisconsin principal who banned students from distributing
Christian literature and censored a Bible club painting. The case, known
as Gernetzke v. Kenosha Unified School District No. 1, involves two Bible
Club students at George Tremper Senior High School who wanted to paint
a wall mural featuring a heart, two doves, an open Bible, and a cross.
Principal Chester Pulaski, whose school had invited all student groups
to submit designs for murals in a school hallway, approved the Bible Club's
mural - with the exception of the cross. Pulaski state that inclusion
of the cross, because it is a Christian symbol, would invite lawsuits
against the school.
In a similar incident, the principal denied a student's request to distribute
religious literature to other students during class time, claming that
the literature could not be handed out because it would appear the school
was promoting Christianity." (Agape Press. 2/22/2002.)
Access Denial Part II
"A religious after-school club in California has filed suit against
the Los Angeles Unified School District because they were denied free
access to a meeting room. Attorneys are calling it blatant discrimination.
The Good News Club, a Christian elementary school organization, has been
barred from using facilities owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District
free of charge, even though the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that
discriminating against religious clubs is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court has ruling, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,
which governs California, also ruled in favor of the Good News Club. But
apparently, the L.A. Unified School District thinks it is above the law."
(Agape Press. 2/22/2002.)
No Prayer in Community Center?
"The American Center for Law and Justice has filed a lawsuit against
a New York City housing agency, alleging that a local pastor was denied
access to a public housing facility where she wanted to lead groups in
prayer following the Sept. 11 attacks.
ACLJ alleges that Pastor Joan Daily applied to reserve a room at the Woodside
Community Center in mid-October to conduct a Bible study and pray for
those affected by the Sept. 11 attacks that claimed the lives of many
area residents. However, the suit says, her request was rejected by the
New York City Housing Authority, which said NYC statutes prohibited the
use of its facilities for religious or political purposes." (WorldNetDaily.
3/1/2002.)
The Big Ten & The Courthouse
"The case of Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia and Sally
Flynn vs. Chester County, Colin A. Hanna, Karen L. Martynick and Andrew
E. Dinniman will be held in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The lawsuit revolves around a bronze
tablet, 50 inches by 60 inches, engraved with the Ten Commandments and
posted at the entrance to the county's historic courthouse.
According to the Chester County Historical Society, the plaque was installed
at the courthouse in 1920 by the Council of Religious Education of West
Chester. In August 2001, members of the Freethought Society of Greater
Philadelphia, an organization of atheists and agnostics who advocate freedom
from religious intrusion, petitioned Chester County Commissioners Hanna,
Martynick and Dinniman to remove the plaque from the building. The commissioners
did not." (The Daily Local. Philadelphia, PA. 3/3/2002.)
ACLU Sues on Abstinence
In the first legal challenge to federally funded programs that teach sexual
abstinence, the American Civil Liberties Union plans to file suit today
against the state of Louisiana for allegedly using tax dollars to promote
religion.
With $1.6 million in federal funds annually, the suit contends, Louisiana
has spent money on Christ-centered' skits, religious youth revivals and
biblical instruction on purity. One group used the Christmas story of
the Virgin Mary to teach abstinence, and the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette
spent grant money organizing prayer sessions at abortion clinics, according
to state documents outlined in the lawsuit. We are asking the court to
stop the promotion of religion in this government-funded program,' said
Catherine Weiss, director of the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project.
(Washington Post. 5/9/02.)
ACLU Sues Denver School
A teacher upset that his seventh-grade daughter will have to sit through
a prayer at graduation filed a lawsuit on 5/20/02 in federal court seeking
to stop the practice. Sean Shields says a student-led prayer set to be
read at the Plainview School graduation violates the Establishment Clause
of the First Amendment. His daughter will be an usher for the ceremony.
The ACLU filed the suit against Kiowa County School District RE-2 in U.S.
District Court in Denver. Shields said he and his family are atheists.
(The Gazette. 5/21/02.)
Leftist Colleges Discriminate
I am a Bible-believing student of geology and have recently been denied
admission to the graduate programs (in geology) of four public universities.
I have been told that my credentials are excellent (that is, GPA 4.0 and
great GRE scores, etc.) but that my belief in creation (versus evolution)
is not acceptable' in their programs.
Though I never envisioned pursuing legal channels, I wonder if I have
a case. Clearly it is religious discrimination, though I don't know how
to prove it. And, though I am not interested in winning a case' for myself,
I am concerned that other students, now and in the future, could be affected.
Please understand that I was required to submit transcripts from all previously
attended schools, one of which is the Institute for Creation Research
Graduate School. The title alone apparently sent up a major red flag.
Secondly, an undergraduate professor (from a public college) submitted
recommendations for me, and while I do not know the specific contents
of what she wrote, she did tell me (via email, which I saved) that while
she could give me an excellent academic reference, she felt obligated
to her fellow geology professionals to inform them of my stance on creation
(versus evolution) and a young-earth (vs. billions of years old) viewpoints.
Thirdly, I was told by some professors of these universities that their
programs held to a traditional' geological viewpoint of evolution and
that they wished to avoid controversy. They told me that their programs
would not work with differing viewpoints. One school told me that I would
have to convince the advisor and chairperson, in advance of admission,
that I basically was not there to cause trouble. The other school told
me that they would not tolerate attempts at evangelism-and that there
was great concern of being associated with someone who in the future would
pursue creation-related research, especially that which is published.
So, many of my experiences were personal conversation that was not written
down and therefore can not be legally verified. If God wants to use my
experiences through legal channels, I would be willing. (Sandy W. Email.
Guidance request to NAACD. 5/02.)
Judge Restricts School Song
The Lord's Prayer cannot be sung at Woodbine High School graduation ceremonies
this year, a federal judge has recently ruled. The 30-year tradition is
a violation of the First Amendment, whether or not most Woodbine students,
choir members and parents want it, U.S. District Judge Charles Wolle said
May 10 in a six-page written opinion.
The ruling bans the choir from singing the Lord's Prayer at graduation
ceremonies or rehearsing the song for graduation ceremonies, as long as
Ruby Skarin and her twin brother, Donovan, are students at Woodbine High
School. The Iowa Civil Liberties Union sued the school district on behalf
of the Skarins, who are sophomores at Woodbine and come from an atheist
family.The principal effect of having the choir sing The Lord's Prayer'
is to advance the Christian religion,' Judge Wolle wrote. (The Associated
Press. 5/15/02.)
Creationist College Rejected
A new Christian college aimed at home-schoolers has been rejected for
accreditation because of its policy requiring faculty to adhere to a biblical
worldview' regarding the origin of the world.
Patrick Henry College in northern Virginia said recently that it will
appeal the denial of
its application for accreditation from the American Academy for Liberal
Education (AALE), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan and
non-sectarian voluntary membership organization' that calls itself unique
because it grounds its process in a rigorous set of education standards.'
I think what they are saying is that because we teach creationism we've
introduced what to them is faux science into our courses,' Patrick Henry
College President Michael Farris said. They ignore the fact that we teach
about evolution. It's not good enough to teach about evolution; apparently
we have to teach that evolution is the only way to think about things.'
What also bothers Farris is their breach of contract. Their rules say
they won't discriminate on the basis of religion, and they also very clearly
say that religious schools have the freedom to limit academic instruction
to comply with religious beliefs, right in the contractual documents with
us,' said Farris. (WorldNetDaily. 5/10/02.)
No Religious Gifts in School
A second-grader at a California public elementary school was told he could
not pass out videos to his friends during a gift exchange because the
gifts were a video about creationism.
Brad Dacus of the Pacific Justice Institute said, There is nothing unconstitutional
about a student expressing or giving out material that expresses their
faith, so long as it's in an orderly manner and doesn't disrupt the goings-on
of the classroom.'
Dacus says the district is unfairly singling out the second-grader. This
is really very ironic in that evolution is taught in many schools as fact
unequivocally,' he says, and then when one student, one little second-grader,
decides to present an alternative viewpoint on creation,' he's suddenly
silenced and prevented from even being able to pass it out. (Agape Press.
4/3/02.)
Overpass Banner Now Legal
A federal lawsuit has triggered the repeal of an ordinance in one Wisconsin
town that was allegedly used to violate the constitutional rights of two
Christians. The American Family Association Center for Law & Policy
sued the town of Madison, claiming that the town practiced illegal viewpoint
discrimination when two Christians were arrested as they held a banner
on a highway overpass which declared Homosexuality Is Sin.' The federal
lawsuit alleged the ordinance violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments
to the U.S. Constitution.
Pastor Ralph Ovadal, director of Wisconsin Christians United, which organized
the highway overpass protest, says he is not surprised the case did not
make it to court. Ovadal says the arrests of his associates prove that
the real aim of the political correctness movement is conformity of thought
through rigorous censorship. (Agape Press. 4/1//02.)
Arrested for Religious Speech?
A pastor in Wisconsin is facing up to 90 days in jail for calling a woman
a Harlot and a Jezebel.' Last summer, Ralph Ovadal, pastor of Christ the
King Church in Monroe, Wisconsin, led a protest in a parking lot of a
nude beach run by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Ovadal
led a campaign against using tax payer dollars for such a facility. According
to a press release from the pastor, during the protest, a woman arrived
at the parking lot, got out of her car and started mocking several young
Christian men with filthy language and a lewd dance.
Ovadal says at that point he preached a short message to the woman which,
officials say, included calling her a harlot' and a jezebel.' He was charged
with disorderly conduct and a trial was held in January. Now, a judge
has found him guilty, claiming he
lost his free-speech rights when he verbally attacked the woman in the
parking lot. Ovadal said he plans to appeal since he was found guilty.
(Agape Press. 4/26/02.)
School Code Too Religious
A five-year-old kindergartener in a McKinley High (Hawaii) student has
filed suit against the state Department of Education seeking to remove
the words love for God'
in the school's Code of Honor.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii filed the complaint yesterday
in U.S. District Court on behalf of student
James Ornellas, who is challenging the constitutionality of the Code of
Honor as a school-sponsored endorsement of religion. The code reads, in
part, As a student of McKinley, I stand for...Love for God and all Mankind.'
A plaque engraved with the code, originally composed by students in 1927
for a contest was placed at the main entrance to the school in the late
1990s. It was also printed on posters, displayed in classrooms and around
the school.
Greg Knudsen, spokesman for the Dept. of Education, referred to a Jan.
17 opinion by the state Attorney General's Office that the code, like
the national motto In God We Trust,' is a code and not a prayer. Superintendent
Patricia Hamamoto, in a Jan. 18 letter, indicated that the school would
not remove the language in the code nor remove the code from school materials
or property. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 7/17/02.)
First Amendment Under God?
While so many in the media have been doing their best to make light of
the 9th Court decision on the Pledge of Allegiance, others recognize the
very real dangers involved in that decision. By most accounts, the ruling
is likely to be overturned, but that doesn't change the sobering message
that was sent to all Americans.
As currently interpreted, our Constitution is choking our religious traditions
out of existence, and there seems to be no stopping it as the under God'
Pledge decision indicates. Even with a supposedly conservative Supreme
Court, victories against the secular encroachments of government are too
rare, and when they do come, they are attacked on all sides by groups
like the ACLU. It is often a battle for inches.
There is so little understanding of the anti-God bias involved in government's
secular neutrality' that it is not only quietly accepted by many judges,
and even some justices, it is loudly cheered on by the dominant media
culture. Of course, often this cheering is not rooted in ignorance, but
based on downright contempt.
Most religious Americans do not grasp that the culture war is really about
religion. Howard Kurtz, media critic for the Washington Post, made a revealing
observation right after two high-profile First Amendment decisions on
the under God' Pledge and religious school choice. The culture wars, after
a brief time-out for such mundane matters as fighting terrorism, are back,'
said Kurtz. He gets it.
American's cultural struggle may take many forms, but at its heart, it's
about God, who He is and what He expects from His people. The atheist
and (Free Thinking) forces in American society also know this, and that's
why even ceremonial deism' makes them nervous. God needs to be eliminated,
but they've got to go slowly to avoid waking up the sleeping giant. (WorldNetDaily.
Bob Just. Separation of Atheism and State. 7/16/02.)
In Remembrance of Prayer
Today, one of the most ardent opponents of prayer-or even a moment of
silence' - in public schools is the American Civil Liberties Union. In
fact, the ACLU has stated that opposition to school-sponsored prayer is
one of its bedrock principles.'
The organization's national board policy also states that any program
of what it calls religious indoctrination' violates the so-called separation
of church and state and must be opposed.'
The ACLU apparently sees no value in prayer at official school ceremonies
or during the regular school year-and the organization evidently believes
most Americans agree. The mindless notion that serious social problems
can be solved by prayer in schoolrooms, instead of by thoughtful analysis
and sufficient resources, appeals to no one but the radical religious
right,' the ACLU states in its analysis of proposed constitutional amendments
calling for school prayer or a moment of silence. (Agape Press. 6/25/02.)
Judge Removes the Big Ten
On June 21, Chief Judge Robert Echols ordered that the Ten Commandments
be removed from a display of historical documents in the Rutherford County
(Tenn.) Courthouse.
On April 11, 2002, the Rutherford County Commission, in a vote of 16-5,
voted to place several historical documents, including the Ten Commandments,
on display in the Rutherford County Courthouse. The judge ordered that
the Ten Commandments be removed during the pendency of the ACLU's lawsuit.
(Religion Today. 6/27/02.)
Private Prayer Ban Brings Threat
A public school teacher in Nebraska has been reprimanded and threatened
with termination for comments he made at a private prayer meeting. Last
spring, Bill Sloup and other teachers in the Seward School District received
a letter informing them that the board would consider not renewing their
contracts. During a private prayer meeting (italics mine), Sloup expressed
concerns with the district's reduction in force' policy and requested
prayer for people with the school district.
Shortly thereafter, Sloup was threatened with dismissal. He is now represented
by Attorney Mat Staver with Liberty Counsel. This particular action by
the school district has instilled fear and has resulted in intimidation
of all of the other school teachers,' Staver said. They're afraid to speak
out, even in private prayer meetings for fear that their jobs would be
placed in jeopardy.' (Agape Press. 7/26/02.)
State Denying Theology Aid
A federal appeals court ruled on July 17 that Washington state cannot
deny financial aid to college students who study religion, because to
do
so violates the First and 14th Amendments,' reports the Seattle Times.
The 2-1 decision by a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals surprised
many of the state's higher-education administrators and constitutional
lawyers.
According to the Seattle Times, they now are trying to determine how the
ruling will impact the state constitution's provision for separation of
church and state, and whether it will open the way for private-school
vouchers.'
The appeals panel ruled that the state violated the religious rights of
Joshua Davey when it revoked his state scholarship three years ago after
he decided to study theology at Northwest College in Kirkland. The state
Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB), which oversees many state
scholarship programs, took away his scholarship money, citing a state
provision that no aid shall be awarded to any student who is pursuing
a degree in theology.'
According to the Seattle Times, the court said the state of Washington
had violated Davey's rights under the First Amendment -free exercise of
religion - and 14th Amendment - equal protection under the law. (Religion
Today. 7/26/02.)
Animals Greater Than Christians?
In an address to the national Animal Rights 2002 conference in McLean,
Va., prominent animal rights activist and Princeton University professor
Peter Singer has called the influence of Christianity the most harmful'
obstacle to the animal liberation' movement.
Singer blamed conservative mainstream fundamentalist' Christianity, which
takes the Bible too literally' and teaches that there exists a huge gulf
between humans and animals.' Singer views his mission as that of challenging
this superiority of human beings.'
When asked whether his concept of animal rights included the protection
of insects or rodents, he replied: I wouldn't kill a spider if I can avoid
killing a spider, and I don't think I need to.'
But when another questioner asked about termites threatening the foundation
of his home, Singer contradicted his premise of the equality of all living
things by admitting that this was a more serious problem,' and that I
guess I would end up killing them.'
The animal rights movement is the logical outgrowth of the Judeo-Christian
worldview in favor of Eastern mysticism. The Rat Temple in Deshnoke (India),
for example, is filled with rats that run about unhindered and are fed
by devotees. It has been said that each year rats in India eat enough
grain to feed the population of Canada. Similarly, a Hindu holy man will
carefully remove lice from his body without harming them. Why? Lice are
also considered to be sacred.
If the Western world abandons its Judeo-Christian heritage and embraces
the animal rights' movement, it will lead inexorably to the degradation
of the essential meaning of what it means to be human.' (Culture Facts.
Timothy Daily, Editor. Family Research Council. 7/19/02.)
Good News Club Wins Case
A California District Court awarded a Preliminary Injunction to Child
Evangelism Fellowship, organizer of the Good News Club, a religious after-school
club for elementary children. The Court found that the school's policy
limiting access
of the Good News Club to the schools in
the Los Angeles Unified School District is unconstitutional. Child Evangelism
Fellowship is represented by Mathew Staver, president and general counsel
of Liberty Counsel.
Since the Good News Club teaches morals from a Christian viewpoint, a
request to use the facilities under the civic community policy was denied,
although the Los Angeles Unified School District permits groups such as
the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to use the facilities at no charge. Religious
groups may only apply to use the facilities through the Real Estate Branch,
and must pay an application fee and a rental fee.
Because of the ruling, this Christian Club may begin holding meetings
immediately, free of charge, just like the Scouts. (Religion Today. 7/1/02.)
Ohio Tries to Evict Church
An Ohio city is being sued by a local church after an attempt by city
officials to evict the church from its regular meeting place. Earlier
this year, the New Life Church of Hilliard signed an agreement with the
Makoy Center allowing the church to rent space from the conference center
every Sunday morning for one year. But shortly thereafter, the pastor
of New Life received an order from the city to stop meeting at the Center
because of zoning ordinances.
Again, Matthew Staver, president of the Florida-based Liberty Counsel,
is representing the church in its federal lawsuit. He says a federal lawsuit
is the only way to make sure the church's rights are not violated.
This is not only a violation of the church's First Amendment right to
freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but it also clearly violates
the Religious Land Use Law,' Staver says. It's because of this blatant
discrimination that we see here in Hilliard, Ohio, that Congress overwhelmingly
passed the Religious Land use law to stop this kind of discrimination
and these insane actions by zoning officials all around the country.'
Staver says he will seek an injunction allowing the church to continue
meeting in the Makoy Center until the matter is settled in court. (Agape
Press. 7/10/02.)
Florida Drops Bible Violation
On June 21, the Orange County Code Enforcement Division issued a letter
to Paul and Dawn Bosch, dropping its Notice of Violation against the couple
over a controversy involving a home Bible study. The Bosch family is represented
by Mathew Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, a
civil liberties organization based in Orlando.
Mr. & Mrs. Bosch hosted a Wednesday evening Bible study for their
church youth group. On May 2, George Laporte, a code enforcement officer
for code division, sent a Notice of Violation letter, indicating that
the Bosches had violated the zoning code by operating a religious organization
in a residential area without obtaining a special exception. They were
threatened with a fine of up to $250 per day as long as the violation
continues.'
In September of 2000, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons
Act (RLUIPA) was signed into law. This law was designed to prevent discrimination
against houses of worship, including home Bible studies. RLUIPA has been
a powerful weapon for houses of worship confronted with zoning laws that
require a special exception for operation. The federal law has twice been
ruled constitutional by two different federal courts. (Religion Today.
6/25/02.)
Florida's Voucher Law Nixed
A state judge struck down Florida's school voucher program on August 5,
ruling that the state constitution is clear and unambiguous' in prohibiting
public money from flowing to church schools or other sectarian institutions.
The decision by Florida Circuit Court Judge P. Kevin Davey puts a temporary
halt to Florida's school voucher program, one of three in the nation that
involve parochial schools.
Gov. Jeb Bush said the state would appeal the decision, which would automatically
allow the program to continue while the case makes its way through the
courts. Today's ruling puts in jeopardy the education of hundreds of children
in Florida,' Bush said. It is my hope that those children will be able
to continue to attend the schools their parents have chosen.' (The Washington
Post. 8/6/02.)
Godless Columbine
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider its decision
allowing school officials to ban religious themes on tiles painted by
families of two students killed in the Columbine High School massacre.
The families asked the court to reconsider its June decision, but the
judges declined in a brief order released recently. The court had reversed
a lower court ruling requiring school officials
at Columbine to restore the tiles to a project meant to honor victims
of the April 20, 1999, shootings. Twelve students, a teacher and two teen
killers died.
School officials removed the religious-themed tiles because they supposedly
violated the Constitution's requirement for separation of church and state.'
(The Gazette. 8/18/02.)
Christmas Book Banned
Parents of 7-year-old Laura Greska have taken legal action against their
daughter's school after Laura's teacher refused to allow her to read a
religious book about Christmas in her classroom.
After months of negotiations with Northwest Elementary School failed,
the American Center for Law and Justice, an international public-interest
law firm, filed a lawsuit on July 29 against the Leominster Public School
District in Massachusetts. ACLJ contends Northwest told the Greskas their
daughter could not share her Christmas book, entitled The First Christmas,'
in class because it contained the story of Jesus Christ's birth,
thus making it religious.
This is a troubling example of a school district that is clearly exhibiting
hostility toward religion and targeting its discrimination against a very
young and impressionable elementary-school child,' Vincent McCarthy, the
Greskas' attorney and senior counsel of ACLJ, said in a statement. The
actions of the school district are not only unconstitutional, but send
a disturbing message to all elementary school students - that religious
beliefs must be treated the same way the school handles profanity or offensive
behavior-not permitted at school.' (WorldNetDaily. 7/30/02.)
District Censures E-mail
An e-mail that passed along President Bush's proclamation of the National
Day of Prayer got a Dallas public school employee in trouble with her
supervisors, according to a federal lawsuit filed on August 1 by the American
Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
The ACLJ is challenging a Highland Park Independent School District policy
that prohibits employees from using e-mail to communicate religious messages.
All this individual did, in effect, was distribute the text of the President's
message, and the school district is saying that raises serious constitutional
issues,' Stuart Roth of ACLJ told WorldNetDaily.
School officials told LaDonna DeVore of Mesquite, Texas, who works in
the district administration office, that her April 30, 2002, e-mail distributed
to colleagues was inappropriate. She was warned that further use of the
e-mail system to communicate religious messages could result in suspension
of her e-mail privileges.
The ACLJ suit contends that the district policy violates the First Amendment
of
the U.S. Constitution, which protects the free exercise of religion,'
and the 14th Amendment, which ensures that citizens are not denied equal
protection of the laws.'
(WorldNetDaily. 8/2/02.)
Taking Down A Memorial
It appears the ACLU has a big problem with a display of Christianity on
public lands - even if it is a memorial. The legal group has succeeded
in getting a judge to order the removal of a memorial cross from a national
monument in California.
A conservative Christian attorney says the American Civil Liberties Union
is once again demonstrating its anti-Christian bias by convincing a federal
judge to order a cross removed from the Mojave National Preserve, located
east of Barstow, California. The six-foot cross, which has been at Sunrise
Point for nearly 70 years, was erected to honor the veterans of the First
World War.
But now, thanks to the suit filed last year by the ACLU, the National
Park Service has been ordered to take it down - because the judge says
it amounts to a state endorsement of religion.
We're talking about a cross out in the Mojave National Preserve. That's
not an establishment of religion. The gentleman who put it up in 1934
was attempting to acknowledge the WWI veterans. To me, that's laudable.'
(Agape Press. 8/2/02.)
Judiciary Censorship
A Christian attorney and constitutional expert says he expects many legal
groups will offer to defend judges who oppose a recent decision by a San
Francisco court to prohibit its members from associating with the Boy
Scouts of America.
San Francisco Superior Court judges and commissioners recently adopted
a policy prohibiting participation in any organization which excludes
members on the grounds that their sexual orientation renders them unfit.
Brian Fahling, an attorney with the American Family Association's Center
for Law & Policy, says the ruling could have far-reaching ramifications.
What you have now is a pronouncement that would require men and women
who sit on state court benches to not participate in organizations that
view homosexuality as deviant and immoral - and that would include...churches,'
Fahling says.
So if you go to a church, the extension of this rule does reach there
- and we're not too far away from that time when this type of rule will
actually be applied in that situation.' (Agape Press. 8/6/02.)
Minnesota Found Guilty
There has been a major victory for Christian rights in the workplace.
The State of Minnesota has been found guilty of religious discrimination
for punishing employees who brought their Bibles to a diversity training'
session.
Back in 1997, the Minnesota Department of Corrections told a group of
employees to attend a training session called Gays and Lesbians in the
Workplace.' Two of the workers, Thomas Altman and Ken Yackly, objected,
calling the session little more than state-sponsored indoctrination aimed
at changing their religious beliefs about homosexuality.
They still went to the session, but from time to time they read silently
from their Bibles. Although they were never told to stop doing that, they
were both later reprimanded for what the state called inappropriate and
unprofessional conduct.'
The two workers went to court - and after a long series of legal twists
and turns, a federal jury has finally ruled that state officials violated
their constitutional rights. The jury awarded the employees damages of
more than $78,000, including an award of $60,000 for punitive damages.
Altman and Yackly never had an issue with the department's desire that
co-workers treat one another with respect and dignity - but that the state
crossed the line' and violated their constitutional rights when it tried
to change their beliefs about homosexuality. (Agape Press. 8/6/02.)
Let Go of the Church!
A federal judge says a California city cannot seize church land so developers
can turn the property into a tax-producing shopping center. In May, the
Cypress Redevelopment Authority invoked the right of eminent domain and
seized 18 acres of land owned by Cottonwood Christian Center.
U.S. District Judge David Carter said the city's actions were not neutral,
but instead were aimed at discriminating against Cottonwood's religious
uses. Carter granted a temporary injunction halting the city's efforts.
The city had planned to turn the land over to a Costco store, which would
anchor the commercial development that would bring in badly needed tax
dollars. Cottonwood Christian Center plans to build a multi-million dollar
worship center on the land. (Agape Press. 8/8/02.)
Children's Club Under Fire
Pearl Harbor, the nation's most famous battlegrounds, is now the site
of a war over words, involving children and God. For 150 years the Boys
& Girls Clubs of America has been serving children. But now, there
is a case that involves removing religious language.
The Club of Navy Hawaii at the Pearl Harbor naval base has a code that
says: I believe in God and the right to worship according to my own faith
and religion,' and it also mentions supporting America's Constitution
and core values. Critics say no. (Fox News. 8/19/02.)
Bible Club Now Claims Victory
A pro-family attorney is hailing a recent federal appeals court decision
as yet another important victory for the constitutional rights of students.
In early September, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the
Bethel School District in Washington state violated Tausha Prince's First
Amendment rights by refusing
to give her Bible club the same status and benefits granted to other student
groups. The court also ruled that the district violated Prince's rights
under the 1984 Equal Access Act.
Stuart Roth, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice,
said: The is just another case, important as it may be, which upholds
some bedrock principles of constitutional law. And it is our hope that
as these cases continue to get litigated and continue to get won by these
students trying to get access, the school districts will stop trying to
find a way to deny students the right to engage in fully religious speech
during the school day.' (Agape Press. 9/17/02.)
ACLU Loses to Big Ten
A federal court in Lexington, Ky., has ruled that the Ten Commandments
can remain on display in the Mercer County courthouse, rejecting an attempt
by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
to have them removed.
This is a major victory for the people of Mercer County and for all Americans
who don't buy into the ACLU's extreme misrepresentation of our Constitution,'
said Francis Manion, senior counsel for
the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which argued the case
for the county.
The ACLU filed suit to have the Ten Commandments removed from a display
including other historical and legal texts, but U.S. District Judge Karl
Forrester denied the legal group's motion for a preliminary injunction
on 8/22/02.
The First Amendment was never intended to remove all mention of God or
religion from the public square,' said Manion. The Supreme Court and many
other courts have long recognized the foundational role of the Ten Commandments
in the development of our legal system.' (WorldNetDaily. 8/23/02.)
Court Kicks Out Jesus
On 9/9/02 the California appeals court ruled that the state legislative
bodies cannot begin meetings with prayers invoking the name of Jesus.
Reuters has reported on the decision, which came in a lawsuit over a 1999
meeting of the Burbank council that began with a minister giving thanks
to God in the name of Jesus Christ.' Writing for the panel, Judge Katherine
Doi Todd argued that use of Jesus' name constituted an advancement of
a religious belief. (Religion Today. 9/13/02.)
Charter School Cover-Up
Edward Tyler founded the Leadership Preparatory Academy, the first charter
school in Widefield School District 3 (Colorado). The school will serve
120 students in grades kindergarten through third grade this year.
While the school plans to move in mid-October into modular classrooms
on land between Mesa Ridge High School and Webster Elementary School,
they are presently meeting at Holy Family Catholic Church.
School employees have covered all the religious artwork and statues in
the section of the building that will be used for classrooms. District
Superintendent Mark Hatchel said, As long as there's no religion being
taught, we're comfortable with the school's location.' (The Gazette. Colorado
Springs, CO. 9/3/02.)
Editor's note: Obviously, the school believes that visual religious images
could visually influence children. Heaven forbid!
School Gospel Choir Barred
A Florida school district may be faced with a federal lawsuit after barring
a high school choir from singing at a 9-11 memorial service. The Seminole
High School Gospel Choir was prevented by school officials from participating
in a 9-11 memorial service at Central Baptist Church in Sanford, Florida.
The Seminole County School District said it was adopting a new policy
that would forbid any school choir from taking part in an event sponsored
by or located in a church.
Mat Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel, says it
is unfortunate, but the district's policy is part of a nationwide trend
involving public school administrators who have the mistaken idea that
if something is religious, it must be eliminated. (Agape Press. 9/12/02.)
Police Chaplain Fired
According to an Oregonian newspaper (in Portland), the police bureau terminated
John Elms as an official chaplain, offending many officers who received
spiritual support from Elms. Allegations that he proselytized and failed
to honor the bureau's chain of command were among the reasons given to
Elms when he was let go from his volunteer chaplain service.
We have a chaplain program...It's certainly to play a spiritual role when
requested, not when the chaplains feel the need,' said Detective Carol
Miller, the bureau's Employee Assistance Program coordinator.
The bureaus move stunned officers, many of whom criticized the severity
of the bureau's action. He's helped a lot of people, and the officers
trusted him,' Officer Daryl Turner said. When you lose somebody like that,
you definitely want an explanation.' Elms' distribution in the bureau
of 1,500 God's Word for Peace Officers' Bibles was one action that raised
concerns. (Religion Today. 9/26/02.)
Church Sues School Board
A church has filed suit against a North Carolina school board and principal
after a middle school refused to approve a church-sponsored sign for its
athletic field that included a Bible verse. Oxford Baptist Church of Oxford,
N.C., had hoped to participate in a school fund-raiser. The school district
encouraged local supporters of the school - including nonprofit organizations.
The school's action is another example of how people of faith suffer from
the notion that religious speech should be censored,' said Benjamin Bull,
senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. (WorldNetDaily. 9/25/02.)
Good News Club Vindicated
The Los Angeles Public School District has been permanently barred by
a federal court from discriminating against after-school Christian clubs.
This summer, a California district court granted a preliminary injunction
to Child Evangelism Fellowship, organizer of the Good News Club - a religious,
after-school club for elementary children.
In the ruling, the court found the school's policy of limiting access
for Good News Clubs to schools in the L.A. Unified School District was
unconstitutional. Mat Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, says because
of the ruling, 370,000 students attending the 426 district elementary
schools in L.A. will now be able to attend Good News Club meetings after
school on their campuses. (Agape Press. 9/26/02.)
Bible Club Claims Victory
"A pro-family attorney is hailing a recent federal appeals court
decision as yet another important victory for the constitutional rights
of students.In early September, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
ruled that the Bethel School District in Washington state violated Tausha
Prince's First Amendment rights by refusing
to give her Bible club the same status and benefits granted to other student
groups. The court also ruled that the district violated Prince's rights
under the 1984 Equal Access Act.
Stuart Roth, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice,
said: 'The is just another case, important as it may be, which upholds
some bedrock principles of constitutional law. And it is our hope that
as these cases continue to get litigated and continue to get won by these
students trying to get access, the school districts will stop trying to
find a way to deny students the right to engage in fully religious speech
during the school day.'" (Agape Press. 9/17/02.)
ACLU Loses Big Ten
"A federal court in Lexington, Ky., has ruled that the Ten Commandments
can remain on display in the Mercer County courthouse, rejecting an attempt
by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
to have them removed.
'This is a major victory for the people of Mercer County and for all Americans
who don't buy into the ACLU's extreme misrepresentation of our Constitution,'
said Francis Manion, senior counsel for
the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which argued the case
for the county.
The ACLU filed suit to have the Ten Commandments removed from a display
including other historical and legal texts, but U.S. District Judge Karl
Forrester denied the legal group's motion for a preliminary injunction
on 8/22/02.
'The First Amendment was never intended to remove all mention of God or
religion from the public square,' said Manion. 'The Supreme Court and
many other courts have long recognized the foundational role of the Ten
Commandments in the development of our legal system.'" (WorldNetDaily.
8/23/02.)
Charter School Cover-Up
"Edward Tyler founded the Leadership Preparatory Academy, the first
charter school in Widefield School District 3 (Colorado). The school will
serve 120 students in grades kindergarten through third grade this year.
While the school plans to move in mid-October into modular classrooms
on land between Mesa Ridge High School and Webster Elementary School,
they are presently meeting at Holy Family Catholic Church.
School employees have covered all the religious artwork and statues in
the section of the building that will be used for classrooms. District
Superintendent Mark Hatchel said, 'As long as there's no religion being
taught, we're comfortable with the school's location.'"
(The Gazette. Colorado Springs, CO. 9/3/02.)
Editor's note: Obviously, the school believes that visual religious images
could visually influence children. Heaven forbid!
School Gospel Choir Banned
"A Florida school district may be faced with a federal lawsuit after
barring a high school choir
from singing at a 9-11 memorial service. The Seminole High School Gospel
Choir was prevented by school officials from participating in a 9-11 memorial
service at Central Baptist Church in Sanford, Florida.
The Seminole County School District said it was adopting a new policy
that would forbid any school choir from taking part in an event sponsored
by or located in a church. Mat Staver, president and general counsel of
Liberty Counsel, says it is unfortunate, but the district's policy is
part of a nationwide trend involving public school administrators who
have the mistaken idea that if something is religious, it must be eliminated."
(Agape Press. 9/12/02.)
Court Kicks Out Jesus
"On 9/9/02 the California appeals court ruled that the state legislative
bodies cannot begin meetings with prayers invoking the name of Jesus.
Reuters has reported on the decision, which came in a lawsuit over a 1999
meeting of the Burbank council that began with a minister giving thanks
to God 'in the name of Jesus Christ.' Writing for the panel, Judge Katherine
Doi Todd argued that use of Jesus' name constituted an advancement of
a religious belief." (Religion Today. 9/13/02.)
City Tries to Evict Church
"An Ohio church has sued city officials, claiming that they violated
the Constitution by refusing to let the congregation worship in a rental
hall where other groups regularly meet. In a lawsuit filed recently, New
Life Church of Hilliard alleges that its free-speech rights have been
harmed by a zoning code that prohibits worship in a conference center,
The Columbus Dispatch reported.
The 100-member nondenominational church signed a one-year lease to worship
at the Makoy Center. However, a month later, New Life's pastor received
a letter from the city alleging a zoning violation, a minor misdemeanor.
The letter said each subsequent service would also be a violation.
The city of Hilliard officials are also resisting a request from another
congregation to rezone a former home-improvement store for use as a church.
City officials say they're worried about losing tax revenue."
(Maranatha Journal. 8/22/02.)
Church Sues School Board
"A church has filed suit against a North Carolina school board and
principal after a middle school refused to approve a church-sponsored
sign for its athletic field that included a Bible verse. Oxford Baptist
Church of Oxford, N.C., had hoped to participate in a school fund-raiser.
The school district encouraged local supporters of the school - including
nonprofit organizations.
"The school's action is another example of how people of faith suffer
from the notion that religious speech should be censored,' said Benjamin
Bull, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund." (WorldNetDaily.
9/25/02.)
Police Force Gets Hammered
"The Honolulu Police Dept., in response to a complaint from Hawaii
Citizens for the Separation of State and Church, will delete 'so help
me God' from the oath taken by new officers. The department announced
on 9/24/02 that the traditional wording formalized in its 1991 Standards
of Conduct is out.
The language did not comply with the oath for public law enforcement officers
established in Article 16 of the Hawaii Constitution, said Mitch Kahle,
president of the anti-religious group. It amounted to an unconstitutional
religious test, he said."
(Star Bulletin. 9/24/02.)
Editor's Note: Amazing! The power of one man to make a difference...for
the worse.
Police Chaplain Fired
"According to an Oregonian newspaper (in Portland), the police bureau
terminated John Elms as an official chaplain, offending many officers
who received spiritual support from Elms. Allegations that he proselytized
and failed to honor the bureau's chain of command were among the reasons
given to Elms when he was let go from his volunteer chaplain service.
'We have a chaplain program...It's certainly to play a spiritual role
when requested, not when the chaplains feel the need,' said Detective
Carol Miller, the bureau's Employee Assistance Program coordinator.
The bureaus move stunned officers, many of whom criticized the severity
of the bureau's action. 'He's helped a lot of people, and the officers
trusted him,' Officer Daryl Turner said. 'When you lose somebody like
that, you definitely want an explanation.'
Elms' distribution in the bureau of 1,500 'God's Word for Peace Officers'
Bibles was one action that raised concerns." (Religion Today. 9/26/02.)
Good News Clubs Vindicated
"The Los Angeles Public School District has been permanently barred
by a federal court from discriminating against after-school Christian
clubs. This summer, a California district court granted a preliminary
injunction to Child Evangelism Fellowship, organizer of the Good News
Club - a religious, after-school club for elementary children.
In the ruling, the court found the school's policy of limiting access
for Good News Clubs to schools in the L.A. Unified School District was
unconstitutional. Mat Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, says because
of the ruling, 370,000 students attending the 426 district elementary
schools in L.A. will now be able to attend Good News Club meetings after
school on their campuses." (Agape Press. 9/26/02.)
Church Sues School Board
"A Michigan city that tried to evict a woman over a religious sign
displayed in her home now faces a federal lawsuit alleging discrimination.
Earlier this year, Johnie Heard-a resident of Section 8, low-income government
housing owned by the City of Taylor, Michigan-was threatened with eviction
because she had a small stop sign-shaped sign in her window which read:
'24-Hour Prayer Station.'
Florida-based Liberty Counsel represented Heard in an eviction hearing,
and the case was dismissed. Now, Mat Saver, president of Liberty Counsel,
says a federal lawsuit has been filed claiming religious discrimination.
'Sometimes the question is whether the entity is ignorant in discriminating
against religion, or whether it is motivated by hostility,' Staver explains.
'unfortunately in this case, this action by the housing authority is motivated
by blatant hostility.'
Staver points out that other residents in the housing development were
able to display secular window and yard signs without harassment by authorities.
A federal lawsuit, the attorney says, is needed to remedy the situation."
(Agape Press. 10/1/02.)
One Nation Under God
"The U.S. House has voted 401-5 to support references to God in the
Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto. In addition to reaffirming
support for the words 'under God' in the Pledge, the bill reiterates that
'In God We Trust' is the national motto. The Senate, which passed a similar
bill, is expected to pass the House versions soon and will send it to
the White House for President Bush's signature. The non-binding House
resolution bill will have no legal bearing on the 9th U.S. Circuit ruling.
(Agape Press. 10/8/02.)
Student Teachers Blocked
"Two student teachers from the State of Washington are suing their
universities and the state attorney general for the right to teach at
religious schools to fulfill their college requirements. Eastern Washington
University senior Donnell Panhallurick was slated to student teach at
a Seventh-Day Adventist school
next spring. And University of Washington graduate student Carolyn Harrison
would like to complete her internship at a Catholic high school. But due
to the state's interpretation of the Blaine Amendment, Penhallurick is
being denied the opportunity to teach at this parochial school-and Harrison
has been ordered to finish her internship at a public school next semester.
Clint Bolick, vice president of the Institute for Justice, has filed suit
on behalf of these two students. As he explains, the lawsuit points out
that the state of Washington discriminates against religious educational
options in a variety of ways. 'Students in public universities who are
studying to become school teachers are forbidden from student teaching
in religious schools,' the attorney says. 'They can
student teach in private schools and in public schools, but religious
schools are singled out for exclusion. Bolick says his organization is
seeking an injunction on behalf of the students." (Agape Press. 10/4/02.)
Kentucky Court Rejects Big 10
"A federal appeals court recently rejected a plan to display the
Ten Commandments on a granite monument near the Capitol of Kentucky, calling
it a thinly disguised effort at government endorsement of religion.
Republican state Sen. Albert Robinson, who sponsored the General Assembly
resolution calling for the display, said the ruling ignores the commandments'
historical role and infringes on his own practice of his Christian faith.
The monument, six feet tall and four feet wide, was donated to the state
in 1971 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. It stood in an obscure area
near a parking lot until the late 1980s, when it came down for a construction
project. It has been in storage since." (Newsday.com. 10/9/02.)
Free Speech Set in Stone?
"A battle over the existence of God, freedom of speech and the separation
of church and state is being fought on the steps of the Redmond Regional
Library-literally. What began as a benign fund-raising effort-selling
engraved paving tiles-was abandoned by the Friends of the Redmond Library
in September after it spiraled out of control, despite the hundreds of
blank tiles that remain to be sold.
Anti-religious messages, including one that begins 'God Kills Babies,'
appeared adjacent
to pro-Christian messages such as 'God Can Change Life.'
The controversy began two years ago when Matthew Barry of Issaquah noticed
that several religious tiles had appeared outside the new library building.
A campaigner for the separation of church and state, Barry was disturbed
by the religious messages. To protest, Barry bought four tiles and put
anti-Christians messages on them which now appear in front of the library."
(Seattle Times. 10/8/02.)
Navy Discrimination
"Four evangelicals have sued the United States Navy for alleged discrimination
that they say kept them out of the Chaplain Corps. The U.S. Justice Department
will not comment on pending litigation." (Religion Today. 10/16/02.)
Post Thanksgiving Thoughts
"We just celebrated Thanksgiving. In this atheistic age, mention
of 'giving thanks' necessarily ropes you into a consideration of to whom
thanks are given. If all of nature and mankind are just accidental-Big
Bang and all that-there's a problem.
For children in public schools, it's worse. While you may remember studying
the holiday with pictures of the Pilgrims and Indians celebrating the
first Thanksgiving-giving thanks to God for their survival-that isn't
the picture your kids are getting.
God is never mentioned and, often, even the Pilgrims aren't seen. The
problem is that if you show them, you're obliged to mention their religious
beliefs. Since religion and God are verboten in public schools, our children
are denied an intrinsic part of human life-to say nothing of an accurate
picture of history.
Every civilization has had a religion, whether it was the worship of a
volcano or a stone figure. We don't hesitate to teach our children about
the religion of the ancients or any current religion as long as that teaching
doesn't involve the religion of Christians or Jews.
How do you teach the origins of this country without including religion?
Christianity, especially. How do you teach that so many colonists came
here to get away from religious persecution in Europe? You can't.
Since our schools are doing that, they're guilty of an organized deception
which now pervades public life. Look around. You'd be hard pressed to
see any mention of the real meaning of Thanksgiving Day anywhere in the
public venue. And that's sin." (WorldNetDaily. "Be Warned: Here
comes the 'G' Word." Barbara Simpson. 11/25/02.)
Hit List - Congressional Chaplains
"Twenty-two members of Congress and a public interest law firm have
asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a California atheist
that claims congressional chaplains are unconstitutional. The suit comes
from Michael Newdow, the same atheist whose case received national attention
in June when two members of a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance
is unconstitutional because it contains the phrase 'under God.'
On November 22, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a
friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. District Court in Washington on
behalf of itself and six U.S. senators and sixteen House members. The
brief specifically cited the Supreme Court's 1983 ruling in the case of
Marsh v. Chambers, in which the high court found that chaplains who were
paid with public funds are not establishing a religion.
The high court said in that case: 'To invoke divine guidance on a public
body entrusted with making the laws is not, in these circumstances, an
establishment of religion or a step toward establishment; it is simply
a tolerable acknowledgement of beliefs widely held among people of this
country.'
'The strategy to purge all religious observances and references from American
public life must not be permitted to move forward,' said the brief filed
by the lawmakers and the ACLJ. Chaplains have led the morning prayer and
ministered to members of Congress since 1789. Mr. Newdow also wants the
words 'In God We Trust' removed from U.S. coins." (The Washington
Times. 12/1/02.)
Display Disputes
"A U.S. Supreme Court justice has struck down the city of Cincinnati's
ban against a Jewish display of the menorah on a downtown square-and all
other religious exhibits-during the holiday season. Justice John Paul
Stevens ruled recently that the city may not enforce its restriction against
such displays as it has several times during the Christmas season in the
past. In upholding a decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott, Justice
Stevens said the city was denying citizens' rights to use the square as
a 'public forum.'
Judge Dlott called it an 'offensive violation' of free-speech rights for
the city to confine the use of Fountain Square to a city-sponsored display,
including a huge Christmas tree, during the seven-week period. Right after
the ruling, however, the city, obtained a stay from the U.S. Sixth Circuit
Court of Appeals to keep the ban in force until that court can decide
on the legal merits of the city's action." (Reuters. 11/30/02.)
University Faces Lawsuit
"Janis Price worked for years to build a reputation as a strong,
highly respected educator and a Christian. Now, she's fighting to restore
her career and defend her religious views.
Christians have long found themselves the focus of persecution. What adds
a twist here, though, is the entity Price is suing: her employer, DePauw
University, a college founded in 1837 in Greencastle, Indiana, on Methodist
principles.
The lawsuit stems for Price's cut in pay and responsibilities in 2001
after Neal Abraham, vice-president for academic affairs, placed her on
probation. The move came after officials said Price distributed material
in her classroom that promoted intolerance and created a hostile environment
for students.
The material at the heart of the argument: copies of Teachers in Focus
magazine, from Focus on the Family. The issue which created the brouhaha
contained an article about homosexual activism in the schools. Price asked
Abraham how she was to tolerate others' beliefs if her own beliefs weren't
to be tolerated. 'We cannot tolerate the intolerable,' Abraham said."
(Agape Press. 11/4/02.)
YWCA Misnomer
"Even though the initials YWCA stand for the Young Women's Christian
Association, a spokeswoman said it's been a 'very, very long time' since
the organization focused on promoting Christian values. 'Now, the focus
is on empowering women,' Christal McNeal, a spokesperson for the YWCA
of Greater Milwaukee, recently said. That empowerment, according to McNeal,
includes dispensing birth control pills and condoms to girls and women.
Recently, the YWCA of Greater Milwaukee announced it had partnered with
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to open two community-based health clinics.
When CNSNews.com asked McNeal if providing contraceptives to women violated
the YWCA's Christian values and beliefs, she said the group has been practicing
a 'progressive' approach to women's health issues-including contraception
and abortion, since the feminist movement heated up in the 1960s and 1970s.
'If they want to reject Christianity, they need to change their name,'
said Wendy Wright, the senior policy director for Concerned Women for
America. 'Because the Young Women's CHRISTIAN Association continues to
use that name, they are misleading people.'" (CNSNEWS.com. 11/12/02.
"Christianity No Longer the Focus of Christian Group." Micha
Betsch.)
Atheists March on Mall
"Thousands of nonbelievers converged on the Mall on 11/2/02 to demand
equal rights under the Constitution and separation between politics and
the pulpit during the first-ever Godless Americans March on Washington,
D.C.
The roughly 2,000 demonstrators from around the nation-self-proclaimed
atheists, agnostics, Free Thinkers, and secular humanists-toted cardboard
signs that read, 'One Nation Under the Constitution,' 'Religion Kills'
and 'God is a Fairy Tale.' The nonbelievers marched on the National Mall
from 14th Street to the Capitol, where more than 20 speakers addressed
the audience from a stage for almost four hours.
Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, the Cranford, N.J., group
that organized the march, said: 'We godless Americans are everywhere.
I am asking you today to work with Godless Americans Political Action
Committee. We are on the move to becoming a well-oiled machine who knows
how to play the game.' One of the keynote speakers was Michael Newdow,
the West Coast physician who led a lawsuit to eliminate 'under God' in
the Pledge of Allegiance." (The Washington Times. 11/3/02.)
President Bush Affirms "Under God"
"President Bush signed into law on 11/13/02 a bill reaffirming-with
a slap at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals-references to God in the
Pledge of Allegiance and national motto.
Bush signed the legislation without comment. It reinforces support for
the words 'under God' in the pledge, and for 'In God We Trust' as the
national motto. The measure was approved unanimously in the Senate and
drew just five no votes in the House." (Yahoo!News. 11/13/02.)
The Big Ten & The Supremes
"When justices of the Supreme Court look out their office windows,
they face a three-story-tall banner of the Ten Commandments which has
hung there for ten months across the street from the Supreme Court Building.
Rob Schenk of the group Faith and Action says the banner of the Ten Commandments
is still up on the front of his group's Ministry Center on Capitol Hill-even
though the District of Columbia legal department is trying to find a way
to have it removed.
'We have asserted our First Amendment rights,' Schenck says. Even though
he is a bit pessimistic about the outcome of that legal challenge, Schenck
thinks, in the end, they will likely claim there is a violation of something
by having the Ten Commandments displayed.
Schenck says his cadre of attorneys is getting ready fight any effort
to get the huge banner removed. Meanwhile, the Decalogue is hanging before
the eyes of the Supreme Court justices every day." (Agape Press.
11/12/02.)
Planned Parenthood Mockery
"A leading pro-life group, STOPP International, a division of American
Life League, is on the attack against Planned Parenthood because that
organization has chosen to mock Christmas-and even Christ Himself. Their
standard holiday cards will read 'Choice on Earth' instead of 'Peace on
Earth.'
Jim Sedlak of STOPP says, 'Planned Parenthood wants to portray a world
in which babies are killed in the womb, and that is their "god",
if you will.' He finds it beyond belief that anyone could support Planned
Parenthood after such a blatant attack on Christianity." (Agape Press.
11/20/02.)
No Public School Prayers
"The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is refusing to accept
last week's dismissal of a lawsuit against a Nebraska school board member
who led graduating students in The Lord's Prayer.
The ACLU accused the Norfolk Public Schools and board member Jim Scheer
of violating the separation of church and state. But a federal judge in
Omaha said she found no evidence that school officials knew what Scheer
would say before the graduation ceremony.
The ACLU says it will appeal the judge's dismissal of the case. Norfolk
School Board members traditionally have been allowed to speak at commencement
ceremonies if they have a son or daughter graduating. Scheer was allowed
to speak because his son was graduating." (Agape Press. 11/20/02.)
Atheist Boy Scout Protests
"Ten years as a Boy Scout taught Darrell Lambert to be honest, strong
and inquisitive; to respect his parents, his country and nature; to help
people and of course to always be prepared.
He learned those lessons well, and ironically has drawn on several of
them in his fight against the Boy Scouts of America, which banished him
from the group for failing to learn another mandatory lesson: belief in
God.
'I could have stayed in if I had just said that I believe in God, but
I would be lying, and I don't lie,' Lambert told Reuters. The defining
'Scout Oath' begins with a pledge to 'do my duty to God and my country,'
but the first tenet of a related -12 point 'Scout Law' calls for honesty.
'I told my Eagle board that I didn't believe
in God when I went for my review and if anyone said that I wasn't a good
citizen, then they could kiss my butt,' he said." (Reuters News.
11/25/02.)
Political Correctness - Taking Christ Out of Christmas
Happy Holidays? Or, how about Seasons Greetings? No, wait a minute. May
Santa Claus bless you real good. I know, I know. Let's try-Merry Xmas!!!
That right, Xmas will do...it will have to do in the public square because
the "C" word is not allowed in mixed company. You know what
I mean...Christmas...CHRISTmas!!Yipes, I said it. Wow...it's a rather
exhilarating feeling to say that name in
our present society.
I was always told that Xmas = X = "unknown factor or variable."
To the "unknown" holiday or as a variable, substitute whatever
you want. Those who would use "X" are literally cutting out
or putting an "X" through the heart of this unique holiday.
I think the "X" would be acceptable to most secularists. But
alas, some Christians know that the letter "X" in Greek is the
symbol for Christ. So really, we are back at the drawing board.
This whole tiptoe-around-the-tulips thing is so ridiculous. Isn't the
whole reason for the Christmas season the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem?
We celebrate the entrance of "God in the flesh" being born of
the Virgin Mary-the Christ child-the Savior of the world. The greatest
gift that God could give mankind is the real "reason for the season."
But even coming close to mentioning the name of Christ is an offense to
the ears of atheists, Free Thinkers, pagans, liberal humanists, and especially
those representing leftist groups like the American Civil Liberties Union,
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, Freedom from
Religion, and People for the American Way.
If these secularist organizations continue to have their politically correct
way, there will be no more nativity scenes, no more Christian-themed Christmas
carols, no religious symbols of any kind, and no more mention of the "C"
word. There is a great religious purge happening in our country right
now. There will soon be a day when even Christian churches will be forced
to limit their outdoor nativity scenes or religious symbols. In fact,
it is already happening.
These so-called "tolerant" groups have a great track record
of intimidation-especially the ACLU! Striking fear into public leaders
has proven an effective weapon in their revolution to make our country
totally secular. Every year they attempt to silence Christmas pageants
and nativity scenes (or creches). Many public schools and other public
arenas have already eliminated any vestige of "religion" (read
Christianity) from their setting.
Few stores use the phrase Merry Christmas. Nor do clerks at these stores
say Merry Christmas. Places of employment are careful not to offend people
of a different faith or no faith so they warn workers to remain neutral
or politically correct. Court houses and public parks are no longer allowing
nativity scenes. Public schools (grade, middle or high) are not allowing
children or teenagers to sing Christmas songs because of a revisionist
view of "the separation of church and state."
The Left is inculcating their agenda into a misinformed public. I heard
one ACLU director say that "nativity scenes are illegal on public
property." That's not entirely true. The legal ruling, according
to Matthew Staver, Chief Counsel for Liberty Counsel, is that "a
publicly-sponsored nativity scene or Christian program is constitutional
so long as, within the context, there are both secular and sacred symbols
or messages." How often do you hear about that?
This country was founded on religious liberty and Christian ideals. Christmas
has always been a part of this country...until about three decades ago
when the courts decided to legislate on the side of secularism. As this
country continues to separate our religious heritage from civic life,
we will continue to see a moral and spiritual breakdown in our culture.
As for me, I will say it loudly and proudly: MERRY CHRISTMAS!