Archive for the ‘Church & State’ Category
Today’s Lebanon Democrat column: “Congressional resolution supports America’s Christian heritage”
Back in April, while making a stop in Turkey during one of his World Apology Tours, President Obama remarked that we Americans “do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Muslim nation, but rather, a nation of citizens who are, uh, bound by a set of values.”
This was not the first time Barack Obama has denied America’s Christian heritage, nor is President Obama the first leftist to do so. Civil libertarians (ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State) routinely deny the prominent role Christianity played during our founding and throughout our history. Playing down our Christian heritage helps them advance the myth of separation of church and state, as civil libertarians routinely comb the countryside looking for vestiges of Christianity to declare unconstitutional and scrub clean.
In response, Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA) has introduced H.Res. 397, which affirms our Christian heritage. The bill contains considerable documentation on the importance Christianity has played in our development as a nation. It would also establish the first week of May as America’s Spiritual Heritage Week.
Here are few excerpts from the text of H.Res. 397:
Political scientists have documented that the most frequently cited source in the political period known as The Founding Era was the Bible.
The first act of America’s first Congress in 1774 was to ask a minister to open with prayer and to lead Congress in the reading of 4 chapters of the Bible.
Congress regularly attended church and Divine service together en masse.
Throughout the American Founding, Congress frequently appropriated money for missionaries and for religious instruction, a practice that Congress repeated for decades after the passage of the Constitution and the First Amendment.
In 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence with its 4 direct religious acknowledgments referring to God as the Creator, the Lawgiver, the Judge, and the Protector.
Upon approving the Declaration of Independence, John Adams declared that the Fourth of July “ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.”
Four days after approving the Declaration, the Liberty Bell was rung. The Liberty Bell was named for the Biblical inscription from Leviticus 25:10 emblazoned around it: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.”
In 1777, Congress, facing a National shortage of “Bibles for our schools, and families, and for the public worship of God in our churches,” announced that they “desired to have a Bible printed under their care & by their encouragement” and therefore ordered 20,000 copies of the Bible to be imported “into the different ports of the States of the Union.”
In 1782, Congress pursued a plan to print a Bible that would be “a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools” and therefore approved the production of the first English language Bible printed in America that contained the congressional endorsement that “the United States in Congress assembled…recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States.”
Also in 1782, Congress adopted (and has reaffirmed on numerous subsequent occasions) the National Seal with its Latin motto “Annuit Coeptis,” meaning “God has favored our undertakings,” along with the eye of Providence in a triangle over a pyramid. The eye and the motto “allude to the many signal interpositions of Providence in favor of the American cause.”
The 1783 Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolution and established America as an independent nation begins with the appellation “In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.”
In 1787, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin declared, “God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? … Without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention concluded their work by in effect placing a religious punctuation mark at the end of the Constitution in the Attestation Clause, noting not only that they had completed the work with “the unanimous consent of the States present” but they had done so “in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven.”
James Madison declared that he saw the finished Constitution as a product of “the finger of that Almighty Hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the Revolution.” George Washington viewed it as “little short of a miracle.” Benjamin Franklin believed that its writing had been “influenced, guided, and governed by that omnipotent, omnipresent, and beneficent Ruler, in Whom all inferior spirits live, and move, and have their being.”
From 1787 to 1788, State conventions to ratify the United States Constitution not only began with prayer but even met in church buildings.
In 1795, during construction of the Capitol, a practice was instituted whereby “public worship is now regularly administered at the Capitol, every Sunday morning, at 11 o’clock.”
In 1789, the first U.S. Congress, the Congress that framed the Bill of Rights (including the First Amendment), appropriated federal funds to pay chaplains to pray at the opening of all sessions, a practice that has continued to this day, with Congress not only funding its congressional chaplains but also the salaries and operations of more than 4,500 military chaplains.
In 1789, Congress, in the midst of framing the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment, passed the first federal law regarding education, declaring that “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”
In 1789, on the same day that Congress finished drafting the First Amendment, it requested President Washington to declare a national day of prayer and thanksgiving, resulting in the first federal official Thanksgiving proclamation that declared “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
These are just a smattering of the examples set forth in H.Res. 397 that attest to our Christian heritage. To proclaim otherwise is to simply ignore the history of the United States, and to deny the hand of Divine Providence that has enabled us to blossom into the freest, wealthiest, and most generous collection of individuals ever to exist.
I beg to differ
I’m just doing some preparation here for my next Lebanon Democrat column regarding America’s Christian heritage.
Where’s the separation of church and state crowd on this one?
I’m not sure at what point home Bible studies became illegal, but in San Diego, it’s apparently against the law to use your own private property to hold them.
Broyles said, “The county asked, ‘Do you have a regular meeting in your home?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you say amen?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you pray?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Do you say praise the Lord?’ ‘Yes.’”
The county employee notified the couple that the small Bible study, with an average of 15 people attending, was in violation of County regulations, according to Broyles.
Broyles said a few days later the couple received a written warning that listed “unlawful use of land” and told them to “stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit” — a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Couple: County Trying To Stop Home Bible Studies – San Diego News Story – KGTV San Diego.
While gays are in, God is out
The ACLU, which is trying to push gay websites onto Tennessee school children, is also largely responsible for the banishment of God from public schools, including right here in Wilson County.
Five sets of Lakeview parents sued the Wilson County Board of Education, Director of Schools Mike Davis, Lakeview principal Stan Moss and assistant principal Bertie Alligood, alleging their first amendment rights were violated when they were told posters advertising September’s See You at the Pole event could not include the word “God” or specific Bible verses. In turn, the parents covered the references up with green paper.
According to affidavits from two of the parents – Jennifer Walker and Christy Gold – Alligood provided the paper to them and watched as they covered up the phrases, including “In God We Trust” and “God Bless America.” Alligood, however, testified she supplied the paper, but assumed the women were going to make new posters without the references and said that when she saw the altered posters in the hallway, they looked “desecrated” and she “felt badly about the situation.”
Judge rules to allow religious wording on posters on The Lebanon Democrat.
Close to home
Right here in Wilson County, Tennessee, the so-called “separation of church and state” has been carried to an extreme. The left won’t be happy until God is completely expunged from American culture. Of course, when that happens, something will rush in to fill the void, and it will be the false religion of liberalism.
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of parents and students at Lakeview Elementary School in Wilson County after school officials ordered “God Bless the USA,” “In God We Trust,” and other phrases referencing God and prayer to be covered up on posters before they could be displayed in the school’s hallways. The posters were hand-drawn by students and their families to announce “See You at the Pole,” a voluntary, student-led prayer event held outside of class time.
“Christian students shouldn’t be censored for expressing their beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Nate Kellum. “It’s ridiculous as well as unconstitutional to cover up these references to God and prayer–one of which is the National Motto itself–on posters announcing a student-led activity. School officials appear to be having an allergic reaction to the ACLU’s long-term record of fear, intimidation, and disinformation, despite a previous court ruling at this very school that said students can observe these types of events on school property.”
Stunning
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the government-subsidized Muslim charter school in Minnesota. Wow! And I was getting such a kick out of the ACLU’s anti-Christian bias. It isn’t as much fun when they play it fair.
ACLU zealots strike Pensacola
The Anti-Christian Liberal Utopia has swooped down to censor Christian activity in Pensacola public schools.
Among the First Amendment violations listed in the ACLU suit:
Elementary graduations and middle school Christmas concerts held at churches.
Teachers and staff at Pace High School preaching about “Judgment Day with the Lord.”
Teachers and staff offering Bible readings and biblical interpretations during student meetings.
Actually, not a single one of these activities is prohibited by the First Amendment. In fact, these are protected by the free exercise clause. But never mind accurate definitions.
Officials ordered to stop prayer at schools | pnj.com | Pensacola News Journal.
So what’s the problem here?
The Associated Press finds it sinister that Sarah Palin has used the pulpit as a political platform, worrying about blurring the lines between church and state, but the mainstream press doesn’t seem too concerned when liberal Democrats campaign in churches, which they do routinely. And the media never seemed too concerned when Jeremiah Wright used his pulpit to promote liberalism, either.
The camera closes in on Sarah Palin speaking to young missionaries, vowing from the pulpit to do her part to implement God’s will from the governors office.
What she didn’t tell worshippers gathered at the Wasilla Assembly of God church in her hometown was that her appearance that day came courtesy of Alaskan taxpayers, who picked up the $639.50 tab for her airplane tickets and per diem fees.
An Associated Press review of the Republican vice presidential candidates record as mayor and governor reveals her use of elected office to promote religious causes, sometimes at taxpayer expense and in ways that blur the line between church and state.
As governor, Palin at times bonds church and state – Yahoo News
Defiance
It’s certainly heartwarming to see Christian people stand their ground against the federal government and the anti-evangelical left.
Defying a federal law that prohibits U.S. clergy from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit, an evangelical Christian minister told his congregation Sunday that voting for Sen. Barack Obama would be evidence of “severe moral schizophrenia.”
The Rev. Ron Johnson Jr. told worshipers that the Democratic presidential nominees positions on abortion and gay partnerships exist “in direct opposition to God’s truth as He has revealed it in the Scriptures.” Johnson showed slides contrasting the candidates views but stopped short of endorsing Obamas Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain.
Johnson and 32 other pastors across the country set out Sunday to break the rules, hoping to generate a legal battle that will prompt federal courts to throw out a 54-year-old ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship.
Standing up for your rights
The Alliance Defense Fund, one of my favorite conservative organizations in existance, is urging Christian pastors to defy IRS rules and do what liberals do (and get away with) by endorsing candidates from the pulput.
The effort by the Arizona-based legal consortium is designed to trigger an IRS investigation that ADF lawyers would then challenge in federal court. The ultimate goal is to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out a 54-year-old ban on political endorsements by tax-exempt houses of worship.
“For so long, there has been this cloud of intimidation over the church,” ADF attorney Erik Stanley said. “It is the job of the pastors of America to debate the proper role of church in society. It’s not for the government to mandate the role of church in society.”
This should make Barry Lynn’s head explode.
More here.
Designed with Godly intent
Focus on the Family aired a remarkable two-part radio program last Thursday and Friday (Part 1|2) featuring David Barton (of Wall Builders) describe “separation of church and state” in its proper historical context. His explanation blows away the left’s arguments regarding the First Amendment. I have come to realize that properly educating America’s youth would be the worst thing that could happen to liberalism. (Liberals know this, which is why they so vehemently oppose homeschooling, and, to a lesser extent, private Christian education). One of the things that could be done would be to replace Al Gore’s stupid global warming movie with, say, HBO’s recent special on John Adams. That would be a good start.
Obama attacks another white guy
Respdonding to criticism by Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, Barack Obama has gone after another white guy, so obviously this is a racially-motivated attack.
Speaking to reporters on his campaign plane before landing in Los Angeles, Obama said the speech made the argument that people of faith, like himself, “try to translate some of our concerns in a universal language so that we can have an open and vigorous debate rather than having religion divide us.”
Obama added, “I think you’ll see that he was just making stuff up, maybe for his own purposes.”
In his program, Dobson focused on examples Obama cited in asking which Biblical passages should guide public policy. For instance, Obama said Leviticus suggests slavery is OK and eating shellfish is an abomination. Obama also cited Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, “a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application.”
“Folks haven’t been reading their Bibles,” Obama said in the speech.
Pot, meet kettle.
And by the way, I thought we weren’t supposed to mix politics and religion by allowing Biblical views to guide public policy. Oh, wait. That premise only applies to conservatives. It’s okay for liberals to twist the Bible to lend support to their leftist agenda. No outcries from the separation of church and state crowd when that happens.
Additional reading: Dr. Dobson’s Take on Obama
Plus, FRC Action sent out the following e-mail update this evening:
Before Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) tries to extend his presidential appeal to the faith community, he would do well to understand its core beliefs. In his daily radio show today, Dr. James Dobson is taking a deeper look at Obama’s a la carte interpretation of God’s Word. During today’s broadcast, he questions a speech Obama gave in 2006 in which the senator said, “Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is Ok and that eating shellfish is abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount–a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our own Defense Department would survive its application? So before we get carried away, let’s read our Bibles.”
As Dr. Dobson said on today’s show, “I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview, his own confused theology.” He said Obama, who supports radical abortion rights, is trying to govern by the “lowest common denominator of morality,” and labeled it “a fruitcake interpretation” of our Constitution. “Am I required in a democracy to conform my efforts in the political arena to his bloody notion of what is right with regard to the lives of tiny babies?” Dobson said. “What he’s trying to say here is unless everybody agrees, we have no right to fight for what we believe.”
Obama’s statement reflects the Democratic Party’s pre-2008 position, which is that you must check your faith at the gate of the public arena. Now that Democrats appear to have gotten religion, Sen. Obama is saying that while he is a Christian, he doesn’t think that faith or the Bible should have any role in shaping public policy. There’s either a disconnect between Sen. Obama’s faith and the policy positions he holds, or his theology is off. Every Christian–including Dr. Dobson–has the right to evaluate a candidate’s use of faith. As Obama tries to build bridges into the Christian community, we have to ask–are these bridges stable or swinging?
Ah-hem, as I have said…
The left-wing group Americans United for Separation of Church and state is going after a Minnesota Christian pastor for politicking from the pulpit.
Booth’s sermon included several Scripture passages that he claimed clearly defined the biblical stance on marriage and abortion. Then he said, “You have heard our Lord’s commands about the sanctity of life and marriage. You have heard the positions of the candidates. There is no middle ground in this election. … I urge you, when you enter that voting booth, to not vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or candidates like them that support and encourage activities our Lord condemns in the strongest terms.”
Booth knows he has invited trouble, and he didn’t do so lightly. “A month before I made the sermon I talked to the church leadership,” he told ABC News. “I told them, ‘If we do this we could lose our tax-exempt status. Are you prepared for that?’ We spent a week in prayer, and I felt God was telling me to make that speech.”
Trouble may have indeed found him. The Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter last week to the IRS urging the government to take Booth up on his challenge.
As I have pointed out numerous times, groups like AU only go after evangelical Christians and their churches. If a liberal wants to campaign in church, it’s perfectly fine with Barry Lynn, because in his mind separation of church and state only applies to conservatives.
Related news story: Atheist wants Frankenmuth to remove religious symbols
Today’s Lebanon Democrat column: “Separation of church, state only applies to Christians”
KSTP-TV in the Twin Cities sent a crew to the Tarik ibn Zayad Academy in order to investigate their religious practices. TiZA focuses on Middle Eastern culture and shares a mosque with the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, and the school came under fire after a teacher alleged that the school was offering religious instruction in Islam to its students.
You see, TiZA is a taxpayer-funded school, and we all know from the separation of church and state crowd that you absolutely cannot have any form of religious practice on any public school grounds.
KSTP-TV reported that during its visit, the news crew was attacked by school officials. Two men were able to grab their camera and kept it until police arrived. The news photographer was treated by paramedics after suffering minor injuries.
According to the Minneapolis Review, TiZA doesn’t teach Islam, but they do have prayer sessions where teachers pray alongside students. And there hasn’t been a peep from organizations such as the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who routinely scour the countryside with Brillo pads trying to scrub any and all vestiges of Christianity from taxpayer-funded buildings and institutions, public schools being a primary target.
If you recall, the ACLU sued the Wilson County school system two years ago for religious activities at Lakeview Elementary in Mt. Juliet. The offending activities included Prayer at the Flag Pole, the National Day of Prayer, the “Praying Parents” activities, teacher-led classroom prayers, and a Christian theme with overtly religious songs at a Christmas program.
So apparently, civil libertarians demand rigid adherance to separation of church and state, but not separation of mosque and state. (A search of the Americans United website for “Tarik ibn Zayad Academy” turned up zero references.)
While Muslim prayers are overlooked by the anti-Christian left, don’t even think about prayer in school if the object of worship is Jesus Christ.
Earlier this year, a federal appeals court ruled a New Jersey high school football coach, Marcus Borden, who bowed his head while students on his team led prayer, broke the law.
Many schools celebrate the “Day of Silence.” This year it was held on April 25. The Day of Silence is designed to promote the homosexual lifestyle, where gay-rights advocates make their point by remaining silent during the day.
Alternative views are routinely censored. For example, in one school district a principal told a father if his son was not at school on the Day of Silence, the student would be given a failing grade for the year. In Indiana, parents were told by public school officials it was “against the law” for them to cancel the program or excuse absences that day.
And a recent ruling handed down by a federal district court upheld that public schools can censor statements about sexual orientation if such statements aren’t “positive.” The case began four years ago when a student in the Poway School District of California wore a tee-shirt that quoted Romans 1:27 on one side, and read “Be ashamed, our school has embraced what God has condemned” on the other. He was told by a school administrator to leave his faith in the car.
So while homosexual advocates get an entire day of silence, civil liberties groups routinely oppose laws mandating a moment of silence for prayer-minded students. Last year, the Illinois legislature passed the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act that would have required Illinois public schools to start each day with a brief period of silence.
One atheist, backed by the ACLU, objected to the law, filed a lawsuit, and 33 lawmakers changed their vote under pressure when another vote was taken this March, thereby dropping support for the moment of silence.
The separation of church and state crowd’s fierce opposition to moments of silence must result from their trembling fear that some student sitting in class might silently pray to the God of the Bible, disturbing no one, proselytizing to no one, and harming no one. But the mere thought of silent prayer to the Christian God in class is enough to chill them. This illustrates just how intolerant liberals are of Christianity.
Indeed, the blind eye civil liberties groups have turned toward the Tarik ibn Zayad Academy illustrates they really aren’t interested in separating church and state. Their target is specifically Christianity, which is one of the institutions that made this nation great in the first place. School-led payers to Allah aren’t a threat, but a student silently praying to Jesus Christ is. School-sponsored homosexual advocacy is acceptible, but Christian-based opposition to homosexual advocacy is verboten. One can only conclude from the blatant bias against Christianity that the words “separation of church and state” really mean separation of America and Christianity.
Pastors stand up to Barry Lynn
Finally, a group of Christian pastors from Houston are fighting the intimidation tactics of Barry Lynn of Americans United for Supression of Church to the State.
“By sending [a] complaint letter [about a Texas pastor] on March 6, 2008, we believe AU was intervening in a campaign by intentionally attempting to chill the speech of a supporter of a candidate in an effort to both chill the pastor and harm the candidate’s campaign,” said a letter to the IRS from the Houston Area Pastor Council. “That is in direct violation of the IRS’s prohibition on non-profits intervening in political campaigns.”
The Americans United organization is incorporated in the United States under the IRS’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status, the same as most churches and religious institutions. The letter was sent by Dave Welch, executive director of the HAPC, to Lois G. Lerner, director of the exempt organizations division at the IRS.
Americans United has a long history of complaining to the IRS when its officials believe a church, or even a pastor, have “intervened” in a political campaign.
Actually, AU has a long history of complaining to the IRS when its officials believe an evangelical Christian church has intervened in a political campaign. Liberal churches can do what they please without any complaint from Barry Lynn.
Where did the separation of church and state crowd disappear to?
The following story illustrates that the left doesn’t care so much about separation of church and state as they care about separating Americans from Christianity.
A Minnesota teacher who substituted for two fifth-grade classes at a publicly funded school located in the same building as an Islamic mosque says religion appears to be a significant focus of the education.
Amanda Getz of Bloomington, Minn., told a columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune her duties at Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy in Inver Grove Heights included taking students to the bathroom, four at a time, to perform “their ritual washing.”
Then, the teacher told columnist Katherine Kersten, “teachers led the kids into the gym, where a man dressed in white with a white cap, who had been at the school all day,” was preparing to lead prayer.
Beside him, another man “was prostrating himself in prayer on a carpet as the students entered,” the teacher said.
The Star-Tribune previously documented that the charter high school for kindergarten through eighth-grade students is named after a Muslim warlord, shares the address of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, is led by two imams, is composed almost exclusively (99 percent) of blacks and has as its top goal to preserve “our values.”
And it’s all funded by the taxpayers of Minnesota.
Stop the ACLU asks “Does the ACLU believe in the separation of mosque and state?“
Separation of church and state for thee, but not for me
Out of curiosity, I just spent a few seconds behind enemy lines — namely, the website of Americans United for Supression of Church to the State — to see what the Reverend Barry Lynn had to say about Jeremiah Wright. A search on Reverend Wright turned up zero responses, so I did some googling to see whether the Reverend Lynn has made any statement regarding Reverend Wright. I could find none, but did come across an interesting post at FreeRepublic.com. Here is an excerpt:
B. Hussein Obama’s church is the liberal Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, pastored by the racist Dr. Jeremiah Wright. Wright preaches a message of black separatism and is a racist in every sense of the word. The UCC is one of the most liberal denominations there is. They ordain practicing homosexuals, support slaughtering babies, and preach the social Gospel of the religious left, having abandoned the inspiration of the Word and preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. …
A modern day foe of God, Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State is ordained thru this liberal and ungodly denomination. Lynn has made it his life’s work to try and silence and destroy true works of God, and last year came after Liveprayer for my stand on satanic cult member Mitt Romney, by trying to get the IRS to take away our tax-exempt status. His efforts failed because we did nothing wrong. The fact is, Lynn has tried to get the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of over 70 churches and ministries over the years, and has failed to be successful even once!
What an insightful post. Barry Lynn isn’t going after Jeremiah Wright because they are ordained by the same liberal denomination. This is a perfect expose on the hypocrisy of people like Barry Lynn, who try to use the power of government to silence conservative Christians, but have no problem with liberal theology being preached from the pulpit, and have no problem when Democrat candidates for office use the pulpit to campaign.
Facing the liberals
Facing the Giants is one of the best sports movies I’ve ever seen, not only because it tells an inspirational story, but because that story involves God. A high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama thought so, too, and chose to show the film last month. You can probably guess what happened next:
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) has sent a demand letter to Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama, asking that all teachers be told not to show the film Facing the Giants. The letter came after one complaint about the movie.
Liberty Counsel has offered its assistance to the school district, its officials and employees.
Two classes at Paul W. Bryant High School watched Facing the Giants during class before Christmas break. The movie is an inspirational film about a high school football team that overcomes many obstacles to become a winner. It tells the story of faith in the face of long odds and the need to align our priorities with God’s.
AU claims that showing the movie in a public school classroom violates the First Amendment. In response to the complaint, the school suspended further viewing of the movie to investigate the matter.
“In the worldview of Americans United, there is no room for religion,” said Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel. “The problem with that view is that it is contrary to our heritage, history and the First Amendment. The First Amendment does not require that public schools become religion-free zones.”
Actually, I disagree with Staver on one point. There is room for religion at AU. There is room for evolution, which is the creation story for those who do not believe in God. There is also room for Democrats to use the pulpit to campaign for office. There is simply no room for Christianity when it is espoused by evangelicals.
Why in the world do people object to a moment of silence?
From Focus on the Family, we learn that a federal judge has upheld Texas’ moment of silence law.
Texas students will be allowed to pray at the beginning of the school day, thanks to a federal judge who ruled in favor of the state’s moment-of-silence law. Atheists had argued that silent, private and voluntary prayer in school violates the U.S. Constitution.
First of all, what part of the Constitution does silent, voluntary prayer violate?
Second, why are atheists so bothered by the activities of Christians? If someone wants to use a moment of silence to pray to some being that doesn’t exist (in the minds of atheists, anyway), why does that bother anyone?
It continues to amaze me that the very people who falsely accuse evangelicals of forcing our religion on them are the very ones who are forcing their religion (atheism, Darwinism) on the rest of us.
Conservative pastors get warning letters, liberal pastors don’t
Iowa pastors who support Mike Huckabee received letters this week warning them that getting involved in politics could endanger the tax-exempt status of their churches.
The linked news story doesn’t specify who sent the letters, but I’m assuming that it’s our good friends over at Americans United for Suppression of Church to the State — or at least someone who is sympathetic to that cause — since this is a favorite tactic of theirs.
This intimidation tactic is pretty egregious, but it would be less egregious than it is if the anti-Christian left did the same for both sides. But you never hear about such letters being sent to pastors who support Democrat candidates, as I pointed out in my op/ed from December 18.
If you need another example, Hillary Clinton campaigned from a church pulpit on Sunday in preparation for the Iowa caucus.
And while such actions are sometimes controversial, IRS rules allow candidates to speak in churches within certain guidelines.
New York Sen. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, both spoke in Iowa churches on Sunday — part of their last-minute appeal for votes.
She made what amounted to a softened-down version of her stump speech at Corinthian Baptist Church in Des Moines Sunday, beginning her short talk with a declaration from Scripture — “This is the day the Lord has made.”
I’ll bet that Clinton supporters did not get intimidation letters.
As I’ve said before, I couldn’t care less that Democrats campaign in churches. What is so irksome that they do so regularly with no backlash from the “separation of church and state” crowd, but let a GOP candidate get within fifty miles of a church, and accusations start flying. This is nothing more than your typical left-wing “do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do” hypocrisy.
