Christ, Christians and Christmas Under Attack In The Courts

[Soldier4Christ]

Boy Sent Home From School For Dressing As Jesus
Eighth Grader Told His Halloween Costume Was Offensive, Distracting

A Paramus middle school student was sent home Friday after he came to school dressed up as Jesus for Halloween.

For a few hours, Alex Woinski was the messiah of West Brook Middle School, but like the real Jesus, Woinski was condemned, so to speak.

"Sort of like a new remake of what supposedly happened," Woinski told CBS 2.

Decked out in sandals, a robe, fake beard and thorns, the 13-year-old joined 500 other students at his school's Halloween celebration, and on this day, he was the chosen one - to go home.

"It was offensive to some students," Woinski said, when asked what school officials told him the reason for being sent home was.

Woinski says he wore the costume because friends say his long hair makes him a Jesus lookalike, and were not offended by his costume.

The school says thes costume was a disruption and denies its religious nature had anything to do with it.

"I don't think I overreacted," Principal Joan Broe told CBS 2.

Broe said too many students were drawn to the costume, and that was reason enough.

"Children were [asking], where is the boy who is Jesus Christ?" she said. "It was disrupting the education process."

Woinski's parents agree it was political correctness gone amok.

"I think the whole freedom of speech and expression has definitely had a damper put on it, and this is proof of that," says Kim Woinski, Alex's mother.

But it won't put a damper on Woinski's trick or treating. This Jesus has been resurrected for Friday night.

Woinski has developed an interest in religion. His mother is Catholic and his father is Jewish. He recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah and his also studying Bible scripture.

His school says this was the first time anyone had ever dressed up like Jesus. They say other students were ordered to alter their costumes because they were deemed inappropriate.

[Soldier4Christ]

ACLU bullies small-town festival for including Christians
Issue is whether government should 'endorse' religious expression

The Louisiana American Civil Liberties Union fired off a letter to the mayor of Thibodaux, La., warning that the small town's promotion of a city festival featuring Christian bands may be a violation of the First Amendment.

The Thibodeauxville Festival, which draws nearly 12,000 people to the town whose population barely exceeds 14,000, has featured fun, food, street dancing and bands from a variety of genres for the past 16 years.

But when the ACLU spied the city's seal on a flier that also promoted the Christian bands performing at the festival, it took action.

Marjorie Esman, executive director of ACLU Louisiana told WWL-TV, New Orleans, "We wrote to a letter to the mayor, copied the president of the chamber, asking them for the future to not include religious expression in the event."

Kathy Benoit, president of Thibodeaux Chamber of Commerce, told the station she was surprised by the letter.

"The city's logo appears on the some of marketing materials because of the cooperation we get," said Benoit. "They allow us to use these streets, and it's just a partnership, but they do not give us any money at all."

Esman, however, contends differently.

"We know that the city does provide some funds to the chamber," Esman said. "We're not sure what those funds are used for. The fact is, the city has its official logo on these fliers."

Further, Esman told WWL-TV, "The issue is government endorsement of religious expression. The issue is really not whether the band has a right to play. The issue is whether the government should be in the business of endorsing religious expression."

The Alliance Defense Fund, an alliance of attorneys dedicated to defending religious liberty, has also stepped in, sending a letter in support of the city.

"(The Christian bands') music and their messages are fully protected under the Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment, regardless of whether the ACLU may be offended by them," ADF Senior Legal Counsel Mike Johnson wrote to Mayor Charles Caillouet in the ADF letter.

"Christians should not be discriminated against because of their beliefs. Contrary to the contentions of the ACLU, they have the same rights of access and participation at the festival as anyone else," wrote Johnson. "The event is a family-friendly food and music festival that is privately funded. The city has done nothing other than allow the festival to be held in its streets. The ACLU's threat is baseless."

Benoit told the Lafourche Parish Daily Comet she has little concern about the ACLU's claims and that the controversy has actually helped advertise the Thibodeauxville Festival.

"In fact, they were talking about it this morning on the radio station down the bayou," Benoit told the Daily Comet. "It's amazing that this issue has gotten now statewide attention, it seems, and that so many people have responded favorably to us and support of this whole situation."

[nChrist]

The ACLU is a two-faced fascist organization. Did they say anything about the HORRIBLY OBSCENE gay pride parades in San Francisco? NO! There was open nudity and sex acts in front of children on city streets IN BROAD DAYLIGHT with the POLICE LOOKING ON! Pelosi many times rides in these obscene gay pride parades. This should be enough to make any decent person SICK - Christian or not!

[Soldier4Christ]

Supremes consider 'Statue of Tyranny'
Sect demands right to erect monuments next to 10 Commandments

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering arguments in a case over whether a "Statue of Tyranny" eventually could be erected in New York Harbor to compete with the Statue of Liberty.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, today told the Supreme Court that it should preserve the sound precedent involving the "well-established distinction between government speech and private speech."

"We're hopeful that the Supreme Court will reject a twisted view of the First Amendment that could create havoc in America over how local, state and federal governments choose to memorialize significant events," he said.

"The basic question is whether a city gets to decide which permanent, unattended monuments, if any, to install on city property. The answer is 'Yes,'" he said. "The fact is that government speech means the government can control its message. For example, accepting a Statue of Liberty does not compel a government to accept a Statue of Tyranny."

In the case Pleasant Grove City vs. Summum, a lower court issued a ruling that could result in cities, counties and other governmental bodies being forced either to dismantle and remove myriad monuments, memorials and other displays, or else let anyone with an agenda install privately owned monuments and displays on public property.

If the precedent from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver is not overturned, court documents argue, there could even end up being a tribute to Adolf Hitler among a collection of World War II memorials.

The case stems from a claim from a Utah organization called Summum that it has the First Amendment right to demand erection of a monument to its seven "aphorisms" in the city of Pleasant Grove, Utah.

A federal district court declined to order the city to erect Summum's monument, but a three-judge federal appeals court panel in the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling, opening the door wide for any organization to post virtually any type of monument on any public property for any reason.

The ACLJ then took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which agreed to review the arguments and make a decision.

"Summum's assertion of a right to force its monument upon the city has no legitimate basis in Supreme Court case law," Sekulow said earlier. "We're hopeful the high court will overturn the 10th Circuit's decision that ultimately would cause havoc for local governments."

The case began with the demand from Summum, which was founded in Salt Lake City in 1975. The group, which calls itself a church, sued Pleasant Grove in federal court, alleging that because the city had a donated Ten Commandments monument in a city park, the First Amendment required the city to accept and display a monument to Summum's seven aphorisms.

The aphorisms, according to the group's website, predate the Ten Commandments and include: The principles of psychokinesis, correspondence, vibration, opposition, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender.

The "church" claims the aphorisms were written on the original stone tablets given by God to Moses, which he broke when he saw the Israelites had manufactured a golden calf idol during his absence. The organization says the tablets were broken because Moses realized people couldn't understand the aphorisms, so he came down a second time with the Ten Commandments.

But the dispute over erecting a local monument has national consequences, the ACLJ said.

"The court of appeals' approach would make the government's display of the Statue of Liberty the speech of France, not the United States, entitling others to erect counter-monuments," the ACLJ said. "Likewise, the Vietnam, Korean, World War II, and upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr., monuments in the nation's capital would likely be deemed private speech, not government speech, entitling Summum and everyone else with a monument to occupy their own corner of the National Mall."

The ACLJ said 15 friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed on behalf of Pleasant Grove, including from representatives of 14 states and New York City.

Even organizations that typically oppose the ACLJ, including Americans United for Separation of Church and State and People for the American Way, supported the ACLJ's First Amendment free speech questions in the case.

The concept of allowing anything as a monument is "scary," the ACLJ's  Frank Manion told WND earlier. "The Minutemen in Massachusetts? We need a Redcoat. A George Washington statue? Why not George the 3rd. A Holocaust memorial? How about a Hitler memorial?"

The ACLJ said the Ten Commandments monuments are the real targets of the legal actions, because in many circumstances, cities or other governments likely would order such monuments removed rather than order acceptance of others.

The ACLJ, which has worked on the case with the Thomas More Law Center, contends the Constitution "does not empower private parties to force permanent displays into a park, crowding out the available physical space and trumping the government's own vision" for the parks.

[Soldier4Christ]

Centennial State sued for 'Day of Prayer'

The state of Colorado is being sued for its designated "Day of Prayer."

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has filed a lawsuit against Colorado, claiming its official day of prayer violates the separation of church and state philosophy. But Mike Johnson, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, says separation of church and state is not part of the United States Constitution.
 
"Since the time of this nation's founding, public prayer has been an essential part of our heritage," the attorney contends. "In the tradition of designating an official day of prayer, it actually began with the Continental Congress in 1775, and President George Washington issued his famous National Day of Thanksgiving proclamation."
 
Johnson notes the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently upheld designation of prayer events -- federal, state, and local. "Look, it doesn't matter if someone is offended by prayer," he concludes. "It doesn't mean that you can end an American tradition, and that's what all these frivolous lawsuits are all about."

Colorado's "Day of Prayer" took place this year on May 1. Approximately 70 events around the state were held in observance of the day.

[Soldier4Christ]

Gospel message met with 'resistance' in public square

Ithaca, New York, is being taken to court over a free-speech case.

Jim Deferio set out to take the gospel to the Ithaca Commons area where people meet to converse and where public events such as concerts, rallies, and speeches often occur. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Nate Kellum says the Christian was denied his free-speech rights, according to a noise ordinance that was previously ruled unconstitutional.
 
"[Deferio] found it, and rightly so, to be a unique place for him to share his message regarding Jesus Christ, and yet he was met with some resistance there," Kellum explains. "He was told that he couldn't speak except to essentially whisper -- because otherwise he'd be violating the noise outside of 25-feet rule."
 
An ADF press release reports the ordinance states any noise heard outside 25 feet is illegal, but Deferio was ready for police. He showed the officers a court order that previously ruled against the noise ordinance. However, the policemen denied the order, saying it did not apply to them because they are new officers on the scene.
 
"[Deferio] knew that this same law had been previously struck down by the court, and that in fact there was an injunction in place preventing the city of Ithaca from applying that very same rule," Kellum adds.
 
In the previous lawsuit, a noise expert noted the noise ordinance law would essentially outlaw "everyday sounds" such as conversations or ringing cell phones as well as street-preaching. ADF has filed suit again, asking that the ordinance be suspended pending outcome of the trial.

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

We are seeing tremendous effort by the devil to stop the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD!

WHY? - It's still the most powerful message in existence, and the devil can't stand it. The forces of darkness don't want to hear it. The GOOD NEWS still saves people, and JESUS CHRIST still rescues the lost from the curse of sin and death. WE DO HAVE VICTORY IN JESUS, AND THAT'S STILL THE ONLY WAY! The devil knows this and hates to even hear - ESPECIALLY THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST! The devil is beaten for Eternity when a lost person gives their heart to JESUS CHRIST.

Most obviously, the devil doesn't like to be beaten, and the devil doesn't want anyone to have VICTORY IN JESUS CHRIST. This is why the devil is so desperate to SHUT CHRISTIANS UP! If we have yielded ourselves to GOD and serve as messengers to share GOD'S GOOD NEWS, we are the worst enemies of the devil. JESUS CHRIST has already given us VICTORY, and our greatest desire should be to lead the lost to that same VICTORY.

GOOD NEWS!

1:  Romans 3:10 NASB  as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

2:  Romans 3:23  NASB  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3:  Romans 5:12  NASB  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--

4:  Romans 6:23  NASB  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5:  Romans 1:18  NASB  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

6:  Romans 3:20  NASB  because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

7:  Romans 3:27  NASB  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

8:  Romans 5:8-9  NASB  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

9:  Romans 2:4  NASB  Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

10:  Romans 3:22  NASB  even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

11:  Romans 3:28  NASB  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

12:  Romans 10:9  NASB  that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

13:  Romans 4:21  NASB  and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

14:  Romans 4:24 NASB  but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

15:  Romans 5:1  NASB  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

16:  Romans 10:10  NASB  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

17:  Romans 10:13  NASB  for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!

[Soldier4Christ]

College threatens pro-life students with arrest
University's lawyers offer choice: Turn signs around or go to jail

Members of a university pro-life club have received a letter from school officials threatening them with fines, arrests and even expulsion if they set up their semiannual display depicting the horrors of abortion.

Each semester since 2006, members of the University of Calgary's Campus Pro-Life student club, called CPL, have displayed a set of 4-by-8-foot signs from the Genocide Awareness Project that protest abortion.

This semester, however, lawyers for the university sent a menacing letter to CPL informing the students that their signs would only be permitted if turned away from passing foot traffic. Violation of this policy, the letter stated, would make pro-life protesters on campus "subject to arrest, fines or a civil lawsuit."

CPL students involved in an outward display of the signs, the letter threatened, would also be subject to discipline, including suspension or expulsion.

"Being told to turn our signs inwards is like being told we can express our views as long as nobody can hear us," CPL declares on its website. "[It's] like telling black people they can ride the bus – but demanding they sit at the back. It's unconscionable!"

The letter from university lawyers explains that the school is within its rights to control what happens on its private property, especially activities that "are likely to trigger violent confrontations."

As WND reported, a group of angry students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point earlier this year stormed a pro-life protest, uprooting white crosses that were part of the display.

CPL, however, contends that in their five previous displays, the presence of campus security prevented any  incidents. The group's president also told LifeSiteNews that CPL requires participating students to commit to a non-violent code of conduct.

In a response-letter to university attorneys, CPL further argued that demanding the group turn their signs away from foot traffic because viewers might have a violent reaction gives the violent few censorship control over peaceable people's freedom of speech.

"When the peaceful expression of an opinion is threatened by violence, the appropriate solution is the provision of security, not censorship of the opinion," writes CPL. "In this context censorship would constitute an affirmation of violence as an effective means to silence unpopular opinions. If the University censors an opinion rather than providing adequate security, the University sends a powerful signal that unpopular or controversial views can be silenced through the threat of violence."

Leah Hallman, CPL's president, told LifeSiteNews, "Banning an event because of the possibility of someone else being violent towards it is like telling women they are not allowed to walk on campus at night because of the possibility they may be sexually assaulted."

Hallman continued, "The right solution to that potential crime is to provide lighting and security to deter the person who might commit such a crime, not to ban the women."

"We do not want to be arrested, but the university's attempt to bully us is wrong," the vice president of CPL, Cameron Wilson, told LifeSiteNews.

Despite the threats, CPL students plan to defy the university's reversal of policy and display the pro-life signs Wednesday and Thursday.

[nChrist]

The University of Calgary is WRONG, and they know that they're wrong. They are simply trying to run over the RIGHTS of the students with illegal threats UNDER COLOR OF LAW. The University of Calgary needs to be re-educated and reminded that we are still in a free country with FREEDOM OF SPEECH. They also need to pay PUNITIVE DAMAGES to improve their memory for the future. It's amazing how much memory is improved after paying some HEALTHY PUNITIVE DAMAGES!

After all, this case talks about GENUINE FREE SPEECH without any violations of the law at all. It shouldn't be compared to GAY PRIDE PARADES ON A CITY STREET WITH NUDITY AND OBSCENE SEX ACTS IN FRONT OF CHILDREN! OOOPHS - EXCUSE ME - THE CITY ENCOURAGED THE GAY PRIDE PARADE - AND PELOSI RODE IN IT. THE POLICE WERE ORDERED NOT TO ENFORCE THE LAWS PERTAINING TO NUDITY AND SEXUAL ACTS IN PUBLIC THAT DAY! UM? - If I didn't know better - I might think there was some sort of DOUBLE STANDARD!

[Soldier4Christ]

Homosexuality editorial puts 1st Amendment on trial
Woman sues after she was fired for saying being 'gay' is not same as being black

A woman is suing the university where she worked for firing her over a privately written newspaper commentary expressing her Christian views on homosexuality.

Crystal Dixon, the former associate vice president of human resources at the University of Toledo, was fired in May after she objected to an opinion article in the Toledo Free Press that compared striving for "gay rights" with the civil rights struggles of black Americans.

Dixon responded with a Free Press editorial of her own, written not in her capacity as a university employee but as a private citizen.

"As a Black woman," Dixon wrote, "I take great I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are 'civil rights victims.' Here's why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman. I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended."

University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs immediately suspended Dixon and condemned her statements. Within days, Dixon was fired.

Now, with the help of the Thomas More Law Center, a not-for-profit law firm dedicated to the defense and promotion of the religious freedom of Christians, Dixon has today filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court claiming violations of her constitutional rights of free speech.

"Crystal Dixon has a constitutional right to privately express her personal opinions," said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Law Center, in a statement.

"This particular opinion represents the view of a majority of Christian Americans," Thompson continued. "Essentially she was fired for being a Christian."

According to the Free Press, the University of Toledo's media relations policy does not specify whether faculty and staff may submit opinion pieces to the media.

"Supreme Court decisions remind us, that the fact you are a public employee doesn't mean you give up your First Amendment rights," Floyd Weatherspoon, a professor at Capital University Law School in Columbus, told the newspaper. "The majority of her column is about her personal views."

Weatherspoon said courts are usually supportive of employees in First Amendment cases, citing Pickering v. Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court ruled school officials had violated a teacher's free speech rights by censuring him after he criticized them in a newspaper editorial.

The chain of events in Dixon's case was launched by Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller's column boasting of his support for the "gay" community.

"I have been tangentially immersed in the gay culture for so long, it's a natural and common aspect of life. Three decades of loving these friends and family and sharing their successes in managing careers and raising families has jaded me to the hatred and prejudice many people had against the gay community. … As a middle-aged, overweight white guy with graying facial hair, I am America's ruling demographic, so the gay rights struggle is something I experience secondhand, like my black friends' struggles and my wheelchair-bound friends' struggles," he wrote.

He then wrote about moderating a town hall meeting sponsored by two homosexual activists groups.

It dealt "with issues of employment discrimination against gay people," he said. According  to the panelists, he continued, "UT has offered domestic partner benefits since then-president Dan Johnson signed them into effect. The Medical University of Ohio did not offer those benefits. When the institutions merged, UT employees retained the domestic-partner benefits, but MUO employees were not offered them. So, people working for the same employer do not have access to the same benefits."

Dixon then responded.

"I respectfully submit a different perspective for Miller and Toledo Free Press readers to consider. … First, human beings, regardless of their choices in life, are of ultimate value to God and should be viewed the same by others. At the same time, one's personal choices lead to outcomes either positive or negative," she said.

"As a black woman who happens to be an alumnus of the University of Toledo's Graduate School, an employee and business owner, I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are 'civil rights victims.' Here's why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman. I am genetically and biologically a black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few."

WND also reported an author who wrote two books about homosexuality told managers at Toledo in an open letter they should praise an administrator who said being "gay" is not the same as black, not punish her.

Robert A.J. Gagnon, the author of "The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics" and "Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views," said, "Ms. Dixon is absolutely right that sexual orientation is not akin to race or sex. Unlike a homosexual orientation, race and sex  are 100 percent congenitally predetermined, cannot be fundamentally changed in their essence by cultural influences, and are not a primary or direct desire for behavior that is incompatible with embodied structures."

"Your suspension of Ms. Crystal Dixon, associate vice president of human resources at the University of Toledo, for rejecting a comparison between homosexuality on the one hand and being black or handicapped on the other hand constitutes, in my view, a gross injustice and an expression of the very intolerance that you claim to abhor," he wrote.

Gagnon said the closer parallels to adult-committed homosexual relations are not ethnicity or gender but, rather, adult-committed incestuous unions and adult-committed polysexual unions.

"Give America more exposure to upscale, adult-committed polygamous bonds (and adult-committed incestuous bonds) and American will learn to be more tolerant of such bonds…," he wrote. "Those who dismiss a polygamy analogy and an incest analogy on the grounds that polygamy and incest always produce 'demonstrable harm' are simply responding out of their 'polyphobia' and 'incest-phobia.' And then you can suspend people who say critical things about such relationships, once you overcome your own prejudices."

Gagnon, who holds degrees from Princeton, Harvard and Dartmouth, wrote the "Sexuality" entry for the "New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics," the same entry for the "Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of Scripture," and dozens of other such articles. He's written for "Theology Matters," "Catholic Biblical Quarterly" and "Journal of Biblical Literature."

He says the most "shameful" part of the University of Toledo's actions is that managers are shutting off any dissent.

Such actions "come out of the Stalinistic, Soviet state. This is the kind of elimination of any expression of differences of opinion [found there]," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Costco has 520 stores nationwide. But you will not find "Christmas" in a single store.

That's because Costco says it will not use the term "Christmas" on its website or in its stores. Instead, Costco is telling customers it purposely chooses to use the generic "holiday" verbiage. You know, they stock holiday gifts, not Christmas gifts.

Last week, a customer wrote to Costco and asked this direct question – "Does Costco use the word 'Christmas' in your store advertising or on any signs anywhere in your stores during the Christmas season? That's a pretty simple question, yes or no."

Kory Rosacrans, staff manager for Costco replied, "I guess the answer would be No."

Rosacrans said, "Costco does not advertise on television, on radio or in print like other retailers. We only advertise by mailings and e-mail messages sent directly to our members who have paid for the privilege of shopping with us."

Costco wants you to do your "Christmas" shopping with them, while refusing to recognize that Christmas even exists.

_______________

So shopping with them is a privilege? It wasn't all that long ago that retailers used to consider it the other way around. Well, this is one privilege that I refuse to partake in then. I can get my products for less somewhere else anyway and still get treated correctly at the same time.

[Soldier4Christ]

Atheists: Remove 'God' from Kentucky terrorism law

A group of atheists filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to remove part of a state anti-terrorism law that requires Kentucky's Office of Homeland Security to acknowledge it can't keep the state safe without God's help.

American Atheists Inc. sued in state court over a 2002 law that stresses God's role in Kentucky's homeland security alongside the military, police agencies and health departments.

Of particular concern is a 2006 clause requiring the Office of Homeland Security to post a plaque that says the safety and security of the state "cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon almighty God" and to stress that fact through training and educational materials. The plaque, posted at the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center in Frankfort, includes the Bible verse: "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

"It is one of the most egregiously and breathtakingly unconstitutional actions by a state legislature that I've ever seen," said Edwin F. Kagin, national legal director of Parsippany, NJ-based American Atheists Inc. The group claims the law violates both the state and U.S. constitutions.

But Democratic state Rep. Tom Riner, a Baptist minister from Louisville, said he considers it vitally important to acknowledge God's role in protecting Kentucky and the nation. "No government by itself can guarantee perfect security," Riner said. "There will always be this opposition to the acknowledgment of divine providence, but this is a foundational understanding of what America is."

Kentucky has been at the center of a series of legal battles involving religious issues in recent years, most involving displays of the Ten Commandments in public buildings. One case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 2005 that such displays inside courthouses in two counties were unconstitutional.

Kentucky isn't the only state dealing with religious issues, but Ed Buckner, president of American Atheists, said it's alone in officially enlisting God in homeland security. "I'm not aware of any other state or commonwealth that is attempting to dump their clear responsibility for protecting their citizens onto God or any other mythological creature," Buckner said.

State Rep. David Floyd, R-Bardstown, said the preamble to the Kentucky constitution references a people "grateful to almighty God," so he said he sees no constitutional violation in enlisting God in the state's homeland security efforts. "God help us if we don't," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

Cops use banned noise ordinance against street preacher
Court orders limit tossed, but officers say it doesn't apply to them

Attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund earlier this year settled a case against Ithaca, N.Y., over an ordinance that violated the free speech rights of a street preacher. A federal court banned enforcement of the disputed rule,  which restricted sounds that could be heard from 25 feet away.

But it took only a couple of visits from another street evangelist, and the attorneys were back in court with another action against Ithaca. Police officers who were told about the court order insisted it didn't apply to them, because they weren't involved in the first case.

The original 1999 dispute, involving Kevin Deegan, was settled earlier this year, according to ADF officials. The resolution included a court order prohibiting officials "from enforcing a municipal code that ... restricts sounds on public streets, sidewalks, or paths that can be heard from 25 feet," which, the legal group noted, would ban sneezing or cell phone rings.

"Three months ago, a friend of Kevin's, Jim Deferio was standing at Kevin's accustomed spot on the commons, doing a little preaching of his own. He, too, was approached by police officers who told him he'd have to stop, since he was violating the same city ordinance their predecessors had invoked against Kevin," the ADF said in a new report.

"The next week, Kevin went back to the spot with Jim, and the two of them were approached by police, citing the same law. Kevin produced a copy of the federal court order authorizing him to exercise his rights, but the officers told him – incredibly – that the order didn't apply to them – only to the specific officers who had confronted Kevin years earlier," the ADF reported.

"So, now ADF is representing Jim. We've filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Ithaca on his behalf, along with a motion asking the court to suspend the ordinance while the case moves forward."

Nate Kellum, a senior counsel with ADF, commented.

"Police officers cannot step beyond their authority and illegally suppress Christian speech in defiance of a court order," he said.

The new complaint explains, "This is a civil rights action challenging city ordinances and policy, on their face and as applied, that prohibit noise heard 25 feet from its source in the City of Ithaca. These precise ordinances and policy of City of Ithaca have already been declared unconstitutional by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and enjoined by this court in Deegan v. City of Ithaca, et al."

City officials did not respond to a WND request for comment today.

The original case involving Deegan came when he was delivering a Gospel message in Ithaca Commons. Officers cited Deegan under the noise ordinance – the only apparent use of that ordinance in its history at that time – despite any number of "recreation activities, celebrations, demonstrations, rallies, musical performances, poetry readings, speeches, and other expressive undertakings" that have gone on there.

Deegan was told the city banned sound loud enough to be heard more than 25 feet away.

"Kevin was understandably stunned," ADF said. "Under those restrictions, public sneezing would be illegal on the streets of Ithaca. So would almost every other activity then under way on the commons. Indeed, as a noise expert hired by the Alliance Defense Fund (which represented Kevin) testified, this city ordinance would outlaw even such everyday sounds as the clicking of boots, small children playing, a ringing cell phone, and normal-decibel conversations."

Ultimately, the appeals court panel ruled in favor of Deegan's First Amendment right to free speech, even on the Ithaca Commons, ADF reported.

"Noisy free speech abounds here, yet Mr. Deegan was limited to a whisper," Kellum said.

The appeals court ruling said the city's officials could not "justify their even stricter regulation of Deegan's speech in the Commons, which is a public forum bustling with the sounds of recreation, celebration, commerce, demonstration, rallies, music, poetry, speeches, and other expressive undertakings."

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

There are lawful noise ordinances that are quite reasonable in most jurisdictions, and they usually involve decibels. Most of them would require the use of some kind of sound equipment, and they easily relate to public peace and safety. I heard about that 25 foot ordinance several times over the years, and it has been struck down many times. The reasonable noise ordinances apply to people being able to sleep at night, drive on a public street safely, and other quite reasonable objectives. Lawful noise ordinances are nothing but common sense, but this one appears to be for the express purpose of Christian discrimination and persecution. By the way, it is reasonable for cities to require a permit for the use of sound equipment. The time of day, location, and other public annoyance or safety factors are reasonable in granting or denying the permit. Unreasonable requirements that don't involve common sense are usually violations of the Constitution. The "Reasonable Man" doctrine under the Law is usually a good method to define what's reasonable or unreasonable, and all factors can be considered under the "Reasonable Man" doctrine. As an example, honking your horn on your car is for emergency use only because it causes high decibels that can easily disturb or annoy, OR maybe even cause an accident. Under the "Reasonable Man" doctrine, a car horn would be used only in emergencies.

In case you're wondering, I seriously doubt that many police departments use Unconstitutional laws to persecute or discriminate against Christians. I could be wrong, but I think that the vast majority of police departments still have no desire at all to mistreat Christians. At present, it appears that only isolated law enforcement agencies in some parts of the country are involved in the persecution of Christians. HOWEVER, things are changing and Christians should expect increasing persecution as the End Days of this Age of Grace draw nearer. Things like this were almost unheard of just a few short years ago.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 104:24 NASB  O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions.

Psalms 56:3-4  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.  4  In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

[Soldier4Christ]

'No gods' campaign ignites Christian fire
Group promises to oppose 'nutty' atheists

Atheists across America have started demanding that they be allowed to post their own promotion during the Christmas season when Nativity scenes appear among other holiday emblems on government grounds, and now an organization has announced a plan to fight back.

Among the most common slogans used by atheist organizations is one that has sparked a controversy in the state of Washington, where it is displayed on a sign adjacent to a Christian Nativity.

The sign states, "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

The sign has generated controversy that has prompted the state to re-evaluate its holiday decoration policy.

But now leaders of InGodWeTrustUSA.org say their members will work with state lawmakers and others to try to prevent such attacks on religion, specifically Christianity.

"We're certainly not going to give them an easy time," Bishop Council Nedd, chief of the InGodWeTrustUSA.org organization told WND today.

"We're looking into how to go about this," he said. "Our 60,000 members are going to try to lobby their state legislators to do what they can in various states and in Congress to keep these signs from being posted, or whether this is even our option."

Nedd's group said similar signs now are on display in Olympia, Wash.; Madison, Wis.; and Springfield, Ill.

"This new attack on the faith is an insult and In God We Trust will oppose any effort to place these signs in any state capitol or in any government location in Washington, D.C.," Nedd said.

"These signs having nothing in common with a menorah, a Nativity scene or a Christmas tree. The message of these ads is one of hate and division. They are yet another attempt by anti-religious bigots to denigrate faith and equate a belief in God with enslavement and to ridicule the vast majority of Americans who believe in God.

"Why do these zealots have the right to post signs on public property attacking their countrymen?" Nedd added. "Would anyone stand for an equally hate-filled message being posted by the Klan on Martin Luther King's Birthday? Of course not. Yet that is exactly what these atheist bigots want. And their next step will be to demand one of these signs be posted on the National Mall in Washington, D.C."

The Washington state sign was erected by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. In a recent CNN interview, organization chief Dan Barker said, "People have been celebrating the winter solstice long before Christmas. We see Christianity as the intruder, trying to steal the holiday from all of us humans."

Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly reported the case.

"Seattle now rivals San Francisco for secular-progressive nuttiness," O'Reilly said. "The city fathers are allowing public nakedness in city parks, nude bike riding, and in Fremont, a Seattle suburb, they actually put up a statue honoring Lenin, the father of communism."

O'Reilly said Washington state is '"fairly conservative," except for Seatte, where "far-left zealots are running wild."

"However, they may have overstepped on this Christmas deal," he said. "I believe that most Americans, even those living in far-left enclaves, respect uplifting traditions like Christmas where peace and love are the theme of the great day. Calling religion 'enslaving' doesn't exactly fit into the peace and love scenario, does it?"

In God We Trust describes itself as a national political advocacy organization committed to providing an active voice in opposition to the special interest groups that seek to ban God, religion, and America's religious history from public display and public discourse.

Nedd is a traditional Episcopal priest serving as bishop of the Chesapeake and Northeast for the Episcopal Missionary Church.