Imagine today driving your car through the American country side coming to the outskirts of a town displaying prominently a road sign welcoming travelers. “The City of Bigatri, Ohio, Welcomes You…,” says the sign in large black letters, “…White Power Forever!”
Surely, no one in their right mind in twentieth century America would ever think for a moment that a government municipality in the United States of America has the constitutional right to promote publicly a blatantly racial policy favoring one group of people over all others even if that group constitutes a 99% majority of the population.
Yet when it comes to promoting religion, particularly the Christian religion, over all other religions and non-religious belief, it seems that American governments everywhere are falling all over themselves getting out the word. The folks who run these governments actually think it’s their constitutional right to sponsor Jesus.
A 26-foot tall cross emblazoned with the message "Jesus Saves" stands on a public plot of land smack dab in the town center of the small community of Dugger, Indiana. It was erected two years ago near a high school baseball field with government approval on behalf of the town's Faith Community Church.
"We wanted people to be able to see what the message of the cross represents and get it out to the world in need," the head pastor at the Church declared. The problem with that is it’s not the job of government to promote the message of the cross.
He doesn’t believe that his town is making a religious endorsement. "We knew it was okay because when you look at the separation between church and state, it's just a fact that the government couldn't tell people how to worship ... it would be the same if they allowed a crescent moon to be put up," he added.
Huh? A 26 foot tall cross erected on government property in a town of 955 people is not an endorsement of Christianity? Who does he think he’s kidding?
Now the city is considering selling the plot of land to a group of churches as if that might rectify the constitutional violation. It wouldn’t. They are both deluded. Crescent moons aren’t allowed either.
“The Firefighter’s Prayer” is a 91-year-old memorial featuring a huge Christian Cross, religious symbols and prayers, standing in the parking lot of the Woonsocket Rhode Island municipal fire station to honor hometown soldiers who fought in World War I and II.
Freedom from Religion Foundation wants the Woonsocket Fire Department to remove the display along with a picture of an angel from its website because it amounts to a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution First Amendment Establishment Clause.
But Mayor Leo Fontaine reaffirmed that the group’s request will not be met without a fight. “We will defend this monument no matter what,” he said, because the monument is a symbol of the community, and the city is prepared to fight to keep the monument where it stands. Fontaine has said that the city will not remove the cross, “under any circumstances,” even though the city is currently facing the possibility of bankruptcy.
A Christian Cross is a symbol of the community? I thought crosses were symbols of Christianity.
Meanwhile, religiously paranoid Missouri voters have approved by a huge majority a State Constitutional Amendment, which, they are convinced, gives them at last the right to express their religious beliefs. They called it the “Right to Pray Amendment.”
The ballot read:
Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to ensure: That the right of Missouri citizens to express their religious beliefs shall not be infringed; That school children have the right to pray and acknowledge God voluntarily in their schools; and That all public schools shall display the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution
Voters thought it was necessary to “protect Christianity in the state,” which they believe is under attack. Never mind that they have already enjoyed all these rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for the last 235 years – they just wanted to say it again in order to feel good.
Kids have always had the right to pray voluntarily in public schools. The First Amendment simply prohibits praying lead by government teachers and administrators.
But hold on a minute; Kerry Messer, president of the Missouri Family Network admitted the real reason for the Amendment: “The public feels like the Supreme Court took this away from them over 50 years ago by" ruling against mandatory school prayer.“
The reason the measure almost certainly will be approved today is because Missouri’s Christian majority has decided it will no longer do nothing as the godless, the secularist, the non-sectarian wage unholy war against those who share the faith of this nation’s founders.”
So we see once again that this is nothing more than a Trojan Horse employed to circumvent the First Amendment Establishment Clause. Teachers will start leading prayers in public schools again; Intelligent Design will be taught; and the Missouri government authorities will start promoting the Christian religion again.
Our Government God:
It never ends.
I am aghast. It is like an insidious disease that, once healed in one breaks out anew in another.
ReplyDeleteDoes the school board decide to defy the Constitution (with only the best intentions in their hearts and minds)?
I am past 50, and looking back I can see where a religious upbringing (catholic) had shackled me with guilt and shame for no reasons at all; just moral and natural thinking.
Ghosts and Hobgoblins, angels and saints, enjoying the gold paved streets of heaven or the firy pits of hell.
No wonder so many people are nuts!