Maintaining A Christian Perspective on the CO Springs Shooting

Abortion

As you have probably heard by now, last Friday a horrific shooting unfolded at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, taking the lives of three individuals and wounding others.

While many have taken to ridicule and name-calling on social media in the wake of the shooting, John Stonestreet at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview released an excellent commentary today on condemning evil while keeping a proper, Christian perspective.

Stonestreet writes,

“First, as my friend Kelly Rosati of Focus on the Family so eloquently wrote at Christianity Today, every person involved is made in the image of God. The victims and the shooter, the pro-lifers and abortion advocates, those for and against us on social media, the unborn and Planned Parenthood workers. As Kelly wrote, ‘Recognizing the image of God in everyone is much easier in theory than in reality.’

“Second, habits of violence, when they go unchecked, breed further violence. We are, as Aristotle taught, shaped by those things we habitually choose. Our choices escalate, and if they go unchecked, take us down a slippery slope to their logical ends. This is true of the gunman, and it’s also true of us. . . . .

“Finally, we know that Dear’s evil neither justifies nor alters the fact that on a daily basis, Planned Parenthood and abortion providers across the country and around the world facilitate the evil of taking unborn lives. Robert Dear robbed children of their parents. Abortion robs parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, and our community of children.”

You can read Stonestreet’s full commentary here or listen to it below.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/2015/120115_BP.mp3|titles=The Colorado Springs Shooting]

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Revisiting Myths About Public Schools and Christmas

Religious Freedom, , , ,

Last year we debunked seven myths about Christmas celebrations at public schools. Today we are revisiting those seven myths.

Seven Myths About Christmas and Public Schools

Adapted From a Fact Sheet Provided by Alliance Defending Freedom

Myth #1: Students are not allowed to sing religious Christmas carols in public schools.

Fact: During school activities, such as choir, Christmas programs, and other events in public schools, students can sing religious carols along with secular ones without offending the U.S. Constitution if the school has a secular purpose for including the religious songs; for example, advancing students’ knowledge of society’s cultural and religious heritage and the opportunity for students to perform a full range of music, poetry, and drama.

Myth #2: It is unconstitutional for school officials to refer to a school break as a “Christmas Holiday.”

Fact: The Supreme Court has acknowledged the government’s long-standing recognition of holidays with religious significance, such as Christmas. Congress has even proclaimed Christmas to be a legal public holiday.

Myth #3: It is unconstitutional for public schools to close on religious holidays, such as Christmas and Good Friday.

Fact: The Establishment Clause doesn’t prohibit state officials from choosing a religious day as the day for a legal holiday.

Myth #4: Public schools have to recognize all religious holidays if they recognize Christmas.

Fact: A school does not have a legal duty to recognize every religious holiday simply because an existing school holiday coincides with a particular religious celebration.

Myth #5: It is constitutional for public schools to ban teachers and students from saying “Merry Christmas.”

Fact: The Supreme Court has stated that teachers and students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Guidelines issued by U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley (who served under President Clinton) state “students therefore have the same right to engage in…religious discussion during the school day as they do to engage in other comparable activity.” Teachers have the right to greet students with the words “Merry Christmas,” in spite of their role as agents of the state. Saying a simple greeting that people commonly use in December does not violate the Establishment Clause.

Myth #6: Public schools cannot have students study the religious origins of Christmas and read the biblical accounts of the birth of Christ.

Fact: The Supreme Court has stated that “the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.” The term “study” has been defined to include more than mere classroom instruction; public concerts and performances may be a legitimate part of secular study.

Myth #7: Public schools cannot display religious symbols.

Fact: The display of a nativity scene is constitutional if it is displayed for legitimate secular purposes, such as to celebrate the holiday and to depict the origins of the holiday. A public school is free to display a nativity scene among other forms of religious and secular seasonal expression.

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Some Retailers Choosing to Honor Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Two years ago today we asked whether or not we were witnessing the end of Thanksgiving as we know it. As stores began to announce plans to open on Thanksgiving Day in an effort to ramp up Black Friday sales and Christmas shopping, it seemed Thanksgiving might be shifting from a day for rest and time with family to a day of shopping.

This year several major retailers have announced plans to close on Thanksgiving in honor of the holiday. The Christian Science Monitor writes that Apple, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls, Pier 1 Imports, REI, and Barnes & Noble all will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods–all three of which are owned by the same parent company–have even gone so far as to launch an ad campaign about reclaiming the holidays. You can see one of their ads below.

As we wrote recently, research shows a majority of Americans still see Thanksgiving as a day for giving thanks to God and spending time with family.

Like I said two years ago, I’ve never seen a Norman Rockwell painting of a family spending Thanksgiving in the checkout line of a big-box store. This week, I hope you and your family will take a break from the hustle and bustle to enjoy quality time together.

Whether it’s playing football in the backyard or listing your blessings around the dinner table, take a few hours to celebrate and have a happy Thanksgiving!

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