Atheist Group Chides Governor Hutchinson for Quoting Bible Verses on Facebook

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Above: Governor Hutchinson signs the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law in this file photo from 2015.

Recently the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson chiding him for posting Bible verses on his official Facebook page every Sunday.

The group posted a soundbite on social media, saying, “Freedom of religion is freedom WITHOUT Favor. Our government represents ALL citizens, regardless of faith or belief.”

Governor Hutchinson has routinely shared verses of scripture on his official Facebook page since he was inaugurated in 2015.

Here’s an example of one of the passages that he posted recently from the Psalms:

Unfortunately, atheist organizations have a long history of saber rattling in Arkansas.

In 2017 the atheist group the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to Governor Hutchinson asking him to stop posting scripture every Sunday, but Governor Hutchinson has continued to do so. To date, no one has sued the governor for sharing Bible verses online each week.

In 2016 Americans United for Separation of Church and State unsuccessfully opposed a 40 Days of Prayer event in in El Dorado.

And in 2011 Americans United for Separation of Church and State fought to remove a Nativity scene from a bulletin board at a school in Paragould.

The truth is that elected officials don’t lose their First Amendment freedoms.

By most accounts, the Bible is the single most widely-read book in the history of human civilization, and public speakers, writers, and elected officials have quoted it routinely for centuries.

The President of the United States typically takes the Oath of Office on a Bible.

Elected officials often share well-known, popular, or inspirational quotes via their official social media accounts.

In light of that, why shouldn’t an elected official be able to post a Bible verse on Facebook?

It’s ridiculous to suggest that posting Bible verses on Facebook violates the U.S. Constitution. However, that seems to be what Americans United for Separation of Church and State is doing.

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ACLU, Planned Parenthood Continuing to Fight Texas’ Heartbeat Law in Federal Court

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On Monday the ACLU announced it is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to expedite its challenge against Texas’ pro-life heartbeat law at the district court level.

Expediting the challenge would let the ACLU continue fighting the law in lower federal court.

Texas’ heartbeat law generally prohibits abortion after an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected, and it has effectively prevented abortion in Texas since September.

The ACLU and Planned Parenthood have fought Texas’ pro-life law in federal court, but in December the U.S. Supreme Court decided to let the Texas heartbeat law remain in effect while leaving the door open for other possible challenges against it.

On Monday the ACLU issued a statement, saying, “We have brought our challenge to SB8 back to the Supreme Court. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is defying the Supreme Court’s opinion by refusing to send our case back to the district court, delaying our challenge against Texas’ extreme ban.”

On Monday the ACLU also issued a blatantly pro-abortion statement on social media, saying, “Abortion is health care. Forced pregnancy laws take away our rights and freedom.”

Pro-abortion groups used to say that abortion ought to be “safe, legal, and rare.” Lately, however, groups like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have dropped the word “rare” from their talking points.

The reality is most Americans do not see pro-life laws as “forced pregnancy laws” the way the ACLU seems to.

Gallup released a poll in June of 2019 showing 60% of Americans believe abortion should be either illegal or legal only under a few circumstances, and public opinion polling consistently shows Arkansans are overwhelmingly pro-life.

Americans oppose abortion on demand, and a striking number agree that abortion ought to be completely illegal. That’s part of the reason why slowly but surely we are winning the fight to end abortion.

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