Religious Freedom – Page 85

Government Denies Aid to Ministry, But Supports Abortionists

Sep 12, 2013JerryReligious FreedomAbortion, Religious Freedom, Religious Liberty

A government official in Florida has told an outreach ministry, Christian Service Center (CSC), that serves the poor it can no longer distribute USDA food the government allocates for private charities—unless, of course, the ministry agrees to take down its portraits of Christ, hide its copy of the Ten Commandments, and remove a banner that reads, “Jesus is Lord.” The ministry also has to stop handing out Bibles, quit offering to pray with the needy, and agree not to refer people to its chapel.

Basically, this ministry—which previously had been given USDA food by the government to distribute to the poor—was told in the future it could distribute food only if it did so without mention of religion.

There are two obvious problems here: (more…)

Words from Our Presidents: Reagan on the Freedom to Pray

Sep 10, 2013JerryWords from Our PresidentsReligious Freedom, Religious Liberty, Words from Our Presidents

We’re starting a new series entitled “Words from Our Presidents” featuring different U.S. Presidents’ words on religious liberty and individual rights. Today we bring you Ronald Reagan on the freedom to pray.

RonaldReagan_prayer

“The Constitution was never meant to prevent people from praying; its declared purpose was to protect their freedom to pray.”

President Ronald Reagan
September 18, 1982
Radio address to the nation on prayer.

ADF Reaffirms Gideons’ Right to Distribute Literature

Sep 6, 2013JerryReligious FreedomReligious Freedom, Religious Liberty

Alliance Defending Freedom has sent letters to Kentucky public schools reaffirming the rights of Gideons International to distribute literature in public schools the same way other groups are permitted to do so. According to ADF,

“Alliance Defending Freedom sent 174 school districts in Kentucky a follow-up legal letter Wednesday after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened them for the second time with litigation if they have refused to ban literature distribution by the Gideons at their schools. The letter notes that Alliance Defending Freedom’s previous letter to the school districts forced the ACLU to reluctantly admit that there are constitutionally permissible ways in which Gideons Bibles may be distributed on campus.”

If public schools permit outside groups to distribute material legally on campus through certain means, they cannot discriminate against certain groups on the basis of religion. To do so, as ADF points out, “would be flatly unconstitutional.”

You may recall a similar situation that developed in Vilonia, AR, earlier this year when public school officials decided not to allow youth ministers to visit campus–even though other adults who did not work for religious organizations were free to obtain visitor passes from the school office.

That decision was a reaction to a letter sent from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation alleging the school could not legally permit pastors on campus. Ultimately, after consulting with attorneys, school officials determined if they allowedvisitors on campus, they could not bar religious visitors from campus while permitting nonreligious, and adopted a policy clarifying any confusion over the school district’s on-campus visitor programs.