Showing posts with label Craig James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Craig James. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Anti-Faith Sentiment Growing at Alarming Rate

Anti-Faith Sentiment Growing at Alarming Rate


By Paul Strand
CBN News Washington Sr. Correspondent
Tuesday, October 15, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Hostility against Christian Americans is growing at an alarming rate, according to a new survey from the Family Research Council and Liberty Institute.

The Liberty Institute's Jeff Mateer noted that while last year's survey was based on 600 cases, "this survey that we're releasing right now is almost 1,200. So we've almost doubled in just one year."

Audrey Jarvis

One such case involved college student Audrey Jarvis, who was asked twice to remove her cross, or at least hide it, at a student orientation.

"My supervisor came up to me out of nowhere and asked me to remove my cross necklace because he thought it would be offensive to incoming freshmen," she recalled.

Jarvis received an apology from her college, but couldn't forget how hurtful the man was who found her cross so objectionable.

"I think he was just kind of ignorant to the fact that his words could offend me in attempting to not offend somebody else," she said.

In another case, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk got in trouble with his lesbian commanding officer when she ordered him to answer how he felt about gay marriage.

"This is about religious freedom because I expressly stated that I had a religious conviction that wouldn't allow me to answer the question the way it was posed to me," Monk said.

Former NFL running back Craig James found himself a victim of growing anti-faith sentiment when just one hour into a new job as a FOX Sports analyst, he was booted off the air.


James and the Liberty Institute insist it was because a top network manager disapproved of a statement James made about gay marriage 15 months before in a political debate.

"They knew who I was, what I stood for," James told CBN News. "And I'm being punished -- I was fired -- for my religious beliefs."

FOX says James just wasn't a good fit, but Liberty Institute is fighting to get James his job back.

"This is not about Craig James," the former NFL running back said. "This is about an American who had a job and someone came back -- a big corporation -- and said, 'Hey, we can't allow you on our network because of your belief and definition of what marriage is.'"

With some 1,200 cases like these documented in the new Religious Hostility Survey, Mateer says he's frightened for his country.

"The threats are increasing at a dramatic rate, and this survey demonstrates that," Mateer said.

Mat Staver's Liberty Council also fights for the rights of people of faith.

"What we're seeing is instead of religious liberty being protected as it is affirmed by the First Amendment, people of religious faith, particularly Christians, are finding themselves the targets of discrimination," Staver said.

Sgt. Monk says now when Christians facing hostility must hold steady, mostly for other believers.

"They need to see us stand firm in our faith," he told CBN News. "And when they see that, I think we'll see a turn of events."

Mateer noted that when believers fight back, they almost always win. So only by meekly accepting defeat will they let the enemies of religion triumph.

"They've stated their objective is to remove God from our public life. Well, if we remain silent, that's going to happen," Mateer warned.

Click here: CBN News - full article and video

Related Stories:

Craig James 'Shocked' over FOX Firing for Beliefs

'Jesus Not Allowed': Anti-Faith Sentiment Sweeps US

Hostility Toward Religious Expression Growing

Craig James 'Shocked' over FOX Firing for Beliefs


Craig James 'Shocked' over FOX Firing for Beliefs


FOX Sports Southwest hired former NFL running back Craig James as an on-air analyst only to fire him days later. The move came after statements he made on gay marriage while campaigning for the Senate resurfaced.

"People choose to be gay," he said during an April 2012 campaign stop. "I think it's a choice, I do. Same-sex marriage, if someone chooses to do that, that's done. And God's going to judge each one of us in this room for our actions. And in that case right there, they're going to have to answer to the Lord for their actions."

James said it was those sincerely held religious beliefs that led to the Sept. 2 firing.



"I was shocked that my personal religious beliefs were not only the reason for FOX Sports firing me, but I was completely floored when I read stories quoting FOX Sports representatives essentially saying that people of faith are banned from working at Fox Sports," James told Breitbart.com.

"That is not right and surely someone made a terrible mistake," he said.

While one statement from FOX Sports seems to confirm James' suspicions, another contradictory statement said the former running back was let go because he wasn't a good fit for the position.


Now James is pursuing legal action against the network.

James talked more about his case against FOX Sports on CBN Newswatch, Oct. 11.