Showing posts with label First Amendment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Amendment. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Debunking The 'Separation of Church and State' Myth - MATT BARBER CHARISMA NEWS

Remain undaunted by the threat of government intervention or punitive action by the state.

Remain undaunted by the threat of government intervention or punitive action by the state. (Reuters)


Debunking The 'Separation of Church and State' Myth

Clarion Call, by Matt Barber
The American church has a problem. It's one part fear, one part confusion and one part apathy. Pastors, priests and rabbis have long swallowed the false notion that all things religious and all things political are somehow mutually exclusive—that never the twain shall meet.
Leading up to Ronald Reagan's landslide presidential victory in 1980, Rev. Jerry Falwell, the founder of Liberty University, captured the crux of the church's apathy problem. "I'm being accused of being controversial and political," he said. "I'm not political. But moral issues that become political, I still fight. It isn't my fault that they've made these moral issues political. But because they have doesn't stop the preachers of the gospel from addressing them. ..."
"What then is wrong?" he continued. "I say the problem, first of all, is in the pulpits of America. We preachers must take the blame. For too long we have fearfully stood back and failed to address the issues that are corrupting the republic. I repeat Proverbs 14:34: 'Righteousness exalteth a nation.' Not military might, though that's important. Not financial resources, though that has been the enjoyment of this nation above all nations in the last 200 years. But spiritual power is the backbone, the strength, of a nation."
Indeed, it is not just within the church's purview, but it is the church's duty to insert itself into state matters relating to morality, public policy and culture at large.
Contrary to popular opinion, the words "separation of church and state" are found nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. Yet many are misled into believing they are.
So why the confusion?
It's been intentionally fomented. It's the byproduct of a decades-long religious cleansing campaign. The First Amendment's "Establishment Clause," a mere 10 words, is the primary tool secular separatists misuse and abuse to "fundamentally transform" America to reflect their own anti-Christian self-image.
Yet these words remain abundantly clear in both scope and meaning. The Establishment Clause states merely: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. ..."
That's it.
And the founders meant exactly what they said: "Congress," as in the United States Congress, "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
In a letter to Benjamin Rush, a fellow-signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, often touted by the left as the great church-state separationist, spelled out exactly what this meant then, and what it means today. The First Amendment's Establishment Clause was simply intended to restrict Congress from affirmatively "establishing," through federal legislation, a national Christian denomination (similar to the Anglican Church of England).
As Jefferson put it: "[T]he clause of the Constitution" covering "freedom of religion" was intended to necessarily preclude "an establishment of a particular form of Christianity through the United States."
The individual states, however, faced no such restriction. In fact, until as late as 1877, and after religious free exercise became absolute with passage of the 14th Amendment, most states did have an official state form of Christianity. Massachusetts, for example, sanctioned the Congregational Church until 1833.
Even so, today's anti-Christian ruling class insists on revising history. The ACLU's own promotional materials, for example, overtly advocate unconstitutional religious discrimination: "The message of the Establishment Clause [to the U.S. Constitution] is that religious activities must be treated differently from other activities to ensure against governmental support for religion," they claim.
This is abject nonsense. It's unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination—a twisted misrepresentation of the First Amendment. Secular "progressivism" depends upon deception as much as it relies upon revisionism. Yes, "separation" applies, but only insofar as it requires the state to remain separate from the church. That is to say, that government may not interfere with the free exercise of either speech or religion.
For decades, hard-left anti-theist groups like the ACLU, People for the American Way (PFAW) and Barry Lynn's Americans United (AU) have employed a cynical disinformation scheme intended to intimidate clergy into silence on issues of morality, culture and Christian civic involvement—issues that, as Falwell noted, are not political so much as they have been politicized; issues that are inherently "religious."
AU, for instance, annually sends tens-of-thousands of misleading letters to churches across the nation warning pastors, priests and rabbis that, "If the IRS determines that your house of worship has engaged in unlawful intervention, it can revoke the institution's tax-exempt status."
That's a lie.
In reality, there is no legal mechanism whatsoever for the Internal Revenue Service to take away a church's tax exemption. Churches are inherently tax-exempt, or, better still, "tax immune," simply by virtue of being a church. Churches do not need permission from the IRS, nor can the IRS revoke a church's tax immunity.
Since 1934, when the lobbying restriction was added to the Internal Revenue Code, not a single church has ever lost its tax-exempt status. Since 1954, when the political endorsement/opposition prohibition was added, only one church has ever lost its IRS letter ruling, but even that church did not lose its tax-exempt status.
The case involved the Church at Pierce Creek in New York, which placed full-page ads in USA Today and the Washington Times opposing then-Gov. Bill Clinton for president. The ads were sponsored by the church, and donations were solicited. The IRS revoked the church's letter ruling, but not its tax-exempt status. The church sued, and the court noted that churches are tax-exempt without an IRS letter ruling. It ruled that "because of the unique treatment churches receive under the Internal Revenue Code, the impact of the revocation is likely to be more symbolic than substantial." Not even this church lost its tax-exempt status, and not one donor was affected by this incident.
As Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel has observed, "Pastors can preach on biblical, moral and social issues, such as natural marriage and abortion, can urge the congregation to register and vote, can overview the positions of the candidates, and may personally endorse candidates. Churches may distribute nonpartisan voter guides, register voters, provide transportation to the polls, hold candidate forums, and introduce visiting candidates."
Since 2008, the Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom has spearheaded a First Amendment exercise called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday." Since then, thousands of pastors across America have boldly exercised their guaranteed constitutional rights by addressing "political" issues from the pulpit. This has included directly endorsing candidates. These pastors have dared the IRS to come after them, and, not surprisingly, the IRS has balked.
Pastors, this election season follow the lead of Christ. Speak moral/political truths, in love, fearlessly. Remain undaunted by the threat of government intervention or punitive action by the state. And encourage your congregation to vote for candidates who sincerely reflect, in both word and deed, a biblical worldview and biblical principles.
Be "salt and light."
Because Christ didn't give us an option to do otherwise.
Matt Barber is founder and editor-in chief of barbwire.com. He is an author, columnist, cultural analyst and an attorney concentrating in constitutional law. Having retired as an undefeated heavyweight professional boxer, Matt has taken his fight from the ring to the culture war. (Follow Matt on Twitter: @jmattbarber).
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Saturday, January 30, 2016

Religious Freedom Victory Has These Girls Turning Cartwheels - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

A Kountze cheerleader

A Kountze cheerleader (Courtesy/Liberty Institute)

Religious Freedom Victory Has These Girls Turning Cartwheels

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

Three cheers for the First Amendment, at least for the cheerleaders at a Texas high school. 
A judge ruled this week that the Kountze Independent School district is "not required to prohibit messages on school banners . . . that display fleeting expressions of community sentiment solely because the source or origin of such message is religious." 
The battle between the school district and the cheerleaders began in August 2012, with appeals going back and forth for years.  
"We're just all Christians and believe the Bible is from God and so if it's from God, why not?" one cheerleader said at the time. "That's what we were thinking and it's a positive message and it's uplifting." 
The girls were represented by the Liberty Institute.  
"This is an 8-0 victory for the free speech and religious liberty rights of all Texas students," says Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of Liberty Institute. "We are delighted that the court considered this case so straightforward that it did not even require oral argument." The battle is not yet over, though. 
"In light of today's Supreme Court ruling, we look forward to defending the Kountze cheerleaders at the Court of Appeals and resolving this case permanently in the cheerleaders' favor."
Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman filed a concurring opinion, highlighting the precedent this case sets for religious freedom in schools. 
Liberty Institute attorney Hiram Sasser says, "There is a great challenge in courts to students who express religious beliefs in schools."
"School officials are engaging in unlawful censorship of student speech and they need to be held accountable. We agree this is a serious problem. This case is a prime example for courts to help resolve that issue in favor of religious speech," Sasser says. 
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Friday, October 9, 2015

Why Dr. Ben Carson Is Right About Islam and the American Constitution

Eddie Hyatt thinks Ben Carson is right.

Eddie Hyatt thinks Ben Carson is right. (Reuters)

Why Dr. Ben Carson Is Right About Islam and the American Constitution




Dr. Benjamin Carson was absolutely right when he said that the American Constitution is incompatible with Islam. The left, with its naïve vision of the world, went wild in its attacks on the good doctor. They were joined by the Islamic group, CAIR, which demanded that Carson pull out of the race for president because of his comment.
But the facts and history are on the side of Dr. Carson. In Islam, religion and the political goal of world domination are joined together. There is no separation of mosque and state in Islamic thinking. Just look at any nation where Muslims are in the majority—Saudi Arabia, Iran, and so on—and you will not find religious freedom.
The First Amendment Is Not Compatible With Islamic Thinking About Religion and State
The First Amendment to the Constitution is totally at odds with this sort of thinking. It states that the government will remain neutral in matters of faith but protect the religious freedom of all. This approach reflects the "dissenting Protestant" view of the Founders, who wanted a separation of church and state, but not a separate of God and state.
The parents and grandparents of the Founders were godly people who fled religious persecution in the Old World by a state-empowered church. In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells how his grandfather, during the reign of Mary Tudor, had an open Bible fastened on the bottom and underneath the cover of a stool. With one of the children watching at the door for civil or religious authorities, he would turn the stool upside down and read the Bible to his family. In case of danger, he would quickly secure the pages and return the stool upright to its place in the corner of the room.
The danger was real. During Mary's reign, 288 Protestants were burned at the stake for their faith. The Reformation, with its return to Jesus and the New Testament, destroyed the idea of merging church and state and using the power of the state to further a national religion.
The merger of mosque and state, however, is basic to Islam and is why Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is an American citizen of Iranian birth, was arrested for apostasy when he returned to Iran to visit his parents. He was imprisoned by this religious-political regime and remains imprisoned today while his wife and two small children pray for his return and plead for this administration's help.
The First Amendment Is an Expression of Reformation Ideals
Those "dissenting Protestants" who came to America were the ones whose ideas of freedom of conscience and religious liberty ultimately triumphed in America. In the First Amendment they were merely stating that America would never have a state church/religion, sanctioned and empowered by the state as existed at that time in Christian Europe and exists in Islamic countries today.
Although they did not want a state church such as their parents had fled, they knew the importance of building on Christian values. They knew that a nation derives its values from religion, which is why in his Farewell Address George Washington warned the new nation to guard its Christian morality and values, which he called "indispensable supports" for political prosperity.
Although Christians throughout history have failed to live up to the teachings of their Lord, the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament are the only value system that can hold a diverse nation together. The Founders did not want a state church, but without exception, they wanted Christian values taught in every public venue. In my book America's Revival Heritage, I show that even the "nonreligious" Thomas Jefferson wrote, "I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."
No Exclusion of God in the First Amendment
That the First Amendment was not intended to exclude God from government was confirmed when the next day after passing the Amendment, the Founders issued a proclamation for a day of prayer throughout the new nation. That they were not excluding their faith in the God of the Bible from government is highlighted by the fact that George Washington took the oath of office with his hand on a Bible and afterwards proceeded to St. Paul's Cathedral for a worship service.
That the First Amendment was not an attack on God was confirmed by Joseph Story (1779-1845) who served as a Supreme Court justice for 34 years from 1811-1845. Commenting on the First Amendment, he said: "We are not to attribute this prohibition of a national religious establishment to an indifference in religion, and especially to Christianity, which none could hold in more reverence than the framers of the Constitution."
The American Constitution is designed for a people with Christian values.
Benjamin Carson is absolutely right that the American Constitution is incompatible with Islam. America was founded on Christian principles and values that emerged out of the Reformation when the church returned to Jesus and the New Testament. Our second president, John Adams, affirmed this when he wrote, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious [Christian] people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."
America is in need of another Reformation and spiritual awakening that will return it to its founding principles and draw the nominal Christians and Muslims in our nation to Christ. I beg you join with me and others in praying for such a Reformation and Spiritual Awakening in our day. It is the only true hope for America's future. 
Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is an author, historian and Bible teacher. He has written numerous books on spiritual awakening, church and church history. You can check out all his books on Amazon at his Author's Page. To read about his vision for another Great Awakening, check out his website at eddiehyatt.com. 
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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Marine Court-Martialed for Displaying Bible Verse


Marine Court-Martialed for Displaying Bible Verse

A U.S. Marine has been convicted at a court-martial for displaying a Bible verse. Now her case is being appealed to the military's highest court.
When Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling has was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, she posted Isaiah 54:17, which reads, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper."
Liberty Institute reports she printed out the verse and posted it in her workspace. Her supervisor complained about it, reportedly cursing at her and telling her to remove it.
Sterling contended she had a First Amendment right to religious expression and did not take down the verse. She says the next day her supervisor tore down the verse and threw it in the trash.
The U.S. government then criminally prosecuted Sterling.
In the case, Sterling argued her First Amendment rights to religious expression, as well as her protection under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA.
Both the trial court and the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals said the RFRA did not apply because displaying a Bible verse does not constitute religious exercise.
"If the government can order a Marine not to display a Bible verse, they could try and order her not to get a religious tattoo, or go to church on Sunday," said Liberty Institute Director of Military Affairs and Senior Counsel Mike Berry.
"Restricting a Marine's free exercise of religion is blatantly unconstitutional," he charged.
Now former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement and Liberty Institute are appealing on Sterling's behalf, asking the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to take the case and protect Sterling's right to religious freedom.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Secular Humanists Attack Franklin Graham's Operation Christmas Child

Secular Humanists Attack Franklin Graham's Operation Christmas Child

Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham
An organization of nonbelievers is threatening legal action against public schools that participate in an evangelical Christian charity that delivers Christmas toys to poor children.
The American Humanist Association, a national advocacy organization with 20,000 members nationwide, sent letters this week to two public elementary schools after parents complained their children were being asked to collect toys and money for Operation Christmas Child.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical relief organization founded by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham. Its stated mission is “to follow the example of Christ by helping those in need and proclaiming the hope of the Gospel.”
The toys collected by Operation Christmas Child come with an invitation for recipients to accept Christianity. Since its founding in 1993, Operation Christmas Child has sent 100 million boxes of toys to poor children.
According to the humanist association, East Point Academy in West Columbia, S.C., has organized a toy drive and raised funds for the charity for at least three years. A second school, SkyView Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colo., has participated for “several years” and has acknowledged packaging 500 toy boxes in 2012.
Both schools received letters from the AHA informing them their actions are unconstitutional. The same day it received the letter, East Point Academy said it would cut its ties with the charity out of “an abundance of caution because we do not want to expend school financial resources defending a lawsuit.”
Monica Miller, legal counsel for the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center, said the schools are violating the First Amendment’s guarantee of the separation of church and state and its ban against government endorsement of religion.
“There is also a problem of a lack of transparency,” she said. “One of the parents was not aware of the Christian nature (of Operation Christmas Child) and he let his kids participate because he assumed the school would not promote religion.”
In its letter to the schools, AHA described the toys as “bribes,” and Miller said schoolchildren were also promised incentives for participation, such as pizza parties and free dress days.
Kelly Wells, a spokeswoman for the DeMoss Group, a public relations firm that represents Samaritan’s Purse, said in an email that the organization is aware that public schools participate in its annual toy drive but does not know how many are involved.
“The project is very clear in its marketing material and website that its mission is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world,” Wells wrote. “Therefore, Operation Christmas Child’s goal is to to generate participation in and through local churches and like-minded groups . . . Of course, any person or group is welcome to participate in packing shoebox gifts if they so choose.”
The AHA has not yet heard from the Colorado school, and Miller said the association will pursue a lawsuit if the school does not terminate its participation.

Love For His People Editor's Note: I worked for two seasons at the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child annual project in Charlotte, NC. It is a very well run organization, blessing literally millions of kids. I highly commend and support Franklin Graham for his integrity and leadership.
Steve Martin