3.6.2007

Pennsylvania School Says Devils and Witches Are OK, But Jesus Has to Go...
Sometimes a story occurs that illustrates how much of a toll the attacks by the ACLU and its allies have taken on Our First Liberty – religious freedom.

The Abington School District (in Philadelphia) -- ironically the same school district that was a party in the 1963 Supreme Court decision, Abington Township v. Schempp which invalidated any school-sponsored devotional study of the Bible in public schools – didn't stop having a district-wide celebration of Halloween

Officials at one school, Willow Hill Elementary, required that students wear a costume at school on Halloween if they wanted to participate in the festivities. For one ten-year-old that created a quandary. He and his mother weren't comfortable promoting Halloween and its pagan elements, but he didn't want to be sequestered from the event. So, instead of dressing up like a devil or a witch, like other students did, he chose to come dressed as Jesus. He met the requirement of dressing up in a costume, while not promoting beliefs contrary to his faith.

He quickly learned that while devils, witches, and skeletons dripping blood (costumes worn by other students) were OK, the Lord was not to be "tolerated."

The student was told that his costume violated the school's unwritten "religion" policy. School officials told his mother that the costume would be OK, if he removed his crown of thorns and didn't identify himself as Jesus, but as a Roman emperor instead (and perhaps missing the irony that the Romans were persecutors of Christians and that crucifixion was the emperor's ultimate method of execution!).

ADF legal counsel Matt Bowman has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court, alleging that the school district engaged in "viewpoint discrimination" when it censored the young man's costume. A copy of the complaint can be read at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/EDTComplaint.pdf.

"For the school principal to censor this young student because he was dressed as Jesus is patently ridiculous," said Matt. "It's just another demonstration of how hostile to Christianity some public school officials have become. It is unconstitutional to single out Christian students in this way for censorship."

We will keep you posted on this case in the weeks ahead. If your child is facing similar "censorship," please call 1-800-TELL-ADF or go to www.telladf.org to receive a copy of our booklet, "The Truth About Student Rights." Thank you, once again, for your prayers and support, which enable us to show up to defend, protect, and affirm Our First Liberty – religious freedom.

Read the ADF press release to learn more...


Another Key Victory for Marriage at the U.S. Supreme Court
Last Tuesday, February 27th, the United States Supreme Court declined review of an appeal of a case that argued for the legalization of polygamous relationships. ADF attorneys had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in Holm v. State of Utah, on behalf of our friends at the Family Research Council, asking the court to decline review.

The Utah Supreme Court had previously ruled against a polygamist, who had been prosecuted by the state for participating in so-called "religious marriages" in addition to his legal marriage. The polygamist argued that, under the U.S. Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas decision which overturned state's laws proscribing sodomy, that the state's prosecution was unconstitutional as a denial of his "personal liberty." And remember, the ACLU calls polygamy a "constitutional right" as part of its campaign to deconstruct God's plan for marriage in America.

ADF Senior Legal Counsel Chris Stovall says: "The Utah Supreme Court wisely rejected this recipe for social disorder in its decision, and we applaud the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to let Utah's decision stand."

Read the ADF press release to learn more...


Former ACLU Top Executive Arrested on Child Pornography Charges...
Last week, a former president of the ACLU of Virginia was arrested for downloading graphic videos and images from child pornography websites onto CD-ROMs.

This same individual was an ACLU lead lawyer arguing against Internet filters in tax-funded libraries earlier this decade, when the ACLU fought the Children's Internet Protection Act, which was approved by Congress over his objection. And of course, this is the same ACLU whose then top legislative lawyer told us serving the U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography -- in response to a question from ADF Founder Dr. James Dobson -- that to the ACLU child pornography -- which we call "crime scene photography" -- is protected by the First Amendment.

Tragically this is not the first instance where an ACLU advocate who has blocked obscenity legislation has been "outed" as a user of hard-core pornography. A Michigan ACLU advocate was found to have a large cache of pornography in his possession when he was found dead from engaging in a sexual act often portrayed in pornography. Another former Washington, DC ACLU Board member has written extensively about his "enjoyment" of pornography.


Our First Liberty on TBN ...
Today, March 6, TBN will be re-airing the exciting new special, "Our First Liberty" that highlights how ADF is defending and protecting the First Liberty -- religious freedom -- of ordinary Americans. The special will be aired at 12:30 a.m. EST (3/7), 11:30 p.m. CST, 10:30 p.m. MST, and 9:30 p.m. PST. (The special will also air Thursday, March 8, at noon (ET). To find your local channel, and to watch a short trailer video, click here.

Prayer Requests | Visit the ADF prayer page
"Without Christ, we can do nothing." - John 15:5

1. Please pray for wisdom and for victory in the many legal battles ahead
   
2. Please pray for the ongoing marriage cases in California, Connecticut, Iowa, and Maryland.