You are currently browsing the monthly archive for April 2010.
Retaining the Practice of Flag-folding Ceremonies for Veterans Funerals. After fighting
for and successfully reversing a decision by Veterans Affairs to strip God from flag-folding ceremonies, Members of the Prayer Caucus are moving to permanently secure religious freedom for families of veterans by supporting H.R.2586, which seeks to prohibit the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs from authorizing honor guards to participate in funerals of veterans interred in national cemeteries unless the honor guards may offer families the option of having the honor guard perform the 13-fold flag recitation. This bill is currently before the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Lord, we pray for the salvation of the individuals and organizations fighting to remove You from this nation. We ask that their attempts to do so would not prevail and instead would produce a reverse effect; instead prayer and faith in Jesus Christ (and all religious symbols identified with Christianity) would be legally protected and preserved for generations to come.
City:
San Francisco, CA
Date:
04/28/2010
Motions have been filed in the Ninth Circuit to rehear the cases challenging the national motto – In God We Trust – as well as the pledge of allegiance. Last month the Court, in 2-1 decisions, found both to be constitutional. Citing the case as one of exceptional importance, Michael Newdow is asking for an en banc review by the appellate court. Unlike other circuits, in the Ninth Circuit, an en banc panel consists of eleven judges chosen at random.
In his moving papers, Dr. Newdow describes Atheists as “the nation’s most stigmatized suspect class[.]” He further writes that “‘In God We Trust’ facially endorses the controversial, purely religious notion that there exists a God whom Americans embrace.”
“Whether the Court grants the motion or not, we are confident that ultimately both the motto and the pledge will survive judicial review,” said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute. “From its inception continuing to the present, there has been consistent official acknowledgement of the existence of God. This simple recognition is not the establishment of religion which the constitution forbids,” Dacus continued. The Pacific Justice Institute intervened as a defendant organization and fully participated in the litigation of the national motto. Kevin Snider, PJI’s chief counsel, argued the case along with Lowell Sturgill of the U.S. Department of Justice, before the appellate court. PJI also filed a friend of the court brief in support of the pledge. PJI affiliate attorney, Pete Lepiscopo of San Diego, authored the amicus brief.
http://www.pacificjustice.org/news/motions-filed-rehearing-national-motto-and-pledge-allegiance-cases
DENVER (AP) — A religious watchdog group says a cross and motto on the emblem of an Army hospital in Colorado violate the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state and should be removed.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation asked the Army this week to change the emblem of Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, outside Colorado Springs.
The emblem says “Pro deo et humanitate” or “For God and humanity.”
Fort Carson commanders will review the complaint, Lt. Col. Steve Wollman said.
He said the emblem had been approved by the Army Institute of Heraldry and has been in use since 1969.
Wollman said references to doctors serving God and humanity date to the time of Hippocrates, a pre-Christianity Greek physician.
Wollman said the cross, which has a pointed base, is both an emblem of mercy and a symbol dating to the Middle Ages, when pilgrims carried a cross with a spiked base to mark the site of a camp.
Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said that’s a reference to the Crusades and could embolden U.S. enemies who want to portray the war on terror as a Christian war on Islam.
“This continues to add more fodder to the argument that we are Crusaders,” Weinstein said. “It’s exactly what fundamentalist Muslims want.”
Weinstein’s foundation, based in Albuquerque, N.M., last week persuaded the Army to withdraw an invitation to evangelist Franklin Graham to speak at the Pentagon on May 6, the National Day of Prayer.
Weinstein cited comments Graham made in 2001 describing Islam as evil. The Army said it withdrew the invitation because Graham’s remarks were “not appropriate.”
Graham is the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham.
Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., asked the House Armed Services Committee this week to hold hearings on what he called “a growing movement in the military to censor certain biblical teachings.”
Weinstein said he lodged the complaint about the cross on behalf of 43 people at Fort Carson. He said 29 of them are Protestants or Catholics. One is a civilian and the others are enlisted personnel or junior officers.
He said they took their concerns to him for fear of reprisals if they complained to military commanders. Weinstein said none wanted to be identified.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FORT_CARSON_CROSS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-04-29-12-05-34
National Day of Prayer: Since the court decision on April 15, the Congressional Prayer Caucus has done several things in support of the National Day of Prayer. Thank you for all you and your organizations have done on this issue and in support of the Caucus. On April 22, the Department of Justice announced that it will appeal the decision (order attached). The case will now be appealed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals later this fall.
Resolutions:
Rep. Smith’s resolution, H.Res.1273, affirms the constitutionality and historical significance of the National Day of Prayer.
Rep. Tiahrt’s resolution, H.Res. 1279, calls for an appeal of the ruling against the National Day of Prayer and express the support of the House of Representatives for the institution of an annual National Day of Prayer.
Cong. Forbes’ Interview on CNN’s ‘Faces of Faith’:
Congressman Forbes discussed the ruling which held that the statute establishing the National Day of Prayer violates the Establishment Clause. He was joined by Annie Laurie Gaylor, Co-Founder and Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the organization that brought this lawsuit. You can watch the interview here:
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE:
Since the ruling came out on the National Day of Prayer, 7 new Members have joined the Prayer Caucus, bringing our total to 64! A complete list of the Members is available here: http://forbes.house.gov/PrayerCaucus/Members.aspx
Salazar v. Buono (Mojave Desert cross case):
Today, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the cross serving as a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert can stand! In 1934, the VFW first erected a cross in the Mojave Desert to honor WWI Veterans. Challenges to the cross began in 1999 and in 2002, Congress passed legislation designating the cross as a national memorial and stating that no federal funds may be used to remove the cross. Later, Congress passed legislation that contained a land transfer to the VFW, but the 9th Circuit held the transfer to be invalid and ordered the cross to be covered.
More about the original story:
Lord, cause people of faith to take action on important issues such as keeping traditional prayer and Godly principles in schools and in this nation.
Lord’s Prayer recital draws spirited crowd
Gathering a response to suit threat over Sevier commission custom
By Robert Wilson
Monday, April 19, 2010
SEVIERVILLE – There was a tent-revival feel in the atmosphere Monday evening as an estimated 500 people heeded the call to gather at the historic Sevier County Courthouse to show their disdain for a threatened lawsuit aimed at ending the County Commission practice of reciting the Lord’s Prayer to open its regular meetings.
They came in cars, trucks and church buses to join the event, which started as not much more than a pastor’s suggestion but mushroomed into a full-blown gospel happening complete with prayers shouted to the heavens and spontaneous singing of hymns.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/19/lords-prayer-recital-draws-spirited-crowd/?print=1
School Pushes For Dismissal Of Prayer Challenge
Senior Wants To Stop Prayer At Graduation
GREENWOOD, Ind. — A central Indiana school district is pushing for the dismissal of a lawsuit that looks to prevent prayer at high school graduation.In papers filed in federal court, attorneys for the Greenwood Community School Corporation ask that the case be thrown out, and that the student behind the challenge pay the district’s legal fees and expenses, 6News’ Rafael Sanchez reported.Eric Workman, 18, a top-ranked senior at Greenwood High School, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana have asked a federal judge to stop a student-led prayer that the senior class voted to approve, claiming the prayer and class vote unconstitutionally subjects students to religious practice.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/23200391/detail.html
Update: Senate panel approves watered-down school prayer bill
First report
Stripped of its controversial references to prayer, a Senate bill that protects school faculty free-speech rights is more likely to move forward.
The House has acted on its version, but amended it as well to delete specific references to “inspirational message” and “school prayer.” The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Wise, had not previously had a committee hearing with less than two weeks to go in the legislative session.
Rep. Greg Evers, a Baker Republican, was one of the sponsors in the House. He has said a consent decree signed by the Santa Rosa County School District and the ACLU restricts teacher’s rights. Teachers, coaches and former students at schools in the Panhandle district said the agreement, struck after the ACLU filed suit, meant they couldn’t pray with students even if the students initiated the prayer.
At House hearings after the compromise language was adopted, civil libertarians and some parents still opposed the legislation.
1 p.m. update
With blistering criticism for civil libertarians and some harsh words about the “overreaching” religious climate in Northwest Florida schools, a Senate panel on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a watered-down school prayer bill.
The bill is a response to a 2008 lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union against Santa Rosa schools, one that eventually led to a consent order and the veteran principal of Pace High School facing contempt charges.
The bill would prohibit school districts in the future from entering into an agreement, “that infringes or waives the rights or freedoms afforded to instructional personnel, school staff, or students by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100420/CAPITOLNEWS/100420005/School-faculty-free-speech-bill-more-likely-to-move-without-prayer-reference
Brunswick commissioners keep traditional prayer
The suggestion by a Brunswick County commissioner that the board replace the traditional prayer with a moment of silence to start its meetings generated a lot of noise – even from folks outside that county.
[Brunswick commissioners may take prayer off agenda]
The commissioner, Charles Warren, said that Christians should be sensitive to people of other faiths.
Well, here’s what some of you had to say about that on the WECT Facebook fan page.
Mary wrote:
I guess I just don’t want to live in a county that has outgrown God.
Tina said:
Prayer has been taken out of everything these days…that offends me as a Christian!!!!
Only a handful of people took an opposing view, like Amanda:
I applaud Mr. Warren for recognizing that not everyone is a Christian and also for having the courage to say something about it.
But my personal favorite is the comment from Barbara:
That commissioner needs to pray that he’ll get reelected.
I’ve heard the saying that prayer changes things, but in this case it sounds like prayer might have kept things the same. The Brunswick County Commissioners voted Monday night to keep the traditional prayer to open their meetings.
http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=12342349
Lord, we pray that all opposing forces would be barred from retaliation against Christians or the Obama Administration as a result of the appeal. We ask that all those that have taken a stand for our spiritual heritage will be protected and experience a new level of intimacy with Jesus Christ.
April 23, 2010: MADISON, Wis. — The Obama administration said yesterday it will appeal a court decision that found the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional.US District Judge Barbara Crabb in Madison ruled last week the National Day of Prayer that Congress established 58 years ago amounts to a call for religious action.
The Justice Department said it will challenge the decision in the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago. The notice came after about two dozen members of Congress condemned the ruling and pressed for an appeal.
The case was brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison-based group of atheists and agnostics who argue the National Day of Prayer violates the separation of church and state. Its co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said she was disappointed in the decision to appeal.
“I would have expected something better from a legal scholar,’’ she said, referring to President Obama’s background as a law professor.
Her group planned to launch an online petition praising Crabb’s decision and asking Obama, the principal defendant in the lawsuit, to “leave days of prayer to individuals, private groups and churches, synagogues, mosques and temples.’’
The administration had argued the law simply acknowledges the role of religion in the United States.
Congress established the day in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray. An Obama spokesman has said the president plans to issue a proclamation for the upcoming prayer day, May 6. Many other state and local officials typically follow suit.
The Justice Department signaled it would appeal not only Crabb’s decision on the merits of the case but also her ruling last month that the defendants had the standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place.
— Associated Press
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/04/23/obama_will_appeal_day_of_prayer_ruling/
Let’s agree that the seeds that were planted during this meeting with produce great fruit in the life of our President.
MONTREAT, N.C. — President Obama arrived at Rev. Billy Graham’s mountaintop log cabin Sunday afternoon, making a brief visit to the 91-year-old evangelist who has been a spiritual adviser to presidents for seven decades.
The pair met for about a half-hour as Obama ended a brief vacation in nearby Asheville, and prepared to depart for a somber memorial service in West Virginia on behalf of 29 miners who died when an explosion rocked their coal mine.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton said it was the first face-to-face meeting between the president and Graham, who has been in ailing health recently. Burton said the two tried to meet the last time Obama was in Asheville, in October 2008, but that the schedule didn’t work for Graham then.
“Rev. Graham has obviously been an important spiritual leader to past presidents,” Burton told reporters, who waited in a van while the brief meeting was underway. “He’s a real treasure to our country, and the president appreciates the opportunity to visit him at his home.”
Burton said that Graham has “some of the creaks that come with advancing age,” but added that “he’s still as sharp as he ever was.”
After the meeting, Burton issued the following statement: “The President had a private prayer and conversation with Rev. Graham. He is extraordinarily gratified that he took the time to meet with him.”
Just last week, Graham’s son, Franklin, who is also an evangelist, was disinvited by the Army to speak at the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer on May 6 because of comments Graham made about Islam.
Graham, who had been scheduled to speak at the event, had said that Islam offends him and that he wants Muslims to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins.
Read Full Story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/25/AR2010042501255.html
Forbes Applauds DOJ Decision to Appeal National Day of Prayer Ruling
Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) released the following statement after the Department of Justice announced that it will appeal U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb’s ruling that found the National Day of Prayer to be unconstitutional.
“I applaud the decision by the Department of Justice to appeal the ruling that the statute establishing a National Day of Prayer violates the Establishment Clause. Yesterday, in a bi-partisan press conference, I joined 30 Members of Congress and representatives from faith organizations, in calling for the Department of Justice and the White House to appeal and vigorously defend this case, and am pleased that they will do so.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus to affirm the constitutionality of the National Day of Prayer and to allow religion, faith, and morality into the marketplace of ideas.”
http://forbes.house.gov/Blog/?postid=182405
Congressman Forbes joined 30 Members of Congress and spokesmen from faith organizations representing millions of people across the country, for a bi-partisan press conference to directly respond to the decision of one unelected judge to substitute her own opinion for what the Constitution says and protects. Throughout our nation’s history, prayer and religion have been deeply woven into the foundation of our great democracy. The federal judge’s decision to call the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional represents a movement we are seeing across the country of a small minority who want to exclude faith, religion, and morality from the marketplace of ideas.
Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus encourage you to join them in the fight as they continue to work defend religious liberty and our Nation’s spiritual heritage.
