Posted on 06/20/2017 6:43:07 AM PDT by Kaslin
Atheists across the fruited plain are rejoicing after a federal judge declared that a cross erected in a Florida park violated the law and must come down.
“I am aware that there is a lot of support in Pensacola to keep the cross as is, and I understand and I understand and respect that point of view,” U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson wrote in his ruling. “But, the law is the law.”
The lawsuit was filed in 2016 by the notorious Freedom From Religion Foundation and the American Humanist Association on behalf of four Pensacola citizens
The judge pointed out that park has hosted tens of thousands of people for roughly 75 years without causing anyone offense – until now.
“When a city park serving all citizens – nonreligious, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian – contains a towering Latin cross, this sends a message of exclusion to non-Christians, and a corresponding message to Christians that they are favored citizens,” said Annie Gaylor, the organization’s perpetually offended co-founder.
The original cross was erected in 1941 in Bayview Park. It was replaced with a 34-foot, white “Latin Cross” in 1969 by the Pensacola Jaycees.
Judge Vinson noted in his ruling the “Bayview Cross” is “part of the rich history of Pensacola and Bayview Park in particular.”
He said the cross had been the focal point for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day services – not to mention Easter Sunrise services.
“However, after about 75 years, the Bayview Cross can no longer stand as a permanent fixture on city-owned property,” the Reagan-appointed judge ruled.
He directed the city of Pensacola to remove the cross within 30 days. He also ordered the city to pay the aggrieved plaintiffs one dollar in damages. That comes out to a quarter apiece.
The American Humanist Association celebrated the judge’s ruling.
“We are pleased that the Court struck down this cross as violative of the First Amendment,” attorney Monica Miller said in a statement. “The cross was totally unavoidable to park patrons, and to have citizens foot the bill for such a religion symbol is both unfair and unconstitutional.”
Judge Vinson based his ruling on a court case involving a similar cross that suffered the same fate in Rabun County, Georgia.
“If the cross under review in Rabun County violated the First Amendment and had to be removed, the cross here must suffer the same fate,” the judge wrote.
Oddly, Judge Vinson seemed rather reluctant to rule against the cross.
“The historical record indicates that the Founding Fathers did not intend for the Establishment Clause to ban crosses and religious symbols from public property,” he wrote. “Indeed, ‘the enlightened patriots who framed our constitution’…would have most likely found this lawsuit absurd. And if I were deciding this case on a blank slate, I would agree and grant the plaintiffs no relief. But, alas, that is not what we have here.”
As I wrote in my book, “The Deplorables Guide to Making America Great Again,” people of faith are facing unrelenting attacks from a ruthless bunch of godless atheists -- hell-bent on eradicating Christianity from the public.
Should Christian citizens be relegated to some sort of second-class citizenship? Should they be directed to keep their beliefs hidden inside the church house?
Will they demand that city leaders rename Los Angeles and San Francisco? Should The Ten Commandments be chiseled off the doors of the Supreme Court? Should references to God be sandblasted from our national monuments?
Just how far do the atheists intend to go in this cultural jihad on our Judeo-Christian values?
... Roger Vinson wrote in his ruling: “But, the law is the law.” ...
-
Nowhere in the article does it say what “law” he is referring to.
How about just ONE Judge with the balls to say to the plaintiff, “This is both a frivolous and absurd suit not to mention a waste of this courts time. Case dismissed, plaintiff to pay court costs in the amount of $500.”
the judge is establishing a religion for the state.
the plaintiffs are a religion of atheism organization.
After the war, when we beat the totalitarians, let’s put the crosses back.
Where is the lawsuit to prevent Muzzies from praying in a PUBLIC STREET?
Exactly. What the ungodly don’t know is it’s not a matter of tolerance; it’s a matter of truth.
the plaintiffs are a religion of atheism organization.
Exactly. If a cross is a symbol of a forbidden religion isn't NO symbol (nothing) a symbol of a forbidden secular religion? The atheists are imposing their symbol (less) religion on me. No belief is a belief.
How can we “deport” such judges.
When he says “the law” is really ONLY talking about an errant judicial interpretation of the Bill of Rights and with it a misinterpretation of “separation of Church and state”, which is NOT in the Constitution.
The First Amendment reads: “CONGRESS shall make no law REGARDING the establishment of religion …”
The Constitution only prohibits the Federal government from legislating on the question of religion. Congress can no more prohibit the states from establishing religion as they can in mandating it. The question is reserved to the states. The Federal courts and Federal legislation should have no jurisdiction on the question.
If it had been a 24 foot star of david would it have been alright?
So basically what this and similar court rulings are doing is establishing atheism as the State religion of the United States government in violation of the Constitutional intent.
The resurrection. Death has no sting and the ungodly have no ultimate power. They cannot prevail. They may win some battles, but the outcome of the war has been decided.
Philippians 2:10ff:
…Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.…
I wouldn’t have no problem with a Star of David, I would though with a Muslim moon crest and a star
Which “law” does the cross violate?
While we are wasting lives and money in overseas adventures, the Republic and its foundations are being demolished.
“If the cross under review in Rabun County violated the First Amendment and had to be removed, the cross here must suffer the same fate,”
Really? You guys create and strike down laws at will...The rulings saying the crosses must come down have no actual laws attached...just interpretations of a letter by Jefferson.
You could have found the earlier ruling flawed.
If you had the true courage of your convictions and a set of ballz.
If a godless, demonic supreme court would legalize the murder of our unborn without conservatives "storming the Bastille", then we're sure not going to do anything about this.
Pseudo Christians do Christ's cause more harm than anything.
A very old, very tired tactic of the evil one...
“Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;
they set up their own signs for signs.
They were like those who swing axes
in a forest of trees.
And all its carved wood
they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
They set your sanctuary on fire;
they profaned the dwelling place of your name,
bringing it down to the ground.
They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.”
Psalm 74 (of Asaph)
Exactly.
The Law is the Law but tradition, history and culture are tradition, history and culture and when law conflicts with the latter, the law should be changed and juridical decrees that border on the ludicrous like this, ignored.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.