Posted on 11/16/2004 9:06:20 AM PST by Lindykim
For the Catawba County (North Carolina) School District, it was three strikes and you're out. River Bend Middle School had allowed school supporters – such as tire dealers, security companies, and other churches to purchase advertising space on the school's athletic field. When the Oxford Baptist Church asked to display a sign with the Bible verse: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God," (1 Corinthians 10:31), their request was denied. When negotiations were fruitless, ADF attorney Gary McCaleb sued the school district in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina for violating the church and its members First Liberty – religious freedom. After a lot of hard work – thanks be to God – the school district has finally given up and agreed to settle.
Gary says: "We're thankful. The school district is paying the legal costs, and both sides now agree on the legal principles that regulate equal access to school property for community groups. It is important that school boards recognize the First Amendment applies equally. Government officials may not exclude a church from these types of programs merely because the group speaks from a religious viewpoint."
Thank you making another victory – and one that would have probably been lost by default in the past – possible because of your faithful prayers and support.
"It's OK to Say Merry Christmas!" On Friday, November 5th, ADF sent letters to every state board of education and National Education Association (NEA) chapter, explaining what current law allows regarding the celebration of Christmas in public schools.
The letter was also sent to the Department of Education and the national NEA office. It is our hope that the letters will be helpful in educating school officials that "it's OK to say Merry Christmas."
For more information on ADF's legal effort to defend and protect the public celebration of Christmas, please visit our website: www.telladf.org.
Thank You, Mr. Attorney General… Last week, Attorney General John Ashcroft stepped down from his post after four years of dedicated service. The attorney general is a man who loves his country very much and is devoted to God's righteousness. In his resignation memo to his employees, he concluded: "As I take my leave of this privileged post, I know that our efforts have not been in vain. The Builder of our city and the Author of our freedom has stood beside us. He stands beside us still." Amen. God bless you, Mr. Attorney General
Time went by and the county took over the display. More and more "stops" were added with ever more intricate and elaborate displays. Costs went up so the county looked for sponsorships. Last year Calvary Chapel wished to sponsor a display that included a cross and said "Jesus is the reason for the season."
Someone complained - we are talking about Broward County, Florida - and Calvary was told they could not sponsor because they had a religious theme. Understand, this whole display started as a Christmas celebration, but now had become a "Holiday Festival of Lights." Yeah, right.
Calvary sued and won. They had their display put up last year.
This year the county announced that because they could not control the content, there would be no more sponsorships of the displays. The article in the paper went on to describe the festive pirate display, snow display, bear display, etc. Of course there are no Christmas themed displays at all.
You have a point, I suppose.
I could say, "Have a Nice Day on December 25."
But it is much shorter just to say, "Merry Christmas."
Why would a non-Christian want to take offense at a simple wish from one person to another for merriment on a particular day?
LOL, how insensitive of you!
That would make no sense unless you were trying to make some point. Kinda like saying "have a nice day on April 22nd". No need to differentiate.
But it is much shorter just to say, "Merry Christmas."
"Have a nice Day" is only 12 letters, the other is 14.
If you were a Jew, why would I wish you a happy Ramadan?
Why would a non-Christian want to take offense at a simple wish from one person to another for merriment on a particular day?
I never claimed they would, but I'm sure some do. My point had nothing to do with the person hearing the greeting, only the one offering it.
***When did you not have that right?***
When our public schools turned the holiday into a Winter Holiday instead of a Christmas Holiday. My point is to keep saying Merry Christmas because it IS a Christian holiday. And your polite reply of Happy Holiday is fine.
"***When did you not have that right?***
When our public schools turned the holiday into a Winter Holiday instead of a Christmas Holiday. My point is to keep saying Merry Christmas because it IS a Christian holiday. And your polite reply of Happy Holiday is fine."
But, your original message had to do with saying, "Merry Christmas" to store clerks. You said you were going to take that right back. You never lost that right.
Indeed, schoolkids say "Merry Christmas" to each other all the time. They never lost that right, either.
However, the schools cannot offer up a Christmas celebration with Christian symbolism as an official function. That is true. The reason is that every school has students who do not celebrate Christmas, because they are of another faith or because their sect of Christianity forbids them to celebrate Christmas. So...the school stays out of religious celebration.
The children, however, may wish anyone they want a "Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or even a Happy New Year," as they choose.
The government may not officially celebrate religious holidays where people are compelled to attend, and school is one such place where people are compelled to attend. That's how it works. Individuals, however, are free to celebrate whatever religious holiday they wish. That is their right.
Government has no rights. Only people have rights.
BTTT
Bless you for having a 'good' attitude Mineralman. I suspect that if we could see exactly how many atheists are pushing the anti-Christian juggernaut we'd discover that there aren't too many. The guilty ones are activists, some motivated by resentment and others by a social-change-making agenda.
It works wrong.
Having said that, there should be no compulsory education nor government schools.
"Having said that, there should be no compulsory education nor government schools."
OK, but there are, and that's very, very unlikely to change.
"I suspect that if we could see exactly how many atheists are pushing the anti-Christian juggernaut we'd discover that there aren't too many. "
You'd be right. I know a few atheists, other than myself, and none are activists. They're about as "live and let live" as any group I know.
I only know a few, though, because atheists don't have a place to meet like a church or something. We're pretty much non-joiners.
Anyhow, have a Happy Thanksgiving!
"London printers Charles Goodall & Sons became the first to mass-produce Christmas cards. In 1862 they created cards saying "A Merry Christmas." Later, they designed cards with various designs, including robins, holly, mangers, snowmen, and even Little Red Riding Hood."
Saying "Merry Christmas" has been around longer than the PC freaks we have to deal with today. I say, say whatever you want to whomever you want and let the chips fall where they may!
If you want to get someone REALLY riled up, offer them a Candy Cane, LOL! Go check out why for yourselves, below...
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/christmas2.html
You may be correct, in the mean time, intelligent people without an agenda, should have no problem with Christmas greetings or any other type of peaceful greetings of good will in school.
The celebration of Christs' birthday is the fundamental basis for Christmas. It's the very 'spirit' of Christmas. As seculars continue to erase the reason for Christmas, they also remove all meaning and purpose for it. And as their eradication agenda progrsses, eventually people will begin to question why they ought to bother buying gifts, putting up trees, decorating, etc. Why bother with the expense and trouble if its just another day like any other. And that is how Christmas will wither away and die in America.
Already it's becoming more difficult to find wrapping paper that looks like it's for Christmas and not for some kids day or some "winter celebration".
One day I was reading Goebels action plans for eradicating Germany's existing holidays so as to replace them with what the Nazis felt were more fitting. His strategy was exactly what is occuring here in America: introduce resentment towards the holiday so as to divide the people; introduce into use another name for the holiday,ostensibly to
soothe tensions {Christmas is being replaced by 'winter solstice'}, continue to strip all meaning and purpose and then eventually, the holiday will simply wither and die.
snip.....Anyhow, have a Happy Thanksgiving!
The same back at ya'!
Perhaps. However, I think we need to acknowledge that public schools, in some form, are going to be with us for the foreseeable future. It's like the welfare state- conservatives have to accept that it's not going anywhere anytime soon. We should focus on trying to make public education work, whether by breaking the teachers' unions or fighting for school choice.
That cannot happen anymore.
whether by breaking the teachers' unions
Always worth a try, good luck on that one too.
or fighting for school choice.
You already have school choice.
Now all you have to do is get them to stop stealing your money and giving to other people to whom it does not belong in order to send their children to school.
I'm in Union County. The moonbats here seem to keep a low profile.
That's never going to happen.
Oh good, you're in the sane part of the state then. I read about some of the stuff that goes on in Mecklenberg County and I can't believe it.
}:-)4
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