Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

[Tuscaloosa News]
A billboard that was put up by the Alabama Freethought Association is causing debate, with some saying the sign reading “Imagine No Religion” is offensive and should be removed.

The billboard along Interstate 20 near Pell City was placed there by the association as part of a national campaign by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The background of the sign is of a stained glass window with the words sung by John Lennon in the song “Imagine” on top.

Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation in Madison, Wis., said Friday that the sign will be up for a month. The group had wanted a billboard near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, but Lamar Advertising declined.

“We got censored by Lamar,” she said.

“It was offensive to me,” said Tom Traylor, general manager of Lamar Advertising in Birmingham. “We have the autonomy to decide what’s in the best interests of our company and what’s offensive. I don’t think it was the kind of message we wanted to stand behind.

“You have to know what area of the country you’re in,” he said. “A heavy percent of our population is Christian. That’s who we cater to.”

Read more here.

[From me]

I’m all for doing away with the legalism of religion. But faith has brought a lot of good. What would happen to most of the colleges in the US if it weren’t for religion? What about the people who originally came to this country because of religion? How many hospitals were started because of religion? Sure there are some fine people who don’t believe in God. But religion and faith are the basis for most of our laws. I can imagine no religion and it doesn’t sound like a good place to live.

What do you think?

[Fox News]

A West Virginia mother is asking a federal judge to force education officials to enroll her daughter in public school without the required immunizations.

Jennifer Workman says it’s against her religious beliefs and she’s concerned about her daughterdeveloping autism.

Although anti-vaccination advocates believe there is a link between immunizations and autism, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is no link betwen the two. Multiple studies have also failed to link autism to vaccinations.

Read more here.

[From me]

This one is tough. There was a Law & Order episode recently about this. When does one’s personal freedom trump the public’s well being?  What if a person is not immunized and they get a student sick that leads to death? But then again, how do we know we can trust the government? Tough one!

What do you think?

[Christian Post]

A Southwest Florida man who in past years has been allowed to distribute free Bibles to high school students on Religious Freedom Day was turned down this year by the district’s superintendent. Jerry Rutherford, president of World Changers, appeared before the Collier County School Board on Thursday to ask for a reversal of the decision but received the same response.

“This rejection is a slap in the face,” said Rutherford, according to Naples News. “The decision to deny access to community groups that are religious in nature is censorship and bias.”

In November, Rutherford routinely submitted his request to set up tables offering free Bibles to district students on Religious Freedom Day. But Superintendent Dennis Thompson, who had allowed the activity in the past two years, denied his request last week.

During the meeting with the district board, Rutherford cited the 1998 decision by a federal appeals court in Peck vs. The Upshur County School Board. The case upheld a West Virginia school district’s right to give out any outside materials both religious and non-religious in a passive manner one day a year.

The Orlando-based Liberty Counsel also sent a letter on behalf of Rutherford to the board asking for the reversal of the decision. The Christian legal group had even offered to litigate the district’s position for free.

But the board said it would stand behind the decision made by Thompson.

Rutherford says it’s unconstitutional that he has been barred from passing out Bibles when the district allows other community groups, like the military, to distribute literature to students.

“We’re losing our religious freedoms and that is very scary to me,” he said, according to WINK News.

Read more here.

[From me]

I find it ironic that on “Religious Freedom Day” a religious group is not “FREELY” allowed to practice their religion.  

What do you think?

[Pittsburg Live]

At Penn-Trafford’s Harrison Park Elementary School last week, students could buy gifts for friends and family at the Secret Santa Shop, a fundraiser run by the Parent Teacher Organization. A decorated tree stood near the front door, and plans were in the works for a party on Dec. 23, the last day before Winter Break.

“But we don’t actually say the word Christmas,” said Lisa Tramuta, secretary of the PTO. “I guess you have to be politically correct.”

Many public schools approach December with trepidation, as they decide how to acknowledge Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays in a way that includes everyone and alienates no one.

Read more here.

[From me]

Somehow I don’t think the “political correctness” that has invaded our nation is what the founding Fathers had in mind.  We are suppose to have “Freedom of Religion” not “Freedom from Religion.”  I would not be offended if someone wished me Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Ramadan or Divali. If that is what they celebrate then good for them.  But why should I be forced not to celebrate a holiday that most of Americans observe just because if offends a few?

What do you think?

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[Open Doors]

More than half of Christians in America believe religious freedom should be a high priority in crafting U.S. foreign policy, according to a recent Wilson Research Strategies survey commissioned by Open Doors USA.

“The persecution of Christians in the world today is on the rise, with an estimated 100 million suffering some sort of repression and even death for their faith,” said Carl Moeller, president and chief executive officer of Open Doors USA, a Christian ministry which has served persecuted Christians around the world for more than 50 years.  “Open Doors commissioned this study to try to understand what Christians in America feel about religious freedom. Clearly, it is a priority.”

Fifty-four percent of U.S. Christians polled consider religious freedom an important issue in making U.S. foreign policy, according to the survey. This is an especially high priority with those who attend church most frequently (60 percent), compared with those Christians who never attend (40 percent).

Read more here.

[From me]

Well I agree.  I think persecution of anyone is wrong.  The problem is we live a free society and we forget there are people suffering for their faith in other parts of the world.  Makes me more grateful for our missionaries.

What do you think?