The belief by everyday Americans that Christian persecution only occurs in far-away lands has gotten a reality check over the last decade.
The secularism in Washington, D.C., rolled back religious rights in favor of atheists and special interest groups really ramped up during the Obama years. Small town churches had to bring cases to the U.S. Supreme Court to be allowed access to taxpayer funding just to build community playscapes for local children. Christian’s liberties were under fire for many years.
But there’s one thing people of faith will not do and that is bow to anti-religious forces. These recent examples showcase the fact that American Christians stand their ground.
City Council Stands with God
Members of the Parkersburg, West Virginia, city council are under siege for reciting the Lord’s Prayer before meetings.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop Christians from openly expressing their faith. The atheist group claims to be a U.S. Constitution watchdog organization focused on separation of church and state issues. However, they have been exposed as less than credible after filing suits against private citizens and companies for embracing the Gospel.
Despite the pending litigation, Parkersburg council members maintain their practice. In a recent council meeting, members of the North Parkersburg Baptist Church joined the fellowship in a show of support. The city has chosen to fight the atheist intrusion.
“A court will have to interpret whether the city council engaging in that behavior, even if it’s before the meeting starts, violates the establishment clause,” Parkersburg attorney George Cosenza reportedly said. “And I think it’s going to get a little tricky there, when you specifically say that type of prayer at a public event.”
Other West Virginia municipalities are keenly aware of the lawsuit and have a vested interest in protecting the rights of Christians to voluntarily participate in prayer.
“Obviously, if it goes before the court, and the court says you’re not allowed to have prayer before your meeting starts, we’ll have to address that at that time,” Vienna West Virginia Mayor Randy Rapp reportedly said. “But I have no plans to change anything with the structure that’s been in place for the past several years.”
Americans Fight to End Religious Discrimination
Religious-based education has been a hot-button issue in recent years. But after a small Missouri church won the right to public funding from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2017, other Christian institutions are fighting back against discrimination.
Advocacy groups promoting educational choice have filed lawsuits in Washington State and Maine. The litigation is aimed at ending the discriminatory practice of barring non-secular schools from government funds. The Institute for Justice has thrown its resources and support behind parents.
The Maine lawsuit pushes back against a law that allows parents to enroll in a school of their choice, as long as it is secular. Faith-based schools are excluded from the same funding pool. Large rural areas of Maine struggle with publicly-zoned high schools due to distance and population. School choice funding has been a key driver for parents. The secular-only law hamstrings educational opportunities.
“By prohibiting tuition payments for children whose parents choose to send them to sectarian schools, it forces parents to either forgo the benefit of tuition funds for their child or forgo their right to send their child to the school of their choice,” the lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court of Maine reportedly states. “Defendant has no compelling, substantial, or even legitimate interest in denying tuition-eligible students and their parents’ sectarian options while allowing private secular options.”
In Spokane, Washington, a Christian school and Whitworth University filed a unified lawsuit against the state’s barring religious organizations from a work-study program. Students receive wages partly funded through the program for working part-time jobs. The program funds work at non-profits, public, private and even for-profit outfits. However, the program openly discriminates against organizations with a religious affiliation.
“Washington’s exclusion of sectarian options from the Work-Study Program is a clear-cut case of religious discrimination,” senior attorney at the Institute for Justice Michael Bindas reportedly said. “The U. S. Constitution requires government to be neutral toward religion, not hostile. By denying work-study opportunities to students simply because they desire to work for a religious employer, Washington is running afoul of the First Amendment.”
Christians across the world have struggled against secular, atheists and other forms persecution for more than 2,000 years. American Christians have drawn a line in the sand and continue to stand their ground with God.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
