Response to Article: 'ACLU-Crafted Court Order Criminalizes Christianity'
Rocky Montana
Sept. 24, 2010
Appeals court asked to dump Florida district's prayer ban
... Criminalizing Christianity: How America's founding religion is becoming illegal
For example, Liberty Counsel was successful in 2009 defending Michelle Winkler on contempt charges brought by the ACLU after her husband, who is not employed by the district, offered a meal prayer at a private event in a neighboring county.
Also, on Constitution Day, Liberty Counsel successfully defended Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman on criminal contempt charges. The ACLU complained that Freeman offered a blessing for a lunch for some 20 adult booster members.
According to Liberty Counsel, under the decree and the official district guidelines, "teachers are always considered to be acting in their 'official capacity' whenever a student is present, even at private functions off campus. Teachers cannot pray, bow their heads, or fold their hands to show agreement with anyone who does pray. Teachers and staff cannot 'Reply' to an e-mail sent by a parent if the parent's e-mail refers to God or Scripture. Teachers either have to delete such references from the original e-mail or reply by initiating a new e-mail. Teachers and staff are also required to stop students from praying in their own private club meetings. During witness testimony, Winkler cried as she described how she and a coworker, who had recently lost a child, had to hide in a closet to pray."
[RM: It appears that Ms. Winkler had just recited the solution to her own dilemma regarding prayer; 'pray in a closet in private'. Perhaps she recalled her Bible, from Matthew 6: 5-6-- Esu Immanuel's instructions to his disciples regarding prayer, which states the following:
Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Sometimes the solution to our problems are simple? Furthermore, we need not bow our heads, kneel on a pew or on the floor, fold our hands or speak out-loud in order to pray and speak to our Father. Those are church rituals created by man. Creator-God is as close as our breath and hears us when we transmit our thoughts to Him in silence, in private. Incidentally, the evil ones have been trying to snuff out Christianity since the beginning, to no avail, but never stop trying.]
As a result, Liberty Counsel also initiated a separate lawsuit against the district on behalf of faculty, staff and students whose rights "are infringed" by the decree. ...
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: "'ACLU-crafted court order criminalizes Christianity' found at: http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/education/public/news.php?q=1285693120