Black-robe Regiment

Letters to the editor are often big on opinion, and can also be quite factually flawed. Take this one for example...

It started out slowly, almost unnoticed by most, an after-thought on the nightly news — but sometime during the 1970s the Supreme Court would rule that a Christmas nativity scene on public property was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment’s so-called “Establishment clause.”

And it did violate the establishment clause. So where's the problem?

And so began a downward spiral into the abyss we now find ourselves in today — an assault on anything Christian from the secular and atheist communities.

Huh? There is no assault on 'anything Christian'. There is a battle against church/state violations (no matter the religion), but there is no plot to take away people's personal religious rights.

Over subsequent years, the battle has raged from the serious to the ridiculous: from nativity scenes to words like “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas;” holiday trees replacing Christmas trees; from Easter displays to Bibles, public prayers, The Ten Commandments and crosses; and all the words and depictions that atheists say offends them.

For the One hundred sixty thousandth time, none of this has ever been challenged due to offense. They are only ever challenged when they break the law.

Nativity: If you have one on government property and don't represent other religions equally, it is an establishment clause violation. But the average Joe is allowed to have as many nativity displays as they like.

Happy Holidays: Again, because the government isn't supposed to promote one religion over others. And why is this even an issue? Do the Christians that complain about this not realize that 'happy holidays' also includes Christmas?

Holiday trees: Okay, this one seems silly. But it's for the same reason as 'happy holidays'. But if the state house wants to put up a tree and call it a Christmas tree, that's fine as long as they display counter displays from other faiths as well. But why do Christians raise such a big fuss when the 'Christmas tree' is actually Pagan and the Bible actually speaks out against the practice (Jeremiah 10:1-10).


Easter displays: Same as Christmas displays

Bibles: Individuals can have them, but the government isn't allowed to promote on holy book over another.

Public prayer: Individuals can pray. The government just isn't supposed to lead prayer.

Ten Commandments/Crosses: They are illegal if solely promoted on government property. But there's no quarrel with citizens or private organizations having and displaying them.

The atheists have won many battles, but the Christians also have a few wins such as the Mojave Desert Cross, the San Diego Cross and the Twin Towers Memorial Cross.

So the courts made some mistakes... In the case of the Mojave cross the land was sold so it was no longer government property. Doing so was kind of a dirty move, but did technically make the display legal. How is the Mount Soledad cross case a victory for the believers? It was ruled unconstitutional and that it shall be removed. The removal has simply been stayed pending appeal. That sounds more like an atheist win that hasn't finished yet. Finally, I (and a lot of atheists) actually agree that the 9-11 'cross' is fine since it never was created as a religions monument or symbol.

 Then there are all the depictions of the Ten Commandments, and Christian statues and plaques that have been taken down, covered up or dragged into dark courthouse basements where they now sit out of sight, but certainly not out of mind and not forgotten — an atheist win, for now.

Well they were in violation of the law. Holding Christians accountable to the same laws as everyone else is not an attack on Christianity, and is actually an equal application of the laws that bind our nation together.

There was a time in this country when you could pray in schools or at school football games until atheists, aided and abetted by the so-called American Civil Liberties Union, started filing lawsuits against prayer in public places.

 I thought lying was supposed to be a sin... You can pray in school and at football games. You have always been able to, and always will. Administrators simply can't lead those prayers. And that's not something that is new. It's always been illegal, it's just that these violations are no longer being ignored.

In the run up to the American Revolutionary War in 1776, there was a group of pastors speaking out from their pulpits in churches across the colonies, preaching freedom, liberty and independence from the British Crown — the British called them the Black-robe Regiment after the black robes they wore while preaching.

So? Let me guess... This means we are a Christian nation, right? Wrong!  The founders wrote a secular Constitution for a reason, and let's not forget that the Treaty of Tripoli clearly states that "The United States is in no sense founded on the Christian religion."

Today, there’s a new Black-robe Regiment forming because of the difficult times in which we find ourselves.

How is a black-robe regiment going to help us combat climate change?

 There is a war going on for the very soul of this nation, and over the values that made this nation great. American values are under attack from secularists, atheists, the federal government and activist judges.

Oh the irony of them promising to rescue a country that was originally set up as a secular nation, from secularists...

The Black-robe Regiment is fighting back with the truth of God’s Word.

Bruce Knipp

Jacksonville

Is that that God's word where he said to pray in private, to force rape victims to marry their rapists, or that eating bacon is just as bad as murder?


-Brain Hulk

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