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Anti-Christian Persecution / Perseguição Anti-Cristã (1)
Por noticias - Sunday, Jan. 08, 2006 at 5:38 PM

MOSTRUÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS JAMAIS PUBLICADAS NO BRASIL, AMÉRICA LATINA, PORTUGAL E ESPANHA. [em inglês (English)]

PERSEGUIÇÃO ANTI-CRISTÃ NOS EUA E NO MUNDO

MOSTRUÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS JAMAIS PUBLICADAS NO BRASIL, AMÉRICA LATINA, PORTUGAL E ESPANHA.

Arquivo compactado [dossie.zip]:
http://www.olavodecarvalho.org/textos/dossie.zip

[em inglês (English)]

---

PERSEGUIÇÃO ANTICRISTÃ
NOS EUA
MOSTRUÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS
JAMAIS PUBLICADAS NO BRASIL
Compiladas por Olavo de Carvalho

24 de dezembro de 2004

ÍNDICE GERAL

Perseguição anticristã nos EUA 1
Mostruário de notícias jamais publicadas no Brasil 1
Bush White House's Christ-less Christmas 5
Bush supports cross-hating movement 7
Anti-Christmas district hit with federal lawsuit 8
Pastors guilty of hating Muslims 9
Judge told: Islam illegal religion 11
Officials reverse decision to bar Christmas trees 12
School Bus Driver Bumped For Protest Fliers 13
Nativity removed to avoid ACLU 15
Radicals Host Anti-Family Conference in China 16
Study: TV Show Negative Image of Religion 17
Christians Face 47 Years in Prison for Reading Bible at 'Gay Pride' Event 18
School drops some Christmas songs from concert 20
Prosecutor: Bible is 'fighting words' 22
Schools to observe Ramadan holiday? 23
Justice opens probe into school district 24
Schools prohibit Christmas colors 26
Christmas censors 28
The War Against Christmas - Phase 2 30
Killing Christmas 33
The Impending Death of Christmas? Part I 35
The Impending Death of Christmas? Part II 37
French Thought Police Ban 'Christian' Chocolate 39
ACLU Scrooges Get an Earful of Christmas Carols 40
N.J. School Reverses 'Silent Night' Ban 41
'Emboldened' Christians Celebrate Christmas 42
Vatican presses the UN to recognise 'Christianophobia' 44
Secular forces 'pushing God to margins' 45
Atkinson defends right to offend 47
School's Carol Rule for the Grinch? 49
Teacher takes 'Christmas' out of carol 50
Christmas CD banned for mentioning Jesus 51
'No Christian symbols at Christmas' 52
School bans saying 'Christmas' 53
Christmas card with 'Jesus' banned 55
Ban on Christmas leads to court fight 56
When Christmas becomes illegal 58
Christmas in Americabecomes battleground 60
IRS: Churches can't pray for Bush victory 67
Satanism gets OK from British navy 68
Vet sues to save mountaintop cross 70
Boca principal under fire for making references to God 73
Federal Court Rejects Prayers at School Staff Meetings 75
‘Devil’ of a lawsuit: MIT lab worker claims colleagues persecuted him for being Christian 76
Campers murdered due to Christianity? 77
Google bans Christian ad 78
In Iraq, it's war on Christians 80
Library policy: No religious people allowed 82
Democrats back church IRS probe 83
Kansas group monitors sermons 85
Afraid To Say What We Think 87
NAACP censored pro-lifers? 89
Man tortured for preaching Christianity 90
Christians claim torture by Saudis 92
Los Angeles name too godly for U.S.? 94
Taliban come to Los Angeles 96
Same Judge OK'ed Muslim Prayer 98
Persecuted Vietnamese win freedom in U.S. 99
Persecution of hill tribes intensifies 101
Believers tortured to abandon Christianity 105
Christians sentenced for prayer, worship 106
New film mocks Christianity 108
Christian churches running on empty? 109
Jewish evangelism case dismissed 111
Pray for Barry Lynn 112
Hans Zeiger 112
Nonbelievers hold own rally 114
ACLU warns La Mesa to stop religious invocations 115
Guided by God, or Guided by his Gonads? 116
Homosexual leader vows to 'torture' opponents 118
112 Killed in South Thailand Gunbattles 119
Sudanese Boy "Crucified" 121
Christians defend faith from 'The Da Vinci Code' 122
Not Norman's Psycho 124
Homeschoolers barred from religious materials 133
'Gay Militia' storms Christian meeting 135
'Bible as hate speech' author admits stealing 136
'Bible as hate speech' bill passes 138
Med student flunks for saying no to abortion 140
Textbooks for Jihad 142
The Beleaguered Christians of the Palestinian Authority 147
Believers tortured to abandon Christianity 159
Christians charged for revealing crackdown 160
Students consider faith-based leadership requirement 'discriminatory' 161
A cover-up of biblical proportions 163
Catholic professor punished for views 164
Teacher told: Ditch the Star of David 165
Suspension for 'anti-gay' opinion upheld 166
State snubs Christian teen ranch 168
Christian soldier, Muslim soldier 169
The 'Offensiveness' of Christianity 171
General Muzzled After Describing War on Terror as Battle With Satan 173
Appeals panel: Decalogue unconstitutional 175
The global war on Christians 187
On my mind 190
Christian Persecution Comes to America 192
China behind Christian persecution in S.E. Asia 194
Christian Persecution: Saudi Arabia 199
Christian persecution on rise in Iraq 201
Judge rules Islamic education 202
Islam studies required in California district 204
Exploding the myth of church-state separation 206
Evangelist's 'tone incited hatred of Muslims' 208
Law of the land 210
Syrian-Produced TV Series Questions Israel's Right to Exist 217
Brave new schools 219
NYC district denies birth of Jesus? 220
Christmas in America becomes battleground 222
School bans Christmas, but OK with Halloween 229
Judge: Witches can pray at county meeting 231
America: Falling from Grace 232
Videos of Hate 236
A Jew in Anti-Christian America 238
Are You Experiencing Anti-Christian Bigotry on Campus? 247
Europe's Anti-Christian Attitude 248
Christians and Children's Services 250
Anti-Christian Mood Seen In Texas Killings 251
Federal Judges Are Anti-Christian 255
Responding to Louis Farrakhan's anti-Christian propaganda 258
Organized humanism produces a growing Anti-Christian society 263
Feds Fuel Anti-Christian Bigotry in Schoolchildren 268
Examples of Anti-Christian Persecution 270
Catholics in crossfire again 273
Mary Jo Anderson is a contributing 276
A New Century of Martyrs: Anti-Christian Intolerance 278
The Anti-Christian Liberal Union 280
Wonder whose side the ACLU will take then? 282
Pol Pot's Nazi-style experiments 284

Bush White House's Christ-less Christmas
Official commemorations emphasize Santa, Rudolph over Jesus in 2004
Posted: December 21, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Santa Claus joins President and Laura Bush in singing carols at the White House
WASHINGTON What's virtually missing from the White House commemoration of Christmas this year?
Jesus.
The little baby in the manger.
The reason for the season.
While President Bush was re-elected last month in an election victory many attributed to an outpouring of support by evangelical Christians impressed with his candid outspokenness about his faith, some Americans notice the White House website lacks even a single mention of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated by hundreds of millions worldwide Dec. 25.
The official White House site proclaims this as the "Season of Merriment and Melody" not the birth of the Savior of the world.
"Throughout the world, the holiday season is greeted by joyful music that brightens hearts and evokes wonderful memories," reads the message. "This year's theme brings to the White House the magic of holiday songs that have been favorites for generations of Americans."
Among the website's many photographs of secular decorations is a shot of a creche, or Nativity, displayed in the East Room, but the baby Jesus is virtually invisible.
The White House has not responded to WND's request for comment.
The White House residence, the site proclaims is decorated with "delightful vignettes illustrating many of the best-loved songs of the season."
White House decorated like a winter wonderland
Not one of those songs is a traditional spiritual carol or hymn. Instead, the songs listed include "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," "Here Comes Santa Claus," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," "Upon the Housetop," "Blue Christmas," "Jingle Bells," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," White Christmas," "Frosty the Snowman, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Marshmallow World."
In fact, even the word Christmas is only used in song titles and as an adjective such as before the word tree.
At the lighting of the National Christmas Tree Dec. 2, Bush remarked: "Tonight we begin a joyous season, and the city of Washington is never more beautiful than during the holidays. At Christmas time we celebrate good tidings first announced two thousand years ago, and still a source of great joy in our world. Laura and I are always happy to join in the Pageant of Peace, and we thank you all for coming this evening.
"The season of Advent is always the season of hope," Bush continued. "We think of the patient hope of men and women across the centuries who listened to the words of the prophets and lived in joyful expectation. We think of the hope of Mary, who welcomed God's plan with great faith. We think of the hope of the Wise Men who set out on a long journey guided only by a slender promise traced in the stars. We are reminded of the hope that the grandest purposes of the Almighty can be found in the humblest places. And we embrace the hope that all the love and gifts that come to us in this life are the signs and symbols of even a greater love and gift that came on a holy night. The old carol speaks of a 'thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.' And every year at this time we feel the thrill of hope as we wait on Christmas Day."
Bush went on to remember troops serving in foreign wars this Christmas season.
It has been noted that the Bushes' holiday card this year includes a Scripture verse. But, again, it does not mention Jesus.
This card has a line from Psalms, 95:2: "Let us come before him with Thanksgiving and extol him with music and song."
First lady Laura Bush supervises the card selection. She also picked cards with Bible verses when her husband was Texas governor.
The Republican National Committee paid for production and distribution.
On Dec. 9, Bush participated in a special menorah lighting ceremony at the White House.
"Hanukkah is a festive holiday that celebrates a great victory for freedom," he said. "We remember the liberation of Jerusalem and a miracle witnessed in the holy Temple 2,000 years ago. For eight days the oil burned, and the light of freedom still burns in Jewish homes and synagogues everywhere. We are honored to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah in the White House this evening."
Likewise, Bush issued a Hanukkah proclamation Dec. 7.
"I send greetings to all those celebrating Hanukkah, the festival of lights," he said. "On the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, Jews around the world commemorate the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago. During this time of darkness, the Temple had been seized, and Judaism had been outlawed. Judah Maccabee and his followers fought for three years for their freedom and successfully recaptured Jerusalem and the Temple. Jewish tradition teaches that the Maccabees found only one small bottle of oil to be used for temple rituals, but that oil lasted eight days and nights. The miracle of this enduring light, remembered through the lighting of the Menorah, continues to symbolize the triumph of faith over tyranny."
He continued: "The bravery of the Maccabees has provided inspiration through the ages. We must remain steadfast and courageous as we seek to spread peace and freedom throughout the world. This holiday season, we give thanks to God, and we remember the brave men and women of our Armed Forces and their families. We also pray that all who live under oppression will see their day of freedom and that the light of faith will always shine through the darkness. Laura joins me in wishing you a blessed and Happy Hanukkah."
In 2001, Bush issued a Kwanzaa greeting from the White House, and repeated it in 2002 and 2003.

Bush supports cross-hating movement
President's father also praises work of Rev. Moon-linked clergy group
Posted: December 21, 2004
2:10 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Both President Bush and his father have expressed their support for a group of mostly black church leaders that endorses the practice of throwing the cross into the trash literally.
According to an online column by John Gorenfeld, the American Clergy Leadership Conference sponsored a nationwide "Tear Down The Cross" day for Easter 2003 during which pastors led ceremonies where traditional sanctuary crosses were tossed into dumpsters. Over 100 crosses reportedly were trashed.
Writes Gorenfeld, "This [cross removal], movement leaders said, cleared the way for a new age and second messiah."
Last week, the movement's leaders presided over a Washington prayer breakfast featuring messages of thanks from both Bush presidents.
Though ACLC's website says part of its purpose is to "promote through fellowship the unity of the body of Christ," it also aims to "foster cooperation and understanding among all religions." That cooperation is evidenced by the involvement of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church who was dubbed the king of peace at a coronation ceremony in the Dirksen Senate Office Building earlier this year.
The organization also works closely with both Muslim and Jewish clergy.
Two sponsors of last week's breakfast, the International and Interreligious Federation of World Peace and the American Family Coalition, are both affiliated with Moon.
"One series of photos found on Moon's website, but purged after receiving unfavorable attention earlier this year from evangelicals, shows Massachusetts preacher John Kingara taking down the cross from his church, hauling it behind the old brick building and hoisting it into a dumpster," writes Gorenfeld. "Another shows a ritual in Israel disposing of the cross in the earth.
Pastor John Kingara of Worcester, Mass., throws his church's cross in the dumpster.
"Kingara, embracing the ACLC's new gospel, declared in remarks found in the Unification News, 'The fact that the cross is a symbol of division, shame, suffering and bloodshed prove that it is not of God but Satan.' He continued, 'On this 18th day of April 2003, we are beginning a new history. Pastors, please, help me to bring the cross down, because it is not of God but the devil.'"
Moon was the keynote speaker at the Washington breakfast last week.
Writes Gorenfeld: "In Moon's teachings, God himself is shedding tears over mankind's obsession with the cross, which prevents us from recognizing the real 'returning lord': Moon himself. It's no secret. This is something he's patiently explained to many audiences of congressmen and former Republican presidents over the years, in Washington pageants that hardly ever make the news."
The columnist says Bush sent a "warm letter" of support presented at the breakfast by a state senator, in which the president and first lady sent best wishes to the sponsors -- and thanked them for rallying his "armies of compassion."

Anti-Christmas district hit with federal lawsuit
School officials banned carols, even for instrumental groups
Posted: December 20, 2004
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
The New Jersey school district that banned Christmas music, even by instrumental groups, from its holiday concerts has been hit with a lawsuit claiming officials have demonstrated hostility toward religion.
Thomas More Law Center filed a federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of Michael Stratechuk and his two children, who are students in the South Orange/Maplewood School District. According to a statement from Thomas More, the suit claims the district's action is unconstitutional.
As WorldNetDaily reported, this year the district expanded its no-Christmas music policy to include instrumental music. Instead of tunes about Jesus, and even Santa Claus, the 40-member Columbia High School brass ensemble will be limited for the first time to seasonal selections such as "Winter Wonderland" and "Frosty the Snowman." The group's holiday concert is scheduled for tomorrow night.
"This is another example of the anti-Christmas, anti-religion policy infecting our public-school system," said Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the law center, in a statement. "The Constitution does not require our public schools to become religion-free zones. Forcing students to strip all religious content from music is like asking them to study art history while excluding paintings from the Renaissance because they contain religious subjects."
The civil-rights lawsuit argues that the school district's total ban on religious music conveys the "impermissible, government-sponsored message of disapproval of and hostility toward religion." The lawsuit further argues that because the religious music is banned from the public schools, students are denied the ability to learn about and listen to music that has influenced the social, cultural and historic development of civilization.
Last week, WND reported that Bogota, N.J., Mayor Steve Lonegan, a Republican candidate for governor, has organized what he calls an "illegal" night of caroling tomorrow before the Columbia High School concert to draw attention to the school district's ban. Lonegan has invited his rivals to join him outside the school to sing songs that were deleted from the concert's program.

Pastors guilty of hating Muslims
Tribunal judge rules church seminar vilified Islam
Posted: December 18, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
A state tribunal in Australia yesterday found two evangelical Christian pastors who conducted a church seminar on Islam guilty of inciting hatred against Muslims.
Danny Nallliah (Photo: Catch the Fire Ministries)
Daniel Nalliah and Daniel Scot of Catch the Fire Ministries were tried under Victoria's new race and religion hate laws after the the Islamic Council of Victoria filed legal action, charging Scot called Muslims demons, liars and terrorists
Transcripts of the seminar in Melbourne show Scot, born in Pakistan, was quoting verses from the Quran to make his points, but three Australian converts to Islam who attended part of the seminar brought their notes to the Islamic Council.
The decision [pdf file] came as 100 supporters and members of Catch the Fire Ministries sang Christian songs outside the tribunal.
The Islamic Council's complaint also said Scot told the congregation Muslims were training to take over Australia and Islam was an inherently violent religion.
In the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal yesterday, Judge Michael Higgins found that throughout the seminar Scot had made fun of Muslim beliefs and conduct.
"It was done, not in the context of a serious discussion of Muslims' religious beliefs," the judge said, according to The Australian
"It was presented in a way which is essentially hostile, demeaning and derogatory of all Muslim people, their god, Allah, the prophet Muhammad and in general Muslim religious beliefs and practices," he said.
The judge also found a website article and newsletter published by Catch the Fire Ministries to be breaches of the religious vilification legislation.
Higgins will hear submissions from lawyers in January to decide on fines. There is no limitation on the amount of fines, The Australian said.
The ruling was an important victory for the Muslim community, Islamic Council president Yasser Soliman told the paper.
"We are not their enemies, we are fellow Australians," he said. "We don't want to be positioned as an enemy or painted as one."
Soliman said "vilification" is a "tool that is sometimes used by extremists" that is meant to "hurt."
Nalliah and Scot indicated they will consider an appeal.
"Freedom of speech is one of our fundamental values in Australia and this case is not over," Scot said, according to the Australian paper.
"We cannot let freedom of speech be taken away from us; religion cannot be legislated.
Scot said the purpose of the seminar, just months after 9-11, was to increase understanding of Muslim culture.
Nalliah insisted there was "no hate speech at all."
"It was teaching and understanding of what we knew of what the holy book of Islamic faith says," he explained. "And I believe we, in a free and democratic society, should have the freedom to speak up."
As WorldNetDaily reported in February, Catch the Fire Ministries turned the table on its accuser, arguing in court that Christianity in Australia has special protection under the constitution.
Lawyer David Perkins asserted that if Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act of 2001 curbs the teaching of Christian doctrine, it is invalid. He further claimed Australia's blasphemy law was intended to protect only Christianity.
The law refers to "lawful religion," which disqualifies Islam, because it preaches violence, Perkins emphasized.
"The Quran contradicts Christian doctrine in a number of places and, under the blasphemy law, is therefore illegal," he said.

Judge told: Islam illegal religion
Christian group prosecuted under 'tolerance act' turns tables
Posted: February 20, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
A Christian group prosecuted under an Australian state's new religious hatred law told a court Islam is an illegal religion because it preaches violence against Christians and Jews.
Turning the tables on its accuser, defenders of Catch the Fire Ministries argued in court that Christianity in Australia has special protection under the constitution, reported The Age daily newspaper of Melbourne.
Lawyer David Perkins told a civil tribunal if the state of Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act of 2001 curbs the teaching of Christian doctrine it is invalid. He further claimed Australia's blasphemy law was intended to protect only Christianity.
The law refers to "lawful religion," which disqualifies Islam, because it preaches violence, Perkins emphasized.
"The Quran contradicts Christian doctrine in a number of places and, under the blasphemy law, is therefore illegal," he said.
The case began two months after the tolerance act became law in January 2002 when Islamic-studies scholar Daniel Scot conducted a seminar in Melbourne on Islam, sponsored by Catch the Fire Ministries.
Transcripts show Scot, born in Pakistan, was quoting verses from the Quran to make his points, but three Australian converts to Islam who attended part of the seminar brought their notes to the Islamic Council of Victoria.
The Islamic Council made a formal complaint of vilification against Scot and Catch the Fire Ministries pastor Danny Nalliah.
Perkins asserted the reference in Australia's constitution to the people "humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God" referred to Christianity only. Australia's blasphemy law takes precedence over the state act, he argued.
He pointed to the Choudhury case in England, involving Salman Rushdie's book "The Satanic Verses," which held the blasphemy law protected only Christianity, not Islam.
Judge Michael Higgins, however, said a motion claiming the seminar was exempt as a religious activity would fail, prompting Perkins to withdraw it.
The law is not based on the intent of the accused but rather on how their actions or words affected the hearers. Higgins said after hearing a tape of the seminar it was "strongly open" that it breached the act.
Higgins said the seminar described the attitudes of a small group of fundamentalist Muslims who "lack association with those Muslim people who live and work peacefully in this community."

Officials reverse decision to bar Christmas trees
Letter from Christian legal group prompts immediate action
http://www.nbc5.com/education/4006771/detail.html
Posted: December 18, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
County officials in Florida reversed a decision that banned display of Christmas trees in public facilities, including libraries, recreation centers and community centers.
Christmas tree at Arkansas public library
Pasco County, north of Tampa, made the reversal 24 hours after the American Center for Law and Justice sent a letter [pdf filed] to officials.
"We are pleased that the county admitted its mistake and reversed its legally flawed decision removing Christmas trees from county facilities," said ACLJ chief counsel Jay Sekulow. "The law is very clear about this issue -- the display of Christmas trees is constitutional and the county had no legal basis in removing them."
Officials ordered the trees removed because they were considered religious symbols, said Dan Johnson, assistant county administrator for Public Services.
Sekulow has argued five cases at the Supreme Court involving issues of religion in public life.
He advised that "before taking such drastic measures in the future, it would be beneficial for county officials to get a clear and accurate understanding of the law."
The ACLJ's letter cited a 1989 decision in which the high court said: "The Christmas tree, unlike the menorah, is not itself a religious symbol. Although Christmas trees once carried religious connotations, today they typify the secular celebration of Christmas."
Furthermore, the Supreme Court and numerous lower courts have held that Nativity scenes and menorahs may be displayed on government property without violating the Constitution.
This season, the ACLJ also helped reinstate the display of a Nativity scene in a senior center in Missouri operated by the federal government's Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Meanwhile, an atheist couple is demanding that the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Wash., remove a decorated tree from its City Hall, even though it isn't called a Christmas tree.
Sidney and Jennifer Stock say the "giving tree," which has generated nearly $25,000 worth of donations, is offensive, reports KOMO-TV in Seattle.
"There are a lot of people who've come to this country, maybe have been here for years, who don't feel freedom to say anything," said Jennifer Stock. "So we feel we're saying it for those people. Not just for ourselves."

School Bus Driver Bumped For Protest Fliers
Driver, Mother Objects To 'Anti-Christ' Song
POSTED: 2:15 pm CST December 17, 2004
UPDATED: 2:55 pm CST December 17, 2004
CHICAGO -- A suburban school bus driver claims she was pulled from her route because she objected to an "anti-Christ" song listed in the school's holiday program.
The Herald News reported Friday that Plainfield's Central School officials say the driver was taken off the route because she passed out unauthorized fliers along her route criticizing the program.
Carmen Brown said she was reprimanded by the First Student Bus Company for handing out unapproved fliers she had made up encouraging people to boycott the school's holiday program because it included the song, "I Hate This Holiday."
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Brown, who has a son in Central's third grade class, said she passed out the fliers on Monday as she drove her route. On Tuesday afternoon, her supervisor informed her that school Superintendent John Harper had asked that she be taken off the Plainfield bus route.
"They took my school bus job away from me because I protested my child singing an anti-Christ song," Brown told the newspaper.
Brown said First Student did not, in fact, fire her, but offered her a choice of available bus routes which were too far away for her to be able to get home when her son gets home from school.
"I'm a churchgoer. I believe in Jesus and believe Christmas is a Christian holiday," she's quoted as saying. "But when they hand my child a piece of paper to learn a song that says, 'I hate the holidays and everything it stands for,' my son is confused."
Central School Principal Linda DiLeo said the song was not inappropriate in the context of the play the students presented.
"We have Jewish children, we have children who celebrated Ramadan a couple weeks ago," DiLeo said. "We take into account that we aren't all celebrating the same holiday and try to put on programs that everyone can celebrate."
"I am furious that they took my job," said Brown, who stood outside the school Thursday handing out protest fliers.
The Herald reported that Harper said the decision to pull Brown off the bus route had to do with her handing out fliers that were not approved first.
"In a very general sense, District 202 does not permit our bus drivers to distribute literature of any sort to students without first obtaining administrative approval," he said. "The issue at hand ... focuses more on the distribution of materials than the content of materials."
Brown said some parents on her block kept their children out of school Thursday in protest of the program, but DiLeo said only Brown's son was absent for that reason.
"The sad thing is I think it could have been avoided, had someone come in (earlier) and asked about the program," DiLeo said. "No one asked what it was about. The kids were caught in the middle. People were jumping to conclusions."
Special thanks to Herald reporter Janet Lundquist.
Copyright 2004 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nativity removed to avoid ACLU
County officials previously
had run afoul of group
Posted: December 18, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Fearing they would run afoul of the ACLU, county officials in Pennsylvania pulled a Nativity display that had adorned a public park for several weeks.
Nativity display deemed illegal by county officials in Pennyslvania. (Courtesy Beaver County Times)
Beaver County officials said the group that set up the display before Thanksgiving did not get permission, but if they had asked, they would have been rejected because the county soliciter has determined it violates the U.S. Constitution, the Beaver County Times reported.
The county commissioners chairman, Dan Donatella, told the paper the commissioners disagree with the interpretation but are obligated to obey it, citing two previous instances in which the ACLU has threatened lawsuits over creches.
The county removed one in the courthouse and another in the jail.
Organizers of the county's annual Festival of Trees fund-raiser, which benefits children served by the county's Children and Youth Services, placed the scene of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the star of Bethlehem and two lambs at the entrance to Bradys Run Park.
"Had [festival organizers] consulted with us, they would have been informed that they could not put that Nativity set on county property," Donatella said. "Under law, we're not allowed to do that."
Vic Walczak, legal director for the Pennsylvania ACLU, told the Beaver County paper religious symbols arbitrarily erected on public property are unconstitutional because they endorse a particular religion, and government must represent people of all faiths.
"If Beaver County is putting up that creche, what's the message they're sending to residents: We promote, support and endorse Christmas and Christianity?" he said. "Does that mean Christianity is better than the other religions?"
Walczak said it would meet constitutional requirements if the park entrance allowed all groups to display religious messages on a first-come, first-served basis.
"We have kept peace in this country largely because government and religion remain separate," he said. "The big difference between us and places like Bosnia and the Middle East is separation of church and state, along with the right to practice individual religion."
A federal judge ruled Wednesday a Florida town must allow a display of the Nativity this season, granting a temporary restraining order based on the substantial likelihood of successful speech and equal-protection claims in an on-going case.
The town allowed the display of Jewish menorahs but rejected a woman's Nativity display, even if she paid for it herself.

Radicals Host Anti-Family Conference in China
NewsMax Wires
Friday, Dec. 17, 2004
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/12/16/233457.shtml
Following close on the heels of the pro-life and pro-family Doha (Qatar) International Conference on the Family, the pro-abortion forces met in a similar four-day conference in Sanya, China last week in what some see as an attempt to counteract the Doha platform.
The World Family Summit was sponsored mainly by the Chinese government and organized in part by China's National Population and Family Planning Commission.
The U.N. also played an unofficial but active role in organizing the conference, and many representatives of feminist, gay and pro-abortion movements participated.
Like the Doha Conference, this Summit also claimed the role of observing the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family. However, unlike the Doha Conference, which was welcomed by the UN General Assembly as an official commemoration of that anniversary, this Summit was neither recognized nor sanctioned by the UN.
Moreover, the Summit opened on December 6, the very day that the UN officially ended its year-long celebration of the International Year of the Family with a consensus resolution that recognized the Doha Declaration, co-sponsored by 149 countries, as an outcome of that celebration and did not mention the Summit.
The participants of the Summit adopted the Sanya Declaration, which is subtitled the "World Declaration for a Global Family Policy." In contrast to the Doha Declaration, which called upon states to "ensure that the inherent dignity of human beings is recognized and protected through all stages of life," the Sanya Declaration states the need for a reduction in "unwanted pregnancies" through the increased availability of "reproductive health services, especially family planning."
Further, while the Doha Declaration called upon countries to "uphold, preserve and defend the institution of marriage," the Sanya Declaration says that families are "as different as alike," and "various forms of the family exist in different social, cultural, legal and political systems," and insists that "respecting their diversity and peculiarity is mandatory."
The Sanya Declaration also calls upon states to "encourage the participation of adolescents in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of...health programmes that include sexual and reproductive health," while the Doha Declaration asked nations to "reaffirm and respect the liberty of parents...to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions."
The Summit also hosted several exhibitions by Chinese companies involved in the research and manufacturing of contraceptive, abortive and sexual enhancement products, including the China Family Planning Association, a full member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Copyright 2004 - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).

Study: TV Show Negative Image of Religion
2/16/2004 18:02:57 EST
By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer
http://kevxml2adsl.verizon.net/_1_2T2VTO102S7R27N__vzn.dsl/apnws/story.htm?kcfg=apart&sin=D871188O0&qcat=entertain&ran=29579&passqi=&feed=ap&top=1
NEW YORK - Television entertainment programs mention God more often than they did in the mid-1990s but tend to depict organized religion negatively, a study released Thursday said.
The Parents Television Council watched every hour of prime-time on the broadcast networks during the 2003-04 season and logged 2,344 treatments of religion. They judged 22 percent of the mentions positive, 24 percent negative and the rest neutral.
The conservative group's last study, released in 1997, found far fewer mentions of the topic - an average of once per hour compared to three times per hour last season.
But any mention of a religious institution or member of the clergy was at least twice as likely to be negative than positive, the council said.
"Ninety percent of the American people believes in God," said Brent Bozell, the council's president. "It is an important issue to most people. Hollywood is attacking the very thing that they consider important in their own lives. Perhaps Hollywood ought to be changing its world view."
Negative examples varied widely: from comic Jimmy Kimmel joking on the American Music Awards that winners should resist thanking God, to a Catholic priest admitting on "The Practice" that he had had sex with a woman who was later murdered.
Well-publicized scandals about pedophile priests made Catholics particularly vulnerable, the council found.
"Catholicism is in the bulls-eye of the entertainment medium," Bozell said.
His group singled out NBC, saying its mentions of religion were nearly 10 time more likely to be negative than positive. "Law & Order" episodes, which tend to have stories ripped from the headlines, helped skew those numbers, the group said.
Bozell noted, however, that one of the negative NBC examples the PTC cited - Karen on "Will & Grace" quipping, "let's go by that historic church and turn it into a gay bar" - reflected as poorly on the character as on religion.
An NBC spokeswoman, Shannon Jacobs, said the network hadn't seen the study but rejected its conclusion. NBC's programming reflects the diversity of its audience, she said.
"It is never our intention to appear, nor do we accept the notion that we are, anti-religious," she said.
Among the positive examples, the PTC cites a "JAG" episode where a character prays to God to say hello to her dead mother, and an "American Dreams" episode where an actor playing a medical student says a surgery is partially in God's hands.
Bozell said he's not suggesting that all television programming "ought to be about St. Teresa" or even be all positive about religion, but that Hollywood should keep in mind the overall picture it presents to viewers.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Christians Face 47 Years in Prison for Reading Bible at 'Gay Pride' Event
Randy Hall, CNSNews.com
Friday, Dec. 17, 2004
Four people who were arrested during a confrontation at an annual homosexual pride event in Philadelphia could spend up to 47 years in prison for public reading of Scripture, an attorney for a pro-family organization said Thursday.
Brian Fahling, senior trial attorney for the American Family Association (AFA) Center for Law and Policy, is representing the group in court. He claims the Christian activists are being persecuted simply for exercising their constitutional rights.
"They were exercising their First Amendment rights in a public forum, and we have videotape that demonstrates that," Fahling said.
The case began on Oct. 10, when Repent America Director Michael Marcavage and 10 other persons preached and read verses from the Bible during an annual "gay pride" event known as "Outfest" in Philadelphia.
Fahling said that a video of the confrontation showed Marcavage speaking through a bullhorn while he and his supporters were "being shouted down by irate gay activists."
However, city officials told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the video did not show the start of the confrontation, when they said Marcavage tried to interrupt an onstage performance with his preaching and then disobeyed a police order to move to the perimeter of the "block party" to avoid the potential for violence.
'Dangerous'
"They were not prohibited from preaching," said Karen Brancheau, a lawyer for the district attorney's office. "A reasonable request was made to prevent a situation from becoming dangerous to their own safety, as well as the safety of the participants."
Charges were later dropped against seven people in the "Philadelphia 11" because they were not seen quoting Scripture on a videotape of the incident.
However, the remaining four individuals have been ordered to stand trial on three felony counts - criminal conspiracy, ethnic intimidation and riot - and five misdemeanor charges. If convicted, Fahling said, they could face up to 47 years in prison.
'Fighting Words'
Charles Ehrlich, the city prosecutor in the case, has called the Christian protesters "hateful" and referred to preaching the Bible as using "fighting words."
Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge William Austin Meehan has banned the protesters from doing any type of evangelism within 100 yards of any "gay and lesbian event."
This past week, U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker denied emergency relief from prosecution despite video footage Fahling calls "undisputed evidence" that the group cooperated with police and were continually harassed by members of a homosexual organization called Pink Angels.
Then on Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit turned down a similar appeal.
Since the federal courts did not intervene, the last route for the group to avoid trial would be an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Fahling said.
"First, symbols of Christianity are removed from the public square; now, Christians are facing 47 years in prison because they preached the gospel in the public square. Stalin would be proud," Fahling concluded.
Copyright CNSNews.com

School drops some Christmas songs from concert
Parents say change ignores tradition
A student complains that the program is too Christian, but move prompts more concern.
By Pamela Perez
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2004/12/16/s1b_NODRUMMER_1216.html
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Chris and Judy Franklin will be disappointed tonight when the holiday choral performance at their daughter's school ends a few minutes before schedule.
Their 12-year-old daughter Erica won't be performing The Little Drummer Boy, after it was cut from her Jupiter school's concert program because of its religious nature, according to her parents.
"What are we coming too?" said Judy Franklin. "Where do we draw the line when we're trying to be so politically correct? I think we're losing our freedom of speech."
School officials at Independence Middle School have omitted some traditional Christmas songs from the program days before the concert after concerns they didn't comply with the annual holiday guidelines.
"We didn't just pull one, we pulled three or four (songs)," said Gwendolyn Johnson, school principal. "I think there's a good cross-section. As long as you have a variety of groups, your music should reflect that."
The other songs cut from the program were Shepherd's Spiritual, On a Cold Christmas Day and a medley of three songs: Angels We Have Heard on High, How Great Our Joy and Ding Dong Merrily on High, according to school officials.
Johnson acknowledged that the songs were cut for religious reasons. The change happened when interim chorus director Lisa Pontbriand asked Johnson to double check the program after a female Jewish student complained all the songs were "Christian." The principal had the program reviewed by the district's secondary education fine arts specialists, according to district spokeswoman Vickie Middlebrooks.
School officials decided to pull the four Christian-themed songs and replace them with three traditional Hanukkah songs: One Special Night, Bashana Haba'ah and S' vivon, the latter two performed in Hebrew. Some Christian-based songs stayed on the program, including Born Born in Bethlehem. Other songs on tonight's program include God Bless Us All, Deck the Halls, Singing at Santa's Place and Feliz Navidad.
"Now there is a greater showing of different faiths," Pontbriand said.
The Franklins, who are not Christian or religious, say the change worries them because of how stealthily it came about.
"Now the minority has a voice and the minority is getting their way," Judy Franklin said. "We don't say anything because we want to be politically correct, but they're hurting our feelings. They don't care about our feelings. It wouldn't offend me if they sing the dreidel song. It wouldn't offend me if they're singing the Kwanzaa song because it's part of a tradition. The Little Drummer Boy is tradition. It's something that has been a part of our country."
The Little Drummer Boy was just part of the ripple effect, Pontbriand said.
Last month, the student chorus held a concert in honor of Veteran's Day. The concert had no last-minute changes, according to school officials.
The Anti-Defamation League has worked closely with the Palm Beach County Schools District to develop guidelines during the holiday season, according to Mark Medin, Florida regional director for the Anti-Defamation League.
"The December holidays should not be about religious division and exclusion, but rather a time to bring communal good will, respect and mutual understanding among the various religious and ethnic groups in our society," Medin said.
The league believes public schools have a duty to censor themselves to teach students about respect.
"We think it's very important for the school district to have guidelines," Medin said. "When it comes to government institutions, such as public schools, there needs to be a higher level of sensitivity."
In New Jersey, a school district slashed the traditional Christmas song Silent Night from E.H. Slaybaugh Elementary School's holiday concert program after a parent, who is an attorney, objected to the song because of its religious nature, according to news reports. On Monday, the unidentified parent withdrew the complaint, but it is still under review by the board of education.
"One day we'll wake up and there won't be any Christmas," Chris Franklin said. "They're taking it way from us - one song at a time."

Prosecutor: Bible is 'fighting words'
4 who protested at Philly homosexual event ordered to stand trial, face 47 years in prison
Posted: December 16, 2004
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Four Christian protesters who demonstrated at a Philadelphia homosexual event face a possible 47 years in prison if convicted of felony charges filed against them, while a prosecutor referred to Scripture verses they read as "fighting words."
The four are part of 11 demonstrators who went before the Philadelphia Municipal Court in a preliminary hearing this week. Judge William Austin Meehan Tuesday ordered four of the Christians to stand trial on three felony and five misdemeanor charges. If convicted, they could a maximum of 47 years in prison.
As WorldNetDaily reported, on Oct. 10, the group was "preaching God's Word" to a crowd of people attending the outdoor Philadelphia "OutFest" event and displaying banners with biblical messages.
After a confrontation with a group called the Pink Angels, described by protesters as "a militant mob of homosexuals," the 11 Christians were arrested and spent a night in jail.
Eight charges were filed: criminal conspiracy, possession of instruments of crime, reckless endangerment of another person, ethnic intimidation, riot, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and obstructing highways.
None of the Pink Angels was cited or arrested.
A video of the arrest, provided by the American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy can be seen here [Windows Media].
"First, symbols of Christianity are removed from the public square; now, Christians are facing 47 years in prison because they preached the gospel in the public square. Stalin would be proud," Brian Fahling, AFA Center for Law and Policy senior trial attorney, said in a statement.
A federal appeals court in Philadelphia denied emergency relief earlier this week despite video footage Fahling calls "undisputed evidence" that shows the Christians cooperating with police and being harassed by the Pink Angels.
Fahling's group says the Philadelphia city prosecutor in the case, Charles Ehrlich, attacked the defendants as "hateful" and referred to preaching the Bible as "fighting words," a characterization, the law group says, with which Judge Meehan agreed.
Charges were dropped against the remaining seven Christians, apparently because they were not seen quoting Scripture on the videotape.
The ethnic intimidation charge stems from Pennsylvania's "hate crimes" law to which the newest "victim" category of "sexual orientation" was recently added.

Schools to observe Ramadan holiday?
Muslims seeking student day off asking board to adjust calendar
Posted: December 16, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
A group of Muslims in Florida is hoping school officials add at least one day off to the calendar so students can observe Islamic holidays.
The Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations made its case to the Hillsborough County School Board this week, looking for Nov. 4, 2005, to be made a non-student day in honor of Eid al-Fitr, a holy day marking the end of Ramadan.
"How can you continue to ignore our needs, our holidays, our interests?” 16-year-old Mariam Osman, asked the board, according to the Tampa Tribune.
Another holy day, Eid al-Adha, is also being sought for recognition in January 2006.
"Our holidays go unnoticed,” Ahmed Bedier, director of Tampa CAIR, said, as he noted Muslim students watch classmates of other faiths enjoy their respective holidays. He said the request for recognition is coming at this time because "we're organized now.”
The Tribune reports the superintendent said that no religious holiday is officially recognized, though some days off for students happen to fall on religious holidays.
Ken Otero, assistant superintendent for the administration, told those in attendance families had to provide a note from leaders of their faith to be excused from classes on religious holidays.
"Why do they need a note? I'm a Christian and I take Christmas off,” board chairwoman Candy Olson asked.
CAIR claims some 30,000 Muslims live in the Tampa area, though it did not provide a figure on the number of Islamic students in public schools.
The board held off on voting on a new school calendar until January, as it instructed the district to look into the request.

Justice opens probe into school district
Federal attorneys look into allegations officials censoring Christmas, squelching religious rights
Posted: December 16, 2004
2:09 p.m. Eastern
By Ron Strom
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a preliminary investigation into a Texas school district that was sued yesterday for allegedly infringing on the rights of students and parents to exercise their Christian faith on school property.
As WorldNetDaily reported, lawyers filed suit on behalf of 20 students and parents of the Plano Independent School District, claiming the district's policies and practices which include a ban on candy cane distribution when a religious card is attached, a ban on parents giving religious-oriented items to one another on school property, a ban on criticizing school board members or administrators on campus, and the barring of any colors but white at a school "Winter Break" party are unconstitutional.
"It is great to have a Justice Department that cares about religious freedom," said Hiram Sasser, director of litigation with Liberty Legal Institute, one of the groups representing the plaintiffs.
A letter from the Justice Department to Liberty Legal [a .pdf document] requested information that might assist federal attorneys in researching whether or not action against the district is warranted.
Meanwhile, Richard Abernathy, the attorney representing the Plano district, released a statement painting attorneys involved in the lawsuit as "trial lawyers" who want to "feed at the trough of the taxpayers' pockets." It further states that Liberty Legal Institute has refused to dialogue with the district about specific matters and instead has "chosen litigation over dialogue."
Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute, contested Abernathy's version of their relationship.
"We've talked them probably over 40 times in the last two years trying to get them to do the right thing," Shackelford told WND.
He says last year when working on behalf of a student who wanted to pass out candy canes with a religious message, Shackelford called Abernathy directly.
Explained Shackelford: "I told him, 'Do not do this. Just let Jonathan hand out his candy canes.' And Abernathy's response to me was, 'We can't do it. It's against school policy. We're not going to allow it.'"
Abernathy's statement included criticism of Liberty Legal over the cost of litigation to the district.
"In this time of great financial stress on all public school districts in the state of Texas," it read, "the Plano ISD is disheartened by Liberty Legal's apparent attempt to further deplete and misdirect funds needed for the education of students."
Shackelford said that was his "favorite" part.
"It's unbelievable hypocrisy," he told WND. "This is a guy who gets paid by the taxpayers. In fact, the producing of the press release itself he gets paid for. Meanwhile, the attorneys on this side are all donating their time to protect religious freedom. Now, who is feeding at the taxpayer trough?"
The U.S. District Court in Sherman, Texas, is expected to rule today on a request for a temporary restraining order, which would suspend school-district policy so children and parents could distribute religious material at tomorrow's white-only "Winter Break" party.
The Alliance Defense Fund is also involved in representing the Plano students and parents in the litigation.
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Schools prohibit Christmas colors
District targeted with lawsuit after officials require white-only supplies for 'winter' party
Posted: December 15, 2004
6:50 p.m. Eastern
By Ron Strom
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
First it was schools that banned the singing of Christmas carols.
Then another banned carols played only by instruments with no lyrics being presented.
Now a school district has banned the colors red and green from a "Winter Break Party," requiring parents to bring only white plates and napkins.
In response to the party policy, as well as many other rules a group of parents and students believe to be rank censorship, a lawsuit has been filed against the Plano Independent School District in Texas to fight back against its "religious hostility," as one attorney puts it.
Other policies cited in the suit, filed today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division, include a ban on candy cane distribution when a religious card is attached, a ban on parents giving religious-oriented items to one another on school property and a ban on criticizing school board members or administrators on campus.
"This lawsuit includes a large amount of evidence that demonstrates the pervasive religious hostitlity in Plano ISD," said Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Legal Institute, which, along with Alliance Defense Fund, is representing about 20 clients in the suit.
Kelly Shackelford, Liberty Legal Institute's chief counsel, noted the suit was purposely filed before Friday, when the white-only Winter Break party is scheduled to occur.
"We asked for a temporary restraining order today to provide protection by this Friday," he told WorldNetDaily.
Shackelford says if the order is issued by Friday, at the party the students would be allowed to pass out religious items, parents would be able to do the same, and the ban on criticizing school officials would be lifted.
"These policies are a blatant violation of religious freedom and free speech," he said. "These are school officials who have lost all common sense."
One item included in the suit is the case of a girl student who was forbidden to invite her friends to an Easter event at her church, according to the law firm.
"We've even got a mom who went to the school asking if her daughter at her birthday party could hand out a pencil with 'Jesus' on it," Shackelford told WND, "and the principal got so upset with her that he called the police.
"It's just unbelievable stuff. We've been collecting these things for a year or two. This is a pervasive, district-wide problem of political correctness in the extreme."
Shackelford said the families' attorneys worked with the district's attorney, Richard Abernathy, to try to get the officials to back down on some of the policies, but they did not.
"We filed the federal lawsuit hopefully to put an end to all this nonsense," Shackelford said.
Shackelford said he didn't mind if the district engaged in its "silly pretense" that there is no Christmas, but he says it cannot violate the rights of students and parents in the process.
Said Shackelford: "There's a huge difference between the school putting a sign out that says, 'We endorse Jesus,' and telling students and parents that they can't live out their faith."
Commenting on the white-only policy for party supplies, Shackeford quipped, "I guess nobody has told them white could symbolize the purity of Christ. They'd probably ban white!"
He says parents have been verbally told the reason for the color restriction was to shun traditional Christmas red and green. Last week, a note went home with students asking parents to bring certain items for the party. Two items listed that some were asked to supply were: "One package small white plates" and "One package white napkins."
Food being requested included a dozen sugar cookies and a bag of Hersey's kisses. Liberty Legal Institute says the parents were told not to include any colored icing on the cookies, while Alliance Defense Fund reports children were told not to wear red and green clothing to the party.
Shackelford said the complaint is over 150 pages "just fact after fact."
"We are confident that the courts will uphold the fundamental law that school officials may not suppress or exclude the speech of citizens simply because their speech is religious or includes religious content," Shackelford said.
Gary McCaleb is senior counsel with Alliance Defense Fund.
"The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled that public schools must prohibit the distribution of candy canes or Christmas cards," he said in a statement. "They have never ruled that you can't say 'Merry Christmas' in the public schools. These attempts to stifle all religious expression and sanitize Christmas of all religious content are tiring to the overwhelming majority of Texans and all Americans."
The lawsuit is known as Jonathan Morgan, et al., v. the Plano Independent School District, et al.
A request for a response from attorney Abernathy's office had not been fulfilled by press time.

Christmas censors
John Leo (archive)
December 13, 2004 |
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/johnleo/jl20041213.shtml
The annual assault on Christmas comes in many forms. First, there is the barrage of litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is reliably offended by almost any representation of Christianity in the public square. Small towns, facing the prospect of expensive litigation over religious displays on public property, often cave in simply out of fear. Part of the intimidation is that if the towns lose, they must pay the legal fees of the ACLU. But now religious-liberties legal groups provide attorneys to stand up to the ACLU. The Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund won in federal court last month in a suit filed by the ACLU against the city of Cranston, R.I. Cranston allows religious and secular displays of all kinds on the front lawn of City Hall.The ACLU argued that this was a church-state violation, but U.S. District Judge William Smith ruled that nothing in the evidence “reveals or even remotely supports an inference that a religious purpose was behind the creation of the limited public forum.”
Another standard anti-Christmas maneuver is to argue that all references to Christmas in public schools are suspect, while references to Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, for whatever reason, are not. The policy of the 1,200 New York City public schools is that no purely religious symbols are allowed, only ones that have a “secular dimension,” such as Christmas trees, menorahs, and the star and crescent. But the star and crescent is hardly secular. It is the symbol of Islam. And the menorah, though now losing some of its religious significance, is the symbol of an intervention by God to save the Jewish people. The Thomas More Law Center filed suit on behalf of a Roman Catholic mother of two public-school students, saying, in effect, that if the city’s public schools are allowing brief and educational use of religious symbols for Muslims and Jews, then the Christian crÃ¨che should be permitted, too. Last February, U.S. District Judge Charles Sifton ruled for the school system. The case is under appeal. The crÃ¨che, for now, remains banned.
Like New York’s schools, Bay Harbor Islands in Florida refuses to allow a Nativity scene on public property but has menorahs and the Star of David on lampposts and permitted a local synagogue to erect a 14-foot-high menorah on public land.
A fairly new tactic in the Christmas wars can be called the sensitive person’s veto. In 2000, the city of Eugene, Ore., banned Christmas trees on public property, then allowed firefighters to put up a tree on Christmas Eve and Christmas, with the provision that if one person objected, the tree had to come down. The next year, Kensington, Md., banned Santa Claus from a tree-lighting ceremony because of two complaints. So the city’s most sensitive person was, in effect, allowed to make policy.
The sensitivity argument - that any reference to Christmas at all might make someone feel bad - is responsible for the spread of the anti-Christmas campaign from religious symbols to the purely secular and harmless trappings of the season, including red poinsettias, red-and-green cookies, holiday lights, and Rudolph the reindeer. Santa Claus, originally based on a Christian saint but no more religious than Kermit the Frog, is considered much too divisive and hurtful to non-Christian students in many schools. The principal of Braden Middle School in Florida said, “You won’t see any Christmas trees around here. We keep it generic.” Some principals and teachers around the country even ban the word Christmas. In Rochester, Minn., two girls were reprimanded for saying “Merry Christmas” in a school skit. And though Christmas trees

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Mas info:
Por Fwd - Sunday, Jan. 08, 2006 at 7:56 PM

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todavía más
Por (((i))) - Monday, Jan. 09, 2006 at 6:10 AM

http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/2006/01/365225.php
http://argentina.indymedia.org/news/2006/01/365227.php

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Y ESTA BASURA CRISTIANA?
Por yorugua - Monday, Jan. 09, 2006 at 2:04 PM

no les alcanzó con 2000 años tortuando brujas, castrando niños para los coros, asesinando indios , esclavizando negros y un etc de 2 millones de paginas que siguen hinchando las pelotas????? que razón tenían los romanos !!!!! desaparezcan de la tierra manga de asesinos !!!!

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