America and Persecution of Religion

Has our nation at last gone mad? Today we see increasing lawsuits spreading across our country because someone didn't want to see or hear religious material. We have a President who tells the world that we are no longer a Christian nation, but a nation of ideas. Our faith is under constant bombardment, as the Church and Christianity experience persecution from all sides. Please read the following cases taken from
"Liberty Legal".

From Lynn Lucas Middle School in Houston, Texas

A school teacher threw away two students’ Truth for Youth Bibles and took the students to the principal’s office where she threatened to call CPS on their parents for permitting them to bring their Bibles. Later at the same school, different officials threw away students’ book covers showing the Ten Commandments, claiming the commandments were hate speech and could offend students.

From Balch Springs, Texas (Barton v. City of Balch Springs)

Senior citizens were told to stop their 20-year-old practices of praying before their meals, hearing an inspirational religious message, and singing gospel songs in their Senior Citizens Center because of a new city policy banning religion in public buildings. A lawsuit was filed to defend the seniors’ rights. The Department of Justice also opened an investigation. The seniors were also told that if they won their suit, their meals would be taken away since praying over government funded meals violates the “separation of church and state.”

From Viroqua, Wisconsin

Viroqua High School planned a diversity day which included sessions that presented the viewpoints of Hmong, Jews, Muslims, Native Americans, African-Americans, homosexuals, Latinos, Buddhists, the physically disadvantaged, and the economically disadvantaged. A school official stated that the viewpoints of Christians and former homosexuals would be excluded. After being confronted with legal precedent showing such discrimination to be unconstitutional, the school decided to cancel the Diversity Day rather than include Christians’ and former homosexuals’ viewpoints.

From Bedford County, Virginia

A private landowner agreed to allow The Cowboy Church of Virginia to conduct services on his property. After a few months the landowner received a Notice of Violation, stating that his barn could not be used for religious services and that his property wasn’t zoned for religious meetings.

Shatkin, et al. v. University of Texas at Arlington
Two women represented by LLI attorneys filed suit against the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) for religious discrimination, after UTA denied all administrative appeals of such termination. The two women were fired from their jobs because they privately prayed after work for an absent co-worker.

Little, Joan. “City Schools Issue Rules About Students, Religion”
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and legal documents
Elementary school student Raymond Raines was “caught” praying over his meal at his
elementary school. He was lifted from his seat and reprimanded in front of all the other students, then taken to the principal who ordered him to cease praying in school.

From Vancouver, Washington
Students tried to start a prayer club that would meet before school, but they encountered resistance from the vice principal. Since the school would not permit a club, the students decided to gather together as individuals in the cafeteria before school to pray, but they were sent outside by the vice principal after one Satanist student complained to school officials. After the students insisted on praying in the cafeteria, they were suspended.

Harper v. Poway Unified School District
In a public school, students were allowed a special day to celebrate homosexuality. A
Christian student wearing a T-shirt with an opposing view mentioning God, was banned from 9 wearing the shirt. The lower court ruled that the student's speech was not protected because it offended the "identity" of another person.