California University System To Discriminate Against Christian Groups

The California State University system has openly announced they will be discriminating against Christian groups on their campuses.

The apparent attempt to drive Christians from their schools was exposed when InterVarsity Christian Fellowship lost their recognition at 23 schools in the state because they require their leadership to be Christians.

The California State University system issued an executive order in 2011 that reads “No campus shall recognize any fraternity, sorority, living group, honor society or other student organization that discriminates on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation or disability.”  A spokesman for the CSU system said InterVarsity would not sign the agreement which meant a vehement anti-Christianist would have to be allowed in the group and run for leadership positions.

The organization showed no concern about infringing on the religious rights of the students.

InterVarsity spokesman Greg Jao said they will keep fighting on behalf of their student’s rights but that the hostile attack by the school system can be a benefit as well.

“Our campus access challenge is actually forcing us, or inviting us, to fully release the ministry into the hands of college students to say the best way students are going to hear the gospel is not by drawing them to a large group meeting—which we may or may not have access to—but in your dorm rooms, in your cafeterias, in your laboratories,” he said. “I think, most importantly, we’re mobilizing students to be missionaries. I’m convinced college students are there to be good students, absolutely, but also to be missionaries wherever they are.”

Pizza Parlor Targeted By Anti-Christianists Receives Bomb Threat

An Arkansas pizza parlor owned by a strong Christian who offered a discount on Sundays to anyone who brought in a church bulletin has been dealing with harassment and threats for his refusal to cave to anti-Christianist demands.

Bailey’s Pizza even received a bomb threat delivered through their Facebook page.

“Better get the bomb squad out,” one of the comments read.  “Stand fast and get blown up quicker,” it also read.  Police are investigating the comment as a legitimate threat.

Shop owner Steven Rose said that despite the threats from the anti-Christian organization Freedom From Religion Foundation saying he was violating the Civil Rights Act by offering the discount, there’s no discrimination.

The church bulletin discount is just one of many offered to the community.  The discount does not require anyone to be a part of the church whose bulletin is brought in.

Advocates for Faith and Freedom, who is representing the pizza parlor in any legal actions, says the attack of the anti-Christianists is backfiring.

“The majority of the responses to the promotion have been positive,” it stated. “Bailey’s Pizza has received enthusiastic support from the local community and around the country. Some people have come from other states to dine at Bailey’s Pizza and show their support. One Pennsylvania gentleman purchased 150 dollars’ worth of pizza each day for a week, for delivery to different organizations, such as the police and fire departments.”

Ten Commandments Display Ruled Constitutional

A Federal appeals court has ruled that a Ten Commandments display in North Dakota is not a violation of the Constitution.

A Ten Commandments monument was donated to the city of Fargo 50 years ago by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.  The monument was placed in the city’s Civic Plaza, which is a public space.  An anti-Christian group has been fighting against the monument since 2002 in an attempt to eliminate Christianity from being seen in public places.

Fargo’s Board of City Commissioners had initially attempted to appease the anti-Christianists by moving the monument to private land but residents objected and petitioned the city to pass an ordinance that any monument on public land that had been in place for 40 or more years could not be moved.

When the anti-Christian group sued, a lower court said that the monument presented no Constitutional violation because it showed the impact of religion on the nation’s history.  The appeals court upheld that ruling on a 2-1 decision.

“Like the Ten Commandments monument at issue in Van Orden, the Plattsmouth monument makes passive—and permissible—use of the text of the Ten Commandments to acknowledge the role of religion in our nation’s heritage,” the court ruled referring to other cases where the Ten Commandments have been allowed in public spaces.

Anti-Christianists Target Indiana Veterans Memorial

A virulent anti-Christian organization is targeting a veteran’s memorial at an Indiana park because it contains a 14-inch tall cross.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources demanding the removal of the cross from the 8-foot-tall statue located in Whitewater Memorial State Park.

“No secular purpose, no matter how sincere, will detract from the overall message that the Latin cross stands for Christianity and the overall display promotes Christianity,” attorney Rebecca Markert wrote on behalf of the anti-Christian group.  “[The cross means] the government only cares about the deaths of Christian soldiers.”

The cross is part of a wooden chainsaw-carved statue that reads “all gave some; some gave all.”

A man who is an Army veteran initially complained about the cross being a part of the tribute.

“I just thought that a memorial to veterans in a veterans’ park didn’t need to be turned into a religious shrine,” Wendell Bias told a local newspaper, despite the fact no worship services have been held at the site.

Anti-Christianists Get Coaches Banned From Praying But Still Complain

An anti-Christian organization that harassed a Georgia school district because football coaches were praying with players isn’t satisfied that the head of the school district has banned coaches from praying.  Now they’re angry because they think Christians are still a majority.

Hall County Superintendent Will Schofield, caving into to pressure from the anti-Christian American Humanist Association, sent an e-mail to staff members saying that prayer is “off-limits for teachers and coaches” and that students alone can do their own prayers.

“The Hall County School District wholeheartedly defends the almost unlimited rights of students to exercise their religious beliefs,” Schofield wrote. “As long as activities do not infringe upon or disrespect the religious beliefs of others, or disrupt classroom instruction or school routines, students have the right to pray, read religious materials, talk to their classmates about their beliefs, and … form clubs or associations with students who share similar interests.”

The anti-Christianists made it clear their motivation was not really about stopping teachers from praying with students, but the elimination of Christians.

“It is not encouraging that Schofield referred to students’ religious freedom while in school as almost unlimited, as that sends a signal to the community that a culture of Christian predominance can continue,” AHA attorney David Noise wrote. “Based on the extensive feedback that we’ve received from the community, it’s clear that non-Christians feel that the atmosphere of Christian privilege is overwhelming, and the Schofield statement seems more concerned about appeasing the majority than addressing that problem.”

The AHA did not say if they will abandon their threat of a lawsuit.