Posted on 01/16/2005 10:32:04 AM PST by davidosborne
Despite Temporary Stay, Judge Orders Bible Removed
By Allie Martin January 13, 2005
(AgapePress) - A Bible has been removed from a display on the grounds of a Texas courthouse after an appeals court lifted an order that had kept the Bible in place. The head of a Christian group in the Lone Star State the action should outrage followers of Christ across the nation.
(Excerpt) Read more at headlines.agapepress.org ...
pass it on..
pass it on..
Despite Temporary Stay, Judge Orders Bible Removed
By Allie Martin
January 13, 2005
(AgapePress) - A Bible has been removed from a display on the grounds of a Texas courthouse after an appeals court lifted an order that had kept the Bible in place. The head of a Christian group in the Lone Star State the action should outrage followers of Christ across the nation.
The Bible, a King James Version, was removed from the 48-year-old, four-foot-tall monument in front of the Harris County Civil Courts building in Houston earlier this week. Following a suit filed by a real estate broker -- who claimed the display offended non-Christians -- a judge ruled last summer that displaying the Bible on county property represented an unconstitutional promotion of Christianity by the county. However, an appeals court issued a temporary stay of the judge's order.
Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America, says he was surprised at an order earlier this week lifting the order that had kept the Bible in place.
"Now while we're hearing an appeal, the judge has taken the very unusual ruling of having the Bible removed even while the appeal is on file," he observes. "It's nothing but an overt attack on Christianity -- the kind of attack that will continue until Christians stand up and say enough is enough."
And as for those who are behind the move, Scarborough says it would be naïve to think this particular action will be enough.
"These [people] who are perpetrating these kinds of assaults on our faith will not be content to remove the Bible from in front of a courthouse in Harris County. Eventually they'll go after the crosses in Arlington Cemetery," he suggests. "You take this assault to its logical conclusion and you finally have a completely secularized society -- that is exactly the agenda."
"At some point in time," he says, "Christians have to draw a line in the sand and say 'We're not going to be pushed any further.'"
The monument was erected by the Star of Hope Mission to honor one of its benefactors. The Bible will be stored at the Houston homeless shelter.
I have updated my FMCDH (From My Cold Dead Hands) sign-off with the addition of (BITS).....Blood In The Streets, which I foresee coming soon, due to the enormous increase of the Marxist progressive movement being shoved down the throat of this failing REPUBLIC through the Judicial tyranny of fiat law, the passing of unconstitutional laws by the Legislative and Executive branches of our government and the enormous tax burden placed upon the average American to support unconstitutional programs put forth by Marxist ideology.
FMCDH(BITS)
The judge should be removed for offending Christians.
They don't name the judge who lifted the order. Any idea who it was?
I have not found it.. I am looking into it.. this is the only link to this story I have found..
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ruled on Aug. 10 that displaying the Bible on county property represented an unconstitutional promotion of Christianity by the county and ordered it removed within 10 business days.
The courts have become very predictable when it comes to any mention of religion. We shouldn't be surprised that leftist judges take the Bible (and morals with it) out of government.
I like Mr. Newt's solution to the problem of activist judges...merely elimiante their positions. We may have to pay them for a while in order not to violate the Constitution (their pay cannot be decreased) but the offending judge can't do any more damage since he don't have a court room to operate in, or any jurisdiction to do anything.
Jan. 11, 2005, 4:49PM
Protesters decry removal of Bible from courthouse
By BILL MURPHY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Protesters prayed, sang hymns and listened to fiery oratory today outside a county courthouse the day after a Bible was removed from a monument.
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"When you remove the word of God, you are saying, 'God, you are not welcome here,' " said Homer Allison, an evangelist at Battle Cry Ministries.
About 90 Christians gathered outside Harris County Civil Courts Building on Fannin to protest a court decision that led to the Bible's removal today.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied Harris County's request to allow the Bible to remain while the county appeals last summer's order by a federal district judge in Houston requiring that the Bible be removed.
The Star of Hope mission, which owns the Bible and the monument where it is displayed in front of the Harris County Civil Courts Building, 301 Fannin, took the book from the display about 3:30 p.m. Monday. It will be stored at the agency's men's center on Ruiz.
"We're just complying with the directives of the court. That's what we've been asked to do, so that's what we're doing," said Star of Hope spokeswoman Marilyn Fountain.
The open Bible was part of a 48-year-old monument erected by the Star of Hope to honor one of its benefactors, William S. Mosher.
U.S. District Judge Sim Lake ruled on Aug. 10 that displaying the Bible on county property represented an unconstitutional promotion of Christianity by the county and ordered it removed within 10 business days.
Kay Staley, a real estate broker, sued the county last year alleging the 4-foot display offended non-Christians.
"This case has always been about religious tolerance," said Randall Kallinen, Staley's lawyer. "Will Harris County be equal, unbiased and fair in matters of religion or will it take government space and promote one religion only?"
The 5th Circuit issued a temporary stay of Lake's order on Aug. 25, only hours before Lake's deadline for the Bible's removal.
On Monday, a panel of the 5th Circuit lifted the temporary stay without comment.
"We think this is the right decision," said Joe Conn, spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which is providing one of Staley's appellate lawyers. "The display clearly violates the separation of church and state. And this decision sends the right message."
County Judge Robert Eckels said he was disappointed by the ruling and hopes the appellate court will overturn Lake's order, Eckels spokeswoman Gloria Roemer said.
In his August opinion, Lake wrote that the display would cause a reasonable viewer to "conclude that the Bible display conveys the message that Christianity is favored or preferred by Harris County."
Lake's opinion said the display fails the three-pronged Lemon test, named for a 1971 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The test says that to get past the First Amendment ban against an establishment of religion, a display on public property must have a secular purpose, must not advance or inhibit religion and must not foster an excessive entanglement with religion.
The Rev. Aubrey Vaughan, who in August led round-the-clock vigils at the Bible display in protest of Lake's ruling, said he wishes that he had been told of plans to remove the Bible. Vaughan had threatened to block the Bible's removal.
"They didn't want me to be down there and be arrested, obviously," he said.
Fountain said Star of Hope was "not looking to have a big event to dramatize the removal of the Bible."
Donald Buzbee, an evangelist who also spent long hours maintaining a vigil near the display in August, said, "Anytime you remove the word of God, you've made a wrong decision. We need morality as a guideline for people to go by, and the Bible is what that is."
Harris County Attorney Mike Stafford could not be reached for comment Monday. He has said the U.S. Supreme Court may rule in the coming months on cases that could affect the county's appeal.
The high court will use cases from Texas and Kentucky to decide whether displaying the Ten Commandments on government property violates the constitutional ban on government endorsement of religion.
In the Texas case, the court will consider the constitutionality of a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol.
Chronicle reporter Harvey Rice contributed to this story.
Based on this judge's ruling, it would mean that the Texas constitution specifically states that no county in Texas may promote Christianity. Why do I have the feeling it doesn't actually say that in the constitution.
The important piece of information is which president appointed him.
Lately, evil seems to be even more worried about the Word of God. GOOD!
The 5th Circuit issued a temporary stay of Lake's order on Aug. 25, only hours before Lake's deadline for the Bible's removal.
On Monday, a panel of the 5th Circuit lifted the temporary stay without comment.
BTTT!!!!!!
BTTT!!!!!!!
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