Posted on 10/23/2013 6:08:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
The family of a Colorado preacher’s wife is still fuming after the director of the city-owned cemetery refused to engrave her final resting place with the name ‘Jesus’ because it might offend people. The city eventually reversed course under public pressure.
“We were in disbelief,” said Stacy Adams, the daughter-in-law of Linda Baker. “Who tries to censor Jesus from a cemetery?”
Linda Baker lost her battle with cancer last week. She was the wife of Mark Baker, the pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Ovid.
Adams said her mother-in-law was passionate about her Christian faith and her family. Her final wish was to have her cemetery marker engraved with the ichthys, a symbol of early Christianity. She also wanted the word ‘Jesus’ written inside the fish.
“At first they told us it wouldn’t fit,” Adams told me. “But after we kept pushing them the cemetery director told us that it might offend somebody. They weren’t going to allow it.”
The family was devastated and asked the cemetery director to reconsider. He refused.
“He said, ‘What if somebody wanted to put a swastika?” she recounted. “My reply was, so what if they do? It’s not my business how they want to be remembered.”
The family then took their concerns to the Sterling city manager – but once again they were rebuffed.
“He refused to work with us,” she said. “He said he would have to take it to the city attorney. They were being difficult.”
She said city officials kept telling them that people would be offended by the name of Christ.
“We weren’t asking for a six-foot neon sign,” she said. “We did not want to put a cross on everyone’s tombstone. It’s a six-inch fish with the name ‘Jesus ‘ on it.”
So the family decided to post their plight on Facebook – and that’s when the city had a change of heart.
“We gave them fair warning,” she said. “We gave them time to do the right thing.”
Sterling City Manager Joe Kiolbasa told 9news.com they would no longer censor religious references on headstones and cemetery markers. He said the cemetery manager made a mistake.
“This gentleman thought it may have been objectionable to someone because of the Christian connotation,” Kiolbasa told the television station. “It will be allowed in the future.”
Adams tells me the family was incredibly distraught and disturbed by the incident.
“As an American and as a Christian, we have this thing called freedom of speech, freedom of expression,” she said. “We weren’t trying to stop anybody from putting anything up. We just wanted the same freedom others have.”
And the cemetery is filled with tombstones that have Bible verses and angels and other religious symbols.
Mrs. Baker’s marker should be finished in the coming days as her family continues the grieving process. But Adams can’t help but wonder who “people are so fearful of one name that they would go to such lengths to try and eliminate it.”
“If it can happen in a small country town like this, it makes you wonder what’s happening in other parts of the nation,” she said.
And I’d like to know who – specifically – would be offended by the name ‘Jesus’ on the grave marker of a pastor’s wife? What kind of malicious, godless, slop-sucking heathen would object to a dying woman’s last wishes?
Stacy Adams raises a valid question.
It’s outrageous that a grieving American family had to fight and cajole a city government to allow them to engage in their Constitutional rights.
The city of Sterling, Colo. owes the family of Linda Baker a sincere apology – and it should probably be delivered from the pulpit of Pastor Baker’s church.
As for the cemetery manager—comparing the name of Jesus to a swastika? Really, sir? My only wish is that on Judgment Day Mrs. Baker is standing at the Pearly Gates watching you explain yourself to Saint Peter.
No, I'm not missing the point. I'm saying the above is simply WRONG.
I'm not missing the point. I'm telling you the left/State is not "anti-religion", they're anti-CHRISTIAN.
I fully understood what you're trying to say. I'm pointing out that it's not true.
clear enough?
Let me say I include believing Jews in that statement as well.
The left hates God’s people and His Word.
They will side with anyone or anything that helps them to destroy His influence. (Homos, Muslims, Communists, etc).
Shoulda just said that the name referred to an illegal alien pal of her husband’s.
Then they’d have kissed her *ss all day long.
Crystal clear.
Sorry, still disagree with you. History shows the state will eventually go after other religions. That’s why I used the term incrementalism. Christianity is the first & primary target. Take it down and the rest fall like dominos.
Dear Mayor of Sterling Colorado,
You have in your city administration, personnel of demonstrated incompetance. If you do not have the courage and integritity to FIRE these individuals, the voters of Sterling need to reconsider their choice of Mayor.
Perhaps gravity and Occam may supply the explanation for the ‘Sterling’ performance of the officious in Sterling, Colorado.
First, as Google shows, there is a large prison facility near Sterling, so an authoritarian streak is well funded in that area’s people.
Note that Sterling is east of Denver and Denver is east of Boulder. Boulder is at the highest altitude and is the most Liberal.
Consider the SRDH concept. SRDH (Sh*t Runs Down Hill) would explain how Boulder Dementia Syndrome spread to Denver and thence eastward to Sterling.
As Occam said, Simplest hypothesis is best.
Conclusion: Liberal SRDH is approaching you. Are you prepared?
I live in California where we have thousands of Jesus Rodriguezs, Gonzalezes, etc. Betcha there are plenty of headstones with Jesus on them here.
Sounds in the end like somebody bit into the Kiolbasa.
;^)
Sounds like no one in the town ‘gubmint has a name. Feckin’ pinko-commie robots.
“Sterling City Manager Joe Kiolbasa told 9news.com they would no longer censor religious references on headstones and cemetery markers. He said the cemetery manager made a mistake. “This gentleman thought it may have been objectionable to someone because of the Christian connotation,” Kiolbasa told the television station. “It will be allowed in the future.”
FYI. Anyway, they only backed down due to the bad publicity.
Item 1): Get rid of the manager or he will make a similar "mistake" in the future. Actions have consequences and consequences send a message.
Item 2: Please distribute a list of what happens to people when they are "offended". Do they:
a) Break out in a rash
b) Have uncontrollable bowel movements
c) Grow a second head or limb
d) Change skin/hair/eye color
e) Go bald
f) ad nauseum
Just exactly WHAT happens to "offended" people that makes those in authority cater to their every phobia?
Or is it just a cover for their own prejudice?
>>Unless religions put their foot down<<
Religions are the same as government, they are made up of the people/voters. If the parishoners don’t tell the leaders of their churches to stand up, nobody will.
Washi: In the "Great Minds" department, I sent the City manager a copy of my post at 51 of this thread.
OMG! “Jesus” would be offensive in a Cemetery!!!!!?????
It’s not an “allow” thing, it’s a constitutional right thing. First Amendment constrains government, it doesn’t allow them to ban things. Freaking fascist pigs.
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