Posted on 11/15/2015 6:06:09 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The American Center for Law and Justice said it plans to stand up to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which recently called for the removal of Gideon Bibles from state-run lodgings.
The group noted that the latest battle began after FFRF Co-Presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and her husband, Dan Barker, stayed at the Holmes Student Center Hotel in DeKalb, Illinois, and discovered a Gideon Bible placed in their hotel room.
"No one is making any guest open the Bible. No one is making them read it. In fact, the university is not 'providing bibles;' it is allowing a Christian group to place literature, the Bible, in hotel rooms much like a pizzeria may leave coupons," ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow wrote on Thursday.
"They unbelievably claimed to be 'proselytized in the privacy of their own bedrooms.' Who knew a closed Bible's mere presence qualified as proselytizing. Yet, they called the Bible 'obnoxious' and claimed that the mere presence of the Bible in a state-run lodging was 'inappropriate and unconstitutional,'" the ACLJ described.
The FFRF has focused on removing Bibles from public places as part of its ongoing effort aimed at ensuring the separation of church and state.
The atheist group revealed at the end of October that Northern Illinois University agreed to remove the Bibles from the Holmes hotel following their complaint.
"Providing Bibles to Holmes Student Center Hotel guests sends the message that NIU endorses the religious texts. Including Bibles sends the message to non-Christian and non-religious guests that they should read the Bible, and specifically the version of the bible provided: the Gideon Bible," FFRF Legal Fellow Ryan D. Jayne wrote in the initial letter.
"Certainly, if guests want to read this religious text during their stay, they can bring their own copy or access any of the numerous churches or libraries near the university."
Gaylor elaborated on her position against Bibles in a state-run hotel.
"The Bible calls for killing nonbelievers, apostates, gays, 'stubborn sons,' and women who transgress biblical double standards. What's obnoxious in a private hotel, however, becomes inappropriate and unconstitutional in state-run lodgings."
The ACLJ reminded the FFRF, however, that the Supreme Court has ruled that "adults should be able to withstand 'speech they find disagreeable,' without imagining that the Establishment Clause is violated every time they 'experience a sense of affront from the expression of contrary religious views.'"
"There is no coercion," Sekulow insisted. "There is no proselytizing happening here. Instead, it's once again clear that those holding themselves out to be freethinkers are threatening smaller institutions with constitutional claims that would fall flat in court. FFRF is in the business of making threats because they know that any time they go to court, they always lose."
Gideons International, which distributes Bibles around the world, has sometimes faced challenges when it comes to handing out literature at public schools.
In a message to the The Christian Post back in June 2014, Gideons Director of Communications Jeff Pack said that the group always follows the directives set out by the institutions.
"From our standpoint, what work we do is through the school board and we follow whatever direction they give us. That's our standard practice," Pack said.
I wasn't aware hotels and motels were run by government?
Really?
Who uses the drawers in hotel room dressers anyway?
Sounds like these atheists are looking for the bibles to be offended by them.
On their way?
Probably sits on the edge of the bed for hours, staring, drawing up the courage to open it.
“The Bible calls for killing nonbelievers, apostates, gays, ‘stubborn sons,’ and women who transgress biblical double standards.”
///
Really?
Seems like she would read all the Bible before becoming an expert on it.
Atheists believe they’re experts on everything but are so often ignorant of what they speak.
Atheists are the children of Marx, and the enemies of America.
Let me guess: They opened the drawer, saw the bible, immediately had visions of how wonderful Jesus is, and of course immediately converted to Christianity. No different than what happens to millions of motorists when they drive past a large white cross on the side of the road.
The problem they have is the forced-conversion to Christianity - they enjoyed their prior lifestyle (atheist or whatever), but now have to dress up and go to church every Sunday and tithe. If those bibles and/or crosses hadn’t gotten in their line-of-sight, they would have to deal with these new responsibilities.
...can anyone else think of a better reason they’re offended at this?
Holiday Inn is state- run?
I wasn’t aware hotels and motels were run by government.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Well, in their ‘speak’, since the motel comes under (GOVT) health departments, (GOVT) collects taxes, (most people going to are issued (GOVT) drivers licenses, and are sold on the ‘YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT’ nonsense, it is a ‘good’ statement.
If an atheist is a ‘non-believer’ how can he/she/they ‘believe’ the Bible is bad.
Ever hear an atheist say ‘I believe I will have another’?
Kind of like the ‘signs’ that state.
I HATE people who hate.
I cannot tolerate intolerance.
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
or the famous ‘oldy but goody’
I will beat you until you cry.
Then I will beat you until you stop crying.
etc etc etc
Maybe the thing to do is prevent obnoxious, intolerant atheists from renting hotel rooms.
I know if I owned/ran a hotel, I wouldn’t want them on the property.
and specifically the version of the bible provided: the Gideon Bible
I have read the “Gideon Bible” that is placed in motels and Dr office. It is no different than a standard KJV or NKJV and says so on the cover page.
". . . in our village of Charlottesville, there is a good degree of religion, with a small spice only of fanaticism. We have four sects, but without either church or meeting-house.". . . . The court-house is the common temple, one Sunday in the month to each. Here, Episcopalian and Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist, meet together, join in hymning their Maker, listen with attention and devotion to each others' preachers, and all mix in society with perfect harmony." - Excerpts from Thomas Jefferson's letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, 1822.
People in HELL want Ice water also....
But the Word of the Lord Remains Forever!
Don’t even get them started about garlic and Holy water. And they’re not too big on bright sunlight, either.
They must have it confused with the koran.
I do have to wonder.. why are they so damn scared of something they don’t even believe in?
There are atheists and then there are the anti-Christ. These are the latter and we as Christians have an obvious duty here.
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