Tag: First Amendment

Pennsylvania High School to Host ‘After School Satan Club’ Event

Ethan Letkeman – August 28, 2022

The Satanic Temple (TST) is planning on hosting an “After School Satan Club” back-to-school event at a Pennsylvania high school next month.

On Tuesday, Officials from Northern York County School District approved the event to be hosted at Northern High School in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, Fox 43 reported.

Dillsburg is the same town where a local school board shot down TST from hosting an “After School Satan Club” event at an elementary school in April, Breitbart News reported at the time.

Parents and residents expressed their staunch opposition to the organization hosting an event in the community back in April.

“They already took God out of schools now they’re going to let Satan in, it’s just crazy,” said Perry County Resident Jennifer McAllister back in April, according to Fox 34.

“There is a lot of evil already in this world, so to allow it to come into our school and our community is not OK,” another parent, Laura Vangeli, said at the time via WHP.

A spokesman from the temple said the event should be viewed similarly to religious freedom law.

“We’re talking about upholding fundamental pillars of democracy and the First Amendment,” said Lucien Graves, a co-founder of TST.

https://www.breitbart.com

Is religious liberty ‘hanging by a thread’?

Rev. Robert J. Pacienza – August 8, 2022

Several years ago, North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby sparked a significant public debate when he said that our “religious liberties are hanging by a thread.”

Are they? Well, U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and the late Antonin Scalia have issued similar warnings – and for good reason.

As the president and CEO of D. James Kennedy Ministries, and the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in South Florida, I’m concerned about the curtailing of religious liberty and the negative effects of this trend on all citizens – religious and non-religious alike.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The Constitution is clear: Religious freedom extends not only to beliefs, but also public actions based on those beliefs.When religious freedom is upheld, the conditions are set for all of society to flourish. Yet, when religious freedom – the freedom to be Christian, atheist, Buddhist, or otherwise – is threatened, every other freedom is threatened as well.

Yet, in spite of religious liberty’s enshrinement in the Constitution, a number of political trends and Supreme Court rulings have diminished its legal stature. Chief among these threats is the effort to redefine religious liberty itself. Progressives have made a concerted effort to reduce the “free exercise” of religion either to private piety or the semi-public worship that takes place within the four walls of a church building.

https://www.wnd.com

PGA Reporter Fired After Being Denied Religious Exemption From COVID Mandates

John Simmons – November 16, 2021

In the book of Daniel, three young men by the name of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace after refusing to worship a gargantuan golden god created and instituted by the tyrannical King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar. While we don’t have a government that is forcing Christians to bow to idols of metal, Christians are increasingly being punished for not bowing to the god of COVID.

Teryn Gregson was a PGA Tour host and reporter as of Monday but was terminated after the company refused to provide her a religious exemption from it’s testing and mask mandates for unvaccinated employees.

Naturally, a person should then adhere to the belief system of whomever they choose to worship. But when a government (like Babylon or the current United States) or businesses decide to encroach within that space and claim ultimate authority over people’s lives, they have done something very ominous: they have declared themselves to be god.

That is why Gregson’s situation is unsettling and should come as a warning sign to everyone. In the sports world, there are repeated instances of teams telling players or employees that their religious beliefs have to be put on hold to comply with what they say. This violates our first amendment right as Americans to have the freedom of religion and becomes a dangerous trajectory for how much power we allow the government to have over our lives.

Fortunately, Gregson, like the three men in Babylon, took this as an opportunity to display her faith more vividly, as well as to promote and more unified country despite being axed for something as ridiculous as this:

“I hope that we can come together and unite on this issue and not treat people differently based on a very private medical decision that they make between themselves, and their family, and their doctor, and God.”

In the Bible, the three men were rewarded for their loyalty to God by surviving being thrown into the fiery furnace. Hopefully, Gregson will experience a similar experience of salvation from her enemies in the near future.

https://newsbusters.org

US Supreme Court sides with California church that challenged ‘draconian and unconscionable’ Covid lockdown

RT – December 3, 2020

The US Supreme Court has sided with a California church which argued that coronavirus restrictions infringe religious liberty. The ruling is the second such order to favor religious groups over Democratic governors.

With church services forbidden by California Governor Gavin Newsom under his Covid restrictions, the Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena claimed before the Supreme Court that the “draconian and unconscionable prohibitions” on worship were unfair.

“Indoor worship services are completely prohibited for 99.1 percent of Californians,” the group argued, while “food packing and processing, laundromats, and warehouses have no capacity limits, liquor and grocery stores have a 50 percent capacity, and big box centers, shopping malls, laundromats, and destination centers have a 25-percent capacity.”

Furthermore, the church accused Newsom himself of violating California’s lockdown rules “at his own whim,” after photos were published of the governor dining at a restaurant with a group of lobbyists and health officials.

The Supreme Court sided with the church on Thursday, sending the case back down to the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, and asking that court’s judges to reconsider the case in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling last week which blocked New York’s restrictions on religious gatherings.

In that ruling, the highest US court ruled that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s lockdown measures – which limited church and synagogue congregations to 10 people in certain “red zones” – “strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty.” 

“Even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten,” the ruling added.

https://www.rt.com

US Supreme Court Rules NY Gov. Cuomo’s ‘Severe Restrictions’ on Church Attendance Unconstitutional

– November 27, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that New York’s “very severe” limitations on church attendance in the state’s COVID red and orange zones violate the First Amendment right to the freedom of religion and is not the least restrictive means of preventing infections.

“Not only is there no evidence that the applicants have contributed to the spread of COVID–19, but there are many other less restrictive rules that could be adopted to minimize the risk to those attending religious services,” the court stated in a 5-4 opinion Wednesday evening, with new justice Amy Coney Barrett being among the majority.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with his liberal colleagues.

In October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.68, which presented updated regulations for various public facilities, including fitness centers, hair salons, restaurants, taverns and houses of worship.

Churches in orange zones were required to be “subject to a maximum capacity limit of the lesser of 33% of maximum occupancy or 25 people, whichever is fewer.” Those in red zones were “subject to a capacity limit of 25% of maximum occupancy or 10 people, whichever is fewer.”

View the executive order here.

As a result, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and the Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization Agudath Israel of America filed suit to challenge the restrictions, arguing that they treat religious facilities more harshly than secular venues.

They contended that they have followed all health guidelines and have operated at reduced capacity without any outbreaks, and therefore, it cannot be proven that churches need more stringent regulation.

On Wednesday, following unsuccessful bids in the lower courts, the Supreme Court ruled that Cuomo’s restrictions “cannot be viewed as neutral because they single out houses of worship for especially harsh treatment” since businesses deemed “essential” could literally accommodate hundreds of occupants without penalty.

https://christiannews.net

Here We Go: Ventura County, California, Sues Church to Halt Services

Jeff Reynolds – August 07, 2020

Ventura County, Calif., has voted to order a church to stop conducting services and sermons due to the CCP coronavirus pandemic. The pastor, Rob McCoy, has continued to hold services, exerting his First Amendment right to practice his religion. McCoy, pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel, says he’s willing to go to jail over the principle. and that the orders for churches in California to shut down while other activities are allowed to continue are arbitrary and discriminatory. A Ventura County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order on Friday halting all services until a hearing on August 31.

Lawyers for Godspeak announced,

The church intends to present expert witnesses for the purpose of establishing that the State of California and the County of Ventura lack a compelling interest for the prohibition of indoor worship services and that the decision to prevent indoor worship services, while allowing other indoor activities, is arbitrary and without a rational basis. Godspeak Calvary Chapel will file a cross complaint against both the County of Ventura, State of California and the officials enforcing the orders.

The Ventura County Star reported:

Ventura County officials on Wednesday sued Newbury Park Pastor Rob McCoy and the chapel he heads to force compliance with public health orders intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The filing came a day after the Ventura County Board of Supervisors authorized legal counsel to seek restraining orders and other enforcement actions against individuals and entities who refuse to comply with the orders.

Supervisors Steve Bennett, Linda Parks and John Zaragoza voted in favor. Chairwoman Kelly Long and Supervisor Bob Huber opposed the motion.

In the lawsuit filed in Ventura County Superior Court, the county and Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin said McCoy and the Godspeak Calvary Chapel had violated the orders, causing “great and irreparable injury” to the public by creating a significant risk of further community spread. The suit also claims that the defendants have created a public nuisance.

Pastor McCoy has posted regular updates on the situation on the church’s YouTube channel.

https://pjmedia.com

Christian Round-Ups Continue: 7 Arrested for Praying Near Greensboro Abortion Clinic During Stay-at Home Order

Paula Bolyard – March 31, 2020

On Sunday, we reported that four men were arrested outside a Greensboro, N.C., abortion clinic, where they were conducting a prayer walk. Despite the fact that that a pro-life group, Love Life, had canceled its group meeting and everyone was following the rules for social distancing, the Greensboro Police Department arrested them and charged them with violating Guilford County’s stay-at-home order.

Apparently not happy with violating the First Amendment rights of four prayer warriors, the Greensboro Police Department arrested seven more people on Monday after they were caught praying in public in front of a facility that makes its money by slaughtering innocent children.

Steve Noble, an area radio host who recorded the arrests, wrote on his Facebook page that those arrested were following the county’s rules by limiting their gathering, which was held on private property with the permission of the owner, to fewer than ten people. “They were exercising their First Amendment rights [to] assemble and to exercise their religious beliefs,” said Noble. “They believe they are allowed to be there under the exemption clauses of the local county order” regarding the Chinese coronavirus rules.

Justin Reeder, the founder of Love Life, was arrested for a second time on Monday, as were Jason Oesterreich and Isaiah Burner. Also arrested were Leroy Stokes Jr., Andre Gonzalez, Richard Whittier, and John Mcatee.

In multiple videos, the men can be seen abiding by the 6-foot social distancing recommendations. Nevertheless, and despite the fact that walking alone is permissible under the guidelines, police swooped in to arrest the men, ordering ten cars to the area to deal with the peaceful prayer warriors who were there not only to pray but to counsel men and women who were contemplating having their babies killed at “A Woman’s Choice” clinic.

Noble’s video, too, shows that the men were doing nothing more than walking and praying quietly to themselves when a heavy police presence was brought in to deal with them.

https://pjmedia.com