They May Be Quieter, But They Are Still Around
We are use to the ACLU crying "foul" at the slightest, most generic utterance 'God' in public. Now, in this time of national reflection, a number of us are asking, "Why is the ACLU being so quiet?"
Updated Nov 07, 2001
The events of September 11, 2001 have caused many Americans to reflect on their need for God. Around the country, we are still seeing “God Bless America” signs along roadsides, on the back of cars, and on school marquees. Instead of the traditional “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” being played during the seventh inning stretch of baseball games, the crowd is singing Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.”
We are so used to the ACLU and their crying “foul” at the slightest, most generic utterance of the “G” word. Now, in this time of national reflection, a number of us are asking, “Why is the ACLU being so quiet?”
The answer is, they are quiet. Nothing in their agenda has changed.
For example, let’s look at what happened in Rocklin, California, just north of Sacramento. Breen Elementary School had placed the words “God Bless America” on their marquee. The ACLU of Northern California quickly demanded that those offensive words be removed. They sent a letter to the school district that said the words “God Bless America” send a “hurtful, divisive message.”
The ACLU quickly learned that they picked the wrong fight. With the support of the community and ADF’s ally, the ACLJ, the school district stood firm and refused to cave in to the ACLU’s demands.
The public backlash in Rocklin was so great (over 250 people protested the ACLU’s threat) that the ACLU of Northern California immediately took a lower profile on the issue and the national office declined comment all together.
But Rocklin is not the only story. A Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School censored the words “God Bless America” from appearing on the sign in front of the school. Kirk Taylor, a concerned parent, contacted ADF staff attorney Ben Bull for assistance. Bull crafted a memo to the school board citing numerous court cases that demonstrated that there was no constitutional reason to censor this message. A day after receiving the information, the school district superintendent and the principal of the high school announced that the word “God” could appear on the marquee after all!
Then there was Madison, Wisconsin, where the school district voted to ban schoolchildren from citing the Pledge of Allegiance because of the “offensive” words: “One Nation Under God.” School district member Bill Keys said: “What I wanted to do was eliminate that which would be repugnant to those who believe very strongly and would have their personal and political beliefs violated by group coercion.” Of course, no thought was given to the fact that Americans every day are having their religious beliefs violated by the ACLU and their allies using group coercion tactics. After public pressure, the school board backed down.
And finally, there was the president of Americans United for Church and State who expressed “dismay” over the “millions” of Americans being “left behind” by the recent focus on God. A week after the terrorist attack, he lamented, “What struck me most over the last week was, as all of these political figures call their city or nation to prayer, they ignore the fact that there are millions of Americans for whom that is not a place or activity of comfort…It’s an interesting, sad phenomenon that nobody acknowledges, not even a sentence, not even a phrase.” The American Atheists of New Jersey spokeswoman added that “the revival of religious sentiment is causing hatred and division.”
Well, perhaps our nation’s founders were hateful, divisive men then. In the Declaration on the Necessity for Taking Up Arms against the British, Thomas Jefferson (who is the poster boy for the ACLU and its allies) and John Dickinson wrote: “Our cause is just. Our union is perfect…We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the divine favor toward us, that His providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we were grown up to our present strength…we must solemnly, before God and the world…exerting the utmost energy of those powers which our beneficent Creator has bestowed upon us…”
I wonder if Jefferson and Dickinson were alive today, if they would find themselves grilled by Americans United for “ignoring the millions of Americans for whom [prayer] is not a place or activity of comfort.”
These examples just show that the ACLU, their allies, and their agenda have not gone away. They are also a reminder that we must continue to be vigilant in defense of religious freedom, even during this time of public proclamations of faith and patriotism. And, most of all, we need to be in prayer for the hearts of those who oppose the Gospel, that their hearts would be changed by the very message they are trying so hard to silence.
We are so used to the ACLU and their crying “foul” at the slightest, most generic utterance of the “G” word. Now, in this time of national reflection, a number of us are asking, “Why is the ACLU being so quiet?”
The answer is, they are quiet. Nothing in their agenda has changed.
For example, let’s look at what happened in Rocklin, California, just north of Sacramento. Breen Elementary School had placed the words “God Bless America” on their marquee. The ACLU of Northern California quickly demanded that those offensive words be removed. They sent a letter to the school district that said the words “God Bless America” send a “hurtful, divisive message.”
The ACLU quickly learned that they picked the wrong fight. With the support of the community and ADF’s ally, the ACLJ, the school district stood firm and refused to cave in to the ACLU’s demands.
The public backlash in Rocklin was so great (over 250 people protested the ACLU’s threat) that the ACLU of Northern California immediately took a lower profile on the issue and the national office declined comment all together.
But Rocklin is not the only story. A Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School censored the words “God Bless America” from appearing on the sign in front of the school. Kirk Taylor, a concerned parent, contacted ADF staff attorney Ben Bull for assistance. Bull crafted a memo to the school board citing numerous court cases that demonstrated that there was no constitutional reason to censor this message. A day after receiving the information, the school district superintendent and the principal of the high school announced that the word “God” could appear on the marquee after all!
Then there was Madison, Wisconsin, where the school district voted to ban schoolchildren from citing the Pledge of Allegiance because of the “offensive” words: “One Nation Under God.” School district member Bill Keys said: “What I wanted to do was eliminate that which would be repugnant to those who believe very strongly and would have their personal and political beliefs violated by group coercion.” Of course, no thought was given to the fact that Americans every day are having their religious beliefs violated by the ACLU and their allies using group coercion tactics. After public pressure, the school board backed down.
And finally, there was the president of Americans United for Church and State who expressed “dismay” over the “millions” of Americans being “left behind” by the recent focus on God. A week after the terrorist attack, he lamented, “What struck me most over the last week was, as all of these political figures call their city or nation to prayer, they ignore the fact that there are millions of Americans for whom that is not a place or activity of comfort…It’s an interesting, sad phenomenon that nobody acknowledges, not even a sentence, not even a phrase.” The American Atheists of New Jersey spokeswoman added that “the revival of religious sentiment is causing hatred and division.”
Well, perhaps our nation’s founders were hateful, divisive men then. In the Declaration on the Necessity for Taking Up Arms against the British, Thomas Jefferson (who is the poster boy for the ACLU and its allies) and John Dickinson wrote: “Our cause is just. Our union is perfect…We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the divine favor toward us, that His providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we were grown up to our present strength…we must solemnly, before God and the world…exerting the utmost energy of those powers which our beneficent Creator has bestowed upon us…”
I wonder if Jefferson and Dickinson were alive today, if they would find themselves grilled by Americans United for “ignoring the millions of Americans for whom [prayer] is not a place or activity of comfort.”
These examples just show that the ACLU, their allies, and their agenda have not gone away. They are also a reminder that we must continue to be vigilant in defense of religious freedom, even during this time of public proclamations of faith and patriotism. And, most of all, we need to be in prayer for the hearts of those who oppose the Gospel, that their hearts would be changed by the very message they are trying so hard to silence.
Originally published November 07, 2001.
