J M J . PRAY 4 R USA . !
Supreme Court: “Jesus” prayers can be banned as illegal speech.
In a shocking decision that allowed an atheist anti-Jesus ban of our free speech to stand in five states, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of Joyner v. Forsyth County, and declined to overturn a bad 2-1 decision that banned prayers “in Jesus’ name” as illegal speech before government meetings.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that oversees 5 states had already banned prayers ending “in Jesus name” at public city council meetings in Virginia and West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Maryland. In part because of YOUR petitions, Forsyth County voted 6-1 to appeal and defend our free speech rights to the Supreme Court, but lost the appeal.
The Supreme Court yesterday declined to hear the case, allowing an atheist victory to ban free speech of the illegal word “Jesus” during public prayer, and costing $200,000 in Christian charity money (of which we pledged to pay $4,500) that must now be paid to the county who must pay the ACLU attorneys.
“In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision, cities and counties all over the state will be getting letters from the American Civil Liberties Union warning them to stop allowing sectarian prayers,” reports the Winston-Salem Journal (WSJ).
“We are about to get very busy,” said Katherine Parker, the ACLU attorney who argued the case against Forsyth County in the court system. “We have heard from 25 to 30 religious minority individuals in cities and counties all over North Carolina, and we are about to start contacting those (local government) attorneys. We are going to remind them that this is the law.”
But the decision is not applicable in 45 other United States, since every other Circuit Court but the 4th still allows Jesus-prayers. Christian Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund confirm: “America’s Founders never shied away from referencing the God to whom they were praying when offering public invocations; the citizens of Forsyth County should have this same opportunity,” Senior Counsel David Cortman said.
“No federal court has ruled that prayers cannot be offered before public meetings. The Supreme Court has simply missed an opportunity to clear up the differing opinions among the various circuits about the content of the prayers. This means that, for the time being, the standard for prayer policies in the 4th Circuit will be different from the standard held by the rest of the country,” Cortman told Focus on the Family Action.
Our friend Tony Perkins at the Family Research Council intepreted the ban: “By not hearing the case, the Supreme Court agreed–meaning that it is now law, not just in Forsyth County, but every state under the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina), that every government body use this ‘Jesus-counting approach’ in public prayers. When the decision takes effect, it will be illegal for pastors in any government assembly to mention Jesus except once or twice at the end of their prayers–or make any statements about who Jesus is and what He’s done for us.”
WSJ agrees: Christian lawyers “had argued that the 4th-Circuit ruling against Forsyth had created a conflict with an 11th-circuit ruling in Georgia that had found no problem with sectarian references. Even within the 4th Circuit, Johnson said, the court ruling has left officials asking ‘if there is a threshold number of sectarian references’ that run afoul of the constitution.”
How many references to Jesus are allowed? “Zero,” the atheists will threaten with more lawsuits. “Several,” we must argue and continue to pray in Jesus’ name without compromise. “Somewhere in between,” City Council lawyers in 5 states must now count the number of Jesus prayers, and make sure they don’t exceed some imaginary quota.
Everybody agrees non-sectarian prayers to “God” are OK, but courts may now punish citizens and city councils who dare to allow too many prayers “in Jesus’ name” in public. Local governments risk repeat lawsuits by atheist complainers if too many citizens dare violate the court imposed speech-ban of the illegal word “Jesus.”
We must not allow this travesty to stand, or spread beyond the 4th circuit.
Christian lawyers often defend these cases pro-bono, but they don’t pay opposing attorneys in case of loss, so many small governments won’t take the risk to defend Jesus prayers, unless we raise money for them.
An Alliance Defense Fund lawyer told me personally:
“Thank you for addressing fundraising. So far you’re the only ministry that has taken action on this. We would have many more cities across the country take a stand against the atheists if they were provided with indemnification against an adverse fee award. What we need is a national fund that could provide something similar to an ‘insurance’ policy for any city considering protecting prayer. I think we would only need funds to protect that first case that went to the Supreme Court. After that, the remaining cases would undoubtedly settle with one side or the other bowing out.”
Can you see why we’re raising funds? If we deny Christ, we will lose our rights.
Jesus prayers banned in 5 states. Supreme Court refused to hear our appeal.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear our case that could ban or restore the right to pray “in Jesus’ name” across America, in what is being hailed as the most important free speech case of our generation: Joyner vs. Forsyth County.
We at The Pray In Jesus Name Project have pledged $ Thousands in financial support to help the Commissioners of Forsyth County, North Carolina, as they appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court defending our right to speak the illegal word “Jesus” in a public prayer.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that oversees 5 states already banned prayers ending “in Jesus name” at public city council meetings in Virginia and West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Maryland. Thank God, in part because of YOUR petitions, Forsyth County voted 6-1 to appeal and defend our free speech rights to the Supreme Court.
Your tax-deductible donations here support our critical projects to defend the right to pray “in Jesus’ name” around the country in 2012, including legal expenses incurred if we lose our free speech rights to pray publicly “in Jesus’ name” at city, county, state, or federal ceremonies. (If we don’t pledge real money, many local governments won’t fight in court, even with pro-bono lawyers, because they cannot risk paying the atheists’ attorneys if they lose.) Because we pledge real money, they find their backbone and risk appeal, thank God.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports: “Attorneys for two women who sued Forsyth County over sectarian prayers at county commissioners’ meetings are asking the U.S. Supreme Court not to consider the county’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that bans such prayers.
“A 38-page brief that opposes the appeal was filed Thursday at the Supreme Court by Katherine Parker, the attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina; two ACLU attorneys in Washington, D.C.; and Ayesha Khan, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“In their brief, Parker and the other attorneys argue that the nation’s highest court should not consider the case because the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals correctly ruled in July that Christian prayers mentioning Jesus at the commissioners’ meetings violated the First Amendment.”
Jesus prayers banned! What the paper didn’t report is how YOU played a critical role, by signing our FREE Petition to the Forsyth County Commissioners, who voted 6-1 to appeal and defend our right to pray “in Jesus name.” THANK YOU for signing, but now we must put our money where our mouth is.
This is no small task. We’ve fought and won free speech victories in 10 states since 2007, by organizing rallies, free petitions, and pledging to pay court costs if small governments fight for our right to pray “in Jesus’ name” and lose, when atheist complainers sue them. We’ve won cases restoring or defending free speech and Jesus prayers for pastors, police chaplains, military chaplains, hospital chaplains, in city councils, county commissions, state legislatures, and the U.S. military, in OH, PA, VA, IN, NY, NC, FL, OK, OR and CA.
This ONE CRITICAL CASE is the first we’ve ever lost, since the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear it. Until they hear a future case like this one, we can no longer guarantee our permanent free speech freedom nationwide until our appeal is heard and won. It’s all or nothing. We’re in for the long run.
Court Bans Jesus Prayers in 5 States. Sign Free Petition!
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals banned private citizens from praying “in Jesus name” at or before city council meetings in 5 states Friday, including Virginia and West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Maryland. The 2-1 court ruling helped the anti-Christian ACLU and hurt the Christian Alliance Defense Fund in Forsyth County, NC, where atheist complainers said they were easily offended by free speech of the “illegal” word Jesus.
We need you to please send a free email to all 7 County Commissioners, right now, thanking them for appealing this case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In your email tell them “I will prayerfully consider pledging money to support your legal defense, BECAUSE you appealed to the Supreme Court, and defended everybody’s right to pray ‘in Jesus name.’” Without our money pledge, the county likely would NOT have appealed.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners decided this summer to appeal to the Supreme Court a bad 2-1 ruling, Joyner v. Forsyth County by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that banned private citizens in 5 states from speaking the forbidden word “Jesus” during a public prayer before council meetings.
The 2-1 Court decision can be read here: READ THE ANTI-JESUS COURT RULING. Then please sign our free petition AND DON’T FORGET TO EMAIL THE 7 COMMISSIONERS TOO. Thank you for helping!
Judge Paul V. Niemeyer, the lone dissenter in the 2-1 decision, strongly criticized his fellow jurists: “The majority has dared to step in and regulate the language of prayer — the sacred dialogue between humankind and God. Such a decision treats prayer agnostically; reduces it to civil nicety; … Most frightfully, it will require secular legislative and judicial bodies to evaluate and parse particular religious prayers under an array of criteria. … I respectfully submit that we must maintain a sacred respect of each religion, and when a group of citizens comes together, as does the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, and manifests that sacred respect — allowing the prayers of each to be spoken in the religion’s own voice — we must be glad to let it be.”
Alliance Defense Fund Attorney Mike Johnson said: “America’s founders opened public meetings with prayer. There’s no reason that today’s public officials should be forced to censor the prayers of those invited to offer them simply because secularist groups don’t like people praying according to their own conscience. The legal team will confer with the county about the process of appealing today’s decision.”
The Alliance Defense Fund is paying the county’s legal bills, but won’t cover payments to the plaintiffs for damages or legal expenses should the county lose. Therefore we’re stepping in to fill this gap.
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TAKE ACTION FOUR WAYS:
1) Sign the FREE petition here and write your thankful comment which we’ll post now.
2) Please politely email AND telephone each of the seven city council members and thank them for appealing the bad Court decision that banned Jesus-prayers.
3) Please donate to our legal defense fund. 100% of gifts will support legal defense of Jesus prayers including the Forsyth County case.
4) Pray God will bless all citizens with our free speech right to pray “in Jesus’ name.”
Our financial risk is real. Please donate a substantive tax-deductible gift to help us defend Jesus prayers in the future. We will fulfill the pledge and promises we made, by paying the county for their lost legal expenses. But we need your help to keep up the fight.
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