How mean can you get

Published On: November 9, 2011|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|0 Comments|

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Dear Mikey: How dare you call yourself a religious freedom organization?
How dare you stop Franklin Graham’s outreach to children because the gifts contain Bible verses?
How dare you pervert the Constitution as cover for you anti-Christian attacks?
Why are you angry with God?

The measure that you measure with will be measured back to you.

Think about it.

(name withheld)


Dear (name withheld):

Mr. Weinstein asked me, as a leader of a very large Christian organization that supports MRFF and its work, to answer your email.

It is simply an issue of our Constitution. No aspect of our government, not the Congress nor military nor any branch supported by taxes paid by all our citizens may endorse and support a conspicuously religious operation.

You would not be happy if the Cadets – a formal USAFA operation – were raising money and sending toys to Unitarians who were using them to evangelize against the Trinity, now would you? Well, if you won’t support that, you cannot support the Cadets sending toys to children by which they evangelize those children.

The work of Samaritan’s Purse is repugnant to us, but the main issue is that the cadets as individuals and through their personal chaplains are proceeding directly with this fund raising as private persons and not as an official USAFA activity. That is fine. They may do that. So may you. So may anyone.

But the bottom line is that if the Marines, in their annual “Toys for Tots” program can find a way to help kids via a secular, NON religious means, so can the cadets. And now they have.

The freedom of religion guranteed to all – that protects YOUR individual and personal rights – is not being stifled in any way at all.

But so long as an organization is sponsored by the use of tax dollars from us all, they cannot and must not engage in specifically religious activities. That’s all. That’s important, and that’s what we support. Our rights as Christians are guaranteed as private acts. We have, none of us, no matter what religion, a right to commandeer governmental bodies to do our work.

We hope this makes this more clear for you. And we wish you the peace and joy of the coming blessed season of hope and promise.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Sholes
Director of Public Policy
California Council of Churches IMPACT


Dear Elizabeth: You are woefully misguided. You have correctly cited the Constitution on your website.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…”

In this case Congress is not establishing a religion and your organization is prohibiting the free exercise of Franklin Graham’s group. Do you not see this?

Please let me know your thoughts.

Best wishes,
(name withheld)


Dear (name withheld),

Do you not see that by enabling a specific sect, Samaritan’s Purse, and doing it with taxpayer money it most decidedly is establishing a religion?

Unless you are prepared to have the Cadets use YOUR tax dollars to raise money for presents for Eid, for Hanukkah, for Samhain, and for any day atheists call their own, this is discriminatory.

The cadets now are doing the right thing. No one is stopping them or Mr. Graham from doing this gift giving – however much it is religious blackmail forcing children to sign a pledge of conversion BEFORE getting a single gift – or from the cadets privately abetting them. The distinction in free exercise is that using my tax money is not MY free exercise.

Never thought about its impact on others who are NOT Mr. Graham, did you? I don’t wish a single penny of my tax money going to a man whose work is so venal and selfish that he’d hold presents hostage to “harvest” the participation of little kids in his mission. I find that reprehensible.

Mr. Graham is not being restrained, the cadets are not being restrained, but the instrument and organizational structure of our military are being restrained. So no ‘free exercise of religion” is being impacted whatsoever. The cadets are now doing this privately with their chaplains and not as the Cadet Corps we taxpayers support.

Believe it or not, it’s what keeps YOU free. Think about a role reversal – the military abetting faiths and religious you detest. You’d be singing a very different song. However – MRFF would NOT. They’d be protesting that on your behalf just as well.

I hope you will think about this – freedom of religion cannot exist where any arm of our government supports one over another.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Sholes

Sacramento, CA


Dear Elizabeth: I will pray that you will find the truth. I think you are quite mistaken.

Best wishes and prayers,

(name withheld)


Dear (name withheld)

And we pray you see the truth – our Constitution keeps you and us all free to go where God and our hearts tell us. You NEED nothing more than that to follow your inner and spiritual light!

Blessings to you and yours on the upcoming Christmas joy.

Elizabeth

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