September 11, 2007
Thomas Jefferson said the Constitution built a wall of protection for religion. Thanks to the ACLU and its allies, this wall got "flipped" from one meant to protect the Church from the government to a wall of imprisonment and censorship used against the Church.
We see this once again where a Christian school in California is being sued for following its religious convictions.
California Lutheran High School, a private religious school, in Wildomar has faith-based criteria for admission and behavior of students. When two female students violated the school's code by reportedly engaging in homosexual behavior, the school suspended them. But rather than accepting the consequences for their children's alleged behavior and acknowledging the school's right to make decisions consistent with its beliefs, the parents responded with a lawsuit, claiming "sexual orientation" discrimination.
ADF and the Christian Legal Society are representing the Association of Faith-Based Organizations, which is asking the court for permission to intervene in this case on behalf of a coalition of Christian schools.
"Christian schools have the right to make admissions and disciplinary decisions consistent with their Christians beliefs," said CLS Litigation Counsel Timothy J. Tracey.
"To subject Christian schools to liability under California anti-discrimination laws for expelling students who engage in homosexual conduct flatly violates this right." Even a left-leaning civil liberties attorney has said that if this case is decided against the school, "religious schools are out of business."
A copy of the brief in support of the motion to intervene in
Doe v. California Lutheran High School is available at
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/CLHSAintervention.pdf.
As in the Ocean Grove case -- where two lesbian women are demanding the Methodists allow a same-sex ceremony on their grounds -- the rights of religious organizations to adhere to their own beliefs are increasingly being challenged across America. To preserve
Our First Liberty -- religious freedom -- we must meet the challenges in the courtrooms, and win, by God's grace. Your prayers and continued support are instrumental to the work of this ministry...please let us continue, on our knees, to press forward!