Appeals court says Bible cannot stay during appeal

[rainbow4321]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D87HHF601.html


A Bible was removed from a monument outside a Harris County courthouse Monday, complying with an order from a federal appeals court while the county appeals a federal judge's ruling that the display is unconstitutional.

Lake found that the display at the civil courthouse violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment and gave the county 10 days to remove the Bible last summer. Harris County asked the appeals court to allow the Bible to remain during its appeal.

The appeals court did not address the merits of the case, but said Monday the Bible must be removed and refused to allow the homeless mission responsible for the display to intervene in the appeal.

<snip>

Staley argued that in addition to being offensive, the Bible display improperly advanced Christianity and sent "a message to her and to non-Christians that they are not full members of the Houston political community

[gratuitous]

1. What is so difficult about this concept?

And what is so fragile about some people's beliefs that they're in danger without official endorsement by the state at every turn?

[liberal43110]

2. Freaks who don't understand the separation of church and state

Why can't some people understand the separation of church and state? The government should not advocate any religion or display symbols of any religion or fund any religion. PERIOD.

I don't see why this is offensive to fundamentalist Christians.

[Mithras61]

5. I tried to get through to a fundie I knew fairly well a while back...

She was a very nice lady who was fundamentally unable to see how allowing her Baptist prayer in school but not allowing Islamic, or Bhuddist or Taoist or any other type of prayer was discriminatory. I tried really hard to explain that her "well they can pray quietly at their desks" claim was completely irrelevant, since many religions require a physical display (such as the Islamic prayer rug & facing towards Mecca, etc.), and that simply saying "well they can pray too, so long as it doesn't disturb the other students" was exactly the same thing she was currently being told by the courts about her Baptist prayer. I actually spent the better part of 6 months trying to reach her, and to explain that her kids are free to pray silently in school, but that to allow prayer over the intercom was both a violation of the establishment clause and by it's very nature discriminatory against students of different faiths, but I never did get through.

[Maat]

8. I sympathize, Mithra61!

I tried the same talk with my in-laws - didn't get through.

[VegasWolf]

3. Cool, he successfully argued that the bible was offensive. n/t

[tx_dem41]

4. Of course, you're assuming that his success was based on that...

argument. He made several arguments (all constitutional types do and should).

That said, I agree with the decision.

On edit: You're vs. your...sigh

[VegasWolf]

6. Hi and No! According to the article the bible was offensive AND

encroaching on separation of church and state. That was
AND not OR. Therefore, F AND T = F, where T AND T = T.
Both of his assertions are accepted.

[tx_dem41]

7. Hi to you Vegas....I can't find where the article even quotes any ..

...of the ruling, so I don't see how we can surmise what the decision was based on from this article. The writer of the article only mentions the "bible was offensive" part when addressing the plaintiff's arguments.

But, let's not drag ourselves down on technical stuff, we agree on the decision(of course I started the "dragging down"..lol).

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[WildClarySage]

10. I just ask them if they want the principal of their kid's school

leading them in a prayer to Allah, or Goddess, or Krishna, and when they say of course not (being the fundie bigots they are) remind them that if those groups ever gain the majority in America, could happen. And then gently remind them that their faith is not so fragile it cannot withstand being adhered to silently.