Week Ending 7/17/22

 

Welcome back to TWATs!! I had to take a few weeks of me time due to the heat making a living hell of my life. While not excessively hot (it stayed below 90), it was uncomfortable. I just don't handle the heat like I use to.

With that said,,,

So for some odd reason AiG and the Ark Encounter has been front and center in my thoughts of late. This doesn't help!!

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/faith-family-fun-bible-story-ark-encounter

As Hemant notes, this was a paid advertisement! https://twitter.com/hemantmehta/status/1546237272399437826

What I don't get concerning the Christian taliban - why do they lie. https://onlysky.media/hemant-mehta/christian-prophet-the-constitution-requires-biden-to-have-20-popularity/

“What I’m saying right now is not a prophecy. These are constitutional facts. When a sitting president population—popularity—drops under 20%, the Congress and military can step in and make decisions. That’s all I’m gonna tell you.”

No sir, they are NOT facts!! Again as Hemant notes, there are only two ways to legally remove Biden from power - Impeachment and invoking the 25th Amendment.

What's scary, lies such as what you are spouting Mr. Johnson, came easy to one David Barton. For example, this recent foray into pseudo-history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNAK3c1kiEo

Notice the “out” he gives himself, “I literally can show you a Bible verse in the Bible and show you language in the Constitution and you'll go, 'That is the same language.'”

 

I find it hysterical that it took “god” 40+ years to destroy the Georgia Guidestones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CskAip7suLs

The apologetic is mind-blowing, "I don't believe the videos they put out, there's no time stamp on them..." Less than ten seconds later, they show the video, with the time stamp visible. 

What's worse, Kandiss Taylor celebrated the act of vandalism: https://twitter.com/KandissTaylor/status/1544691940083507204

And then there is Stew Peters take on the matter, lightening from god. Which one he doesn't say https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLhhpuF03to

Stew also seem to forget there is also a video of the car that was used to plant the "lightning." (Borrowed from a comment)

In the end Hemant sums up well the entire debacle. https://onlysky.media/hemant-mehta/vandals-finally-destroyed-the-satanic-georgia-guidestones/

Either way, if this is a victory, then who won? Who knows. If a Satanic monument was destroyed, it’s not like our lives are any better today. If it was just an expensive toy for a long-dead eugenicist, we still haven’t lost anything of value. But as with so many mindless things that eventually become traditions, we have lost something that was special to a lot of people. They put their own interpretations on the slabs of rock and a little piece of joy was taken from them. The city of Elberton has lost its most prized attraction. Ultimately, the monument was blown up by people whose motives remain unknown but who may have believed the lies they were fed by right-wing conspiracy theorists.

As local historian Raymond Wiley told Religion News Service, the Guidestones were meant to survive the apocalypse, but “they could not survive Southern culture.” A frivolous-yet-fun monument was likely shattered due to Christian superstition and a mindset that says anything some deem “un-Christian” must be destroyed at all costs.

Overall the Guidestones may or may not have been of any value. For me personally, they where a curiosity with a questionable origin. The possible association with eugenics is troubling but warrants a definitive rebuke; especially with regard to our history.

For thirty or so years the GG didn't garner much attention except for the occasional freak show. It wasn't until the last 10 years the nationalist type paid them any attention. Going back to my original question, why did it take god 40 years to destroy such a satanic icon?

Kentucky Can Attract Tourists Who Like Bible More Than Bourbon Without Violating First Amendment - Forbes

The gist from Peter's perspective:

The reason the whole thing ended up in federal court was that the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism decided that it had to revoke the approval of the project’s subsidy, because it advanced religion in contravention of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. One particular concern was that they were only going to hire people who believed in the message. Kind of an affirmative action program for the home schooled, I guess.

Judge Van Tatenhove ruled that Kentucky could not withdraw the credits on that basis. It is a complicated decision, but it illustrates the tension in the provisions of the First Amendment. The government is not supposed to “establish” religions by enacting programs that favor one religion over the other or even religion over irreligion. On the other hand, the government should not interfere with the free exercise of religion.

Ark Enconunter LLC was approved for the subsidy because it is believed that it will attract tourists to Kentucky where they will spend money. That is religiously neutral. The fact that they intend to promote religion should not help them in qualifying for the subsidies, but it should not hurt them either. That is the essence of the ruling.

I  have read Peter's article over a few times and at first glance it reminds me of the Synder v Phelps (2011).  I don't like it but I have to agree with it (I think). I like Peter's contrast..

With all that said, I think the judge has it right on the constitutional issue. If you are going to give tax credits to get tourist to come to your state, it shouldn’t matter that you want them to go home and read their bibles rather than drive cars fast or drink more good bourbon.

Somebody who knows a lot more than I do about this, Edward Zelinsky of Yeshiva University has a similar view. He wrote me.

This controversy confirms the inadvisability of the kind of state subsidy being extended to the Noah Ark’s tourist attraction. Kentucky, by some measures, has the worst funded public pensions in the country. Under the best of circumstances, it makes no sense for Kentucky’s taxpayers to subsidize for-profit tourist attractions. And Kentucky’s public finances are hardly among the nation’s best.

If Kentucky is going to subsidize tourist attractions, the District Court is correct that the state must use neutral, secular criteria which neither favor nor disfavor religious applicants. But a misbegotten public subsidy, administered in a religiously neutral way, is still misbegotten

Americans United For Separation of Church and State disagrees with the ruling.

Van Tatenhove misses the point. The incentive program may be neutral, but the Ark Park is not. Its purpose is to convince people that AiG’s interpretation of the Bible is correct and that they should adopt it.

On the other hand AUSCS sees a possible upside, as, along with some religious people, they believe that state involvement might harm religion more that it helps.

I am not completely sold on this ruling. I see Peter's point as well as the ACLU's.  I understand the were the judge is addressing the issue, but like Westboro, I dislike Ham, AiG, and the Ark Encounter

Kentucky Can Attract Tourists Who Like Bible More Than Bourbon Without Violating First Amendment - Forbes

February 5-9, 2016::End of the day round-up

Iran’s hypocrisy exposed as scores of juvenile offenders condemned to gallows

Scores of youths in Iran are languishing on death row for crimes committed under the age of 18, said Amnesty International in a damning new report published today. The report debunks recent attempts by Iran’s authorities to whitewash their continuing violations of children’s rights and deflect criticism of their appalling record as one of the world’s last executioners of juvenile offenders.

Growing up on death row: The death penalty and juvenile offenders in Iran reveals that Iran has continued to consign juvenile offenders to the gallows, while trumpeting as major advances, piecemeal reforms that fail to abolish the death penalty against juvenile offenders.

“This report sheds light on Iran’s shameful disregard for the rights of children. Iran is one of the few countries that continues to execute juvenile offenders in blatant violation of the absolute legal prohibition on the use of the death penalty against people under the age of 18 years at the time of the crime,” said Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

“Despite some juvenile justice reforms, Iran continues to lag behind the rest of the world, maintaining laws that permit girls as young as nine and boys as young as 15 to be sentenced to death.”

Iran: Growing up on death row: The death penalty and juvenile offenders in Iran

Iran Still a Leading Executioner of Minors, Report Says

Dan Arel has followed this debacle since day one and provides a very good run down of what has transpired since. Here is another "view" as to what Ham is attempting to pull with the Ark Encounter.

I will have a second, separate, POV from Peter J. Reilly as well!!  Makes for some interesting thinking,,,

Kentucky won't fight tax break ruling for Noah's Ark project
[Please note the original article seems to have poofed but am leaving this as such]

Kentucky officials won't fight a federal court ruling that supports giving a tax incentive to a Christian theme park featuring a 510-foot-long Noah's Ark.

A spokeswoman for Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said Tuesday that the state has no plans to appeal and that the new governor's administration is pleased with U.S. District Judge Greg Van Tatenhove's ruling.

A little more than a year ago, state tourism officials under former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear told the Christian group building the ark that it would be blocked from seeking the incentive because of the park's religious themes.

The group, Answers in Genesis, hailed the ruling Monday as a victory for religious freedom. And the tax rebate, which could be worth up to $18 million for the ark, seems likely since its opposition was washed away by Bevin's election win.

The Latest Anti-Gay Oklahoma Bills Are Almost Too Crazy to Believe

Outrageous anti-LGBTQ bills are now a fixture of the American legislative landscape. At the start of each year, extremist legislators come forward with a slew of discriminatory proposals, ranging from cleverly underhanded to openly deranged. Oklahoma’s latest bills fall on the latter side of that spectrum. In addition to some typical “religious liberty” legislation that would let businesses refuse service to gays—par for the course at this point—Oklahoma Republicans have cooked up some fascinatingly cruel bills.

1. HB 1598: Protecting ex-gay conversion therapy.
2. HB 3044: Preventing depressed and suicidal queer youth from seeing a gay-affirmative therapist.
3. SB 733: Forbidding HIV-positive people from getting married.

Stories I didn't get too from January 2016 (pg 2)

Ken Ham calls Newsweek anti-Christian for further exposing his Ark Encounter discrimination

On Saturday, Newsweek ran a great expose on the Ark Encounter and the employment discrimination that led to the park losing its $18 million tax incentive.
Lindsay Tucker wrote in her piece:

Why did the state reject an application nearly identical to one it initially approved? Because AiG posted Ark Encounter job listings on its website requiring a “salvation testimony” and a creationist statement of faith. Bob Stewart, then-secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, wrote in a letter to AiG: “The Commonwealth doesn’t believe that Ark Encounter, LLC will be complying with state and Federal law in its hiring practices.” AiG insisted that the job posts were not exclusive to Ark Encounter, but state officials remained unconvinced. After months of pleading with the tourism cabinet, AiG filed a lawsuit against Kentucky officials, asserting that the refusal to extend tax aid was a form of religious discrimination.

Judge says Kentucky theme park can hire people based on religious beliefs

A federal judge ruled that developers building a replica of Noah’s Ark for a controversial Kentucky theme park can use religious beliefs as part of their hiring criteria and still retain tax incentives.
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U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove wrote in his 71-page opinion on Monday (Jan, 25) that while Answers is “clearly a religious organization,” tourist destinations could be affiliated with religion if they serve the state’s “secular” goal of boosting local revenue.
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“Bringing non-residents into Kentucky who will spend money on food, lodging, gas, and tourist attractions will increase revenues and benefit the state’s economy through jobs and spending,” Tatenhove wrote. “Such a purpose is plainly secular.”

Texas Homeschooling Family Sued for Allowing Children to Play Outside

A husband and wife in Texas are being sued by their neighbors for allowing their homeschooled children to play in their backyard.
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 But two of the Counts’ next-door neighbors, Irving and Anita Ward, are now suing the homeschooling family, saying the kids are a nuisance and make too much noise. First, the neighbors asked the local homeowners association and the City of Plano to force the Counts to remove the playhouse and swing set. When that initiative failed, they took the issue to court.

Atheists Sued to Stop Drug Rehab Program That Uses ‘Biblical Principles.’ Here’s How a Florida Court Just Reacted

A court has ruled against atheist activists who sued the state of Florida and two faith-based halfway houses over the claim that the government is violating the state’s constitution by doling out money to religiously affiliated private programs, according to a religious liberty legal firm.

The Circuit Court of Leon County in Florida ruled that the state can continue its partnership with Prisoners of Christ and Lamb of God ministries — an arrangement that helps assist recently released prisoners. The court ruling goes against the wishes of the Center for Inquiry, an atheist group that had been challenging the arrangement since 2007.

Mom: Son killed friend after worshipping the devil (VIDEO)

Where In The World, What In The World, Is Kent Hovind's "January Surprise"! -Guest Post By Robert Baty


 Two points stand out:

1]   Officially, Kent is not allowed contact with Paul because they are both convicted felons and under supervision of United States Government while they finish out their sentences.

Unofficially, it appears Kent may be violating the rules by using agents to communicate with and coordinate certain activities with Paul who appears to be continuing to promote the notion that he is going to be holding common law court in Pensacola to redress his grievance and maybe Kent's as well (kinda like the Oregon occupiers are trying to do).

All of that effort might have garnered more attention were it not for the fact that the Oregon "stand-off" is taking the spotlight on behalf of the militia/sovereign citizen promoters like Kent and Paul and so many of their followers.

2]   From what I observe, Kent keeps his real self rather well hidden from the outside world.  What I see are his public performances which appear to me to be very well crafted to maximize his monetization of his renewed efforts to raise money for what he wants to do.  It seems to be working out rather well for him for the time being and as he begins 3 years of Supervised Release.

In my opinion, if Kent really didn't care about being a convicted felon for the rest of life and never again being able to buy guns and use them which he was so fond of doing, he would let it go for he has no good reason for doing what he is supposedly doing to supposedly try to get his 2006 convictions overturned, structuring law repealed, and collect millions in damages for false imprisonment.

Kent, to me, seems a bitter man who has pledged the rest of his life to pay back the Government for daring to call him to account for a few of his crimes and to keep from paying what he owes.

Former Rep. Michele Bachmann: Laws Passed by Congress Cannot Contradict Biblical Law

Hemant sums it up well, "The beauty of our legal system is that we can, in theory, change it when we realize it’s wrong. If a law is unjust or ineffective, we can revise it. We can write new laws that supersede the old ones. Biblical law isn’t subject to change. Conservatives see that as a strength, even though that’s its biggest weakness."

To pass laws that do not uphold God’s moral law, Bachmann said, “degrades us as a nation, it degrades our liberties and it degrades the greatness of a nation and that’s what God understood from Old Testament times: The greatness of a nation is built up by His law.”

January 14, 2016::End of the day round-up

I have mixed feelings concerning whether Cruz is eligible to be President. On the one hand, I look at the "birther movement" against President Obama, and think tit-for-tat. On the other, it is for the legal eagles to figure out.

Ted Cruz produces mother’s birth certificate after both parents found on Canadian voter list

But most constitutional scholars argue that anyone with at least one parent who was a U.S. citizen at the time of birth automatically inherits that parent's citizenship. Cruz has said that because his mother was a U.S. citizen when he was born, he is a natural-born citizen.

But Grayson says there is disagreement over the issue, according to U.S. News & World Report. And because the courts have never ruled on the matter of presidential candidates who were born outside the U.S., a lawsuit could pose a serious problem for the Cruz campaign.

A curious case to say the least. Without full details - such as the employers policy concerning "lunch breaks" (ie paid versus unpaid), salaried vs hourly employment, and the like - it's hard to determine if a line was crossed by the employer.

Fired park employee sues over lunchtime baptism

A lawsuit has been filed by a former maintenance worker at Maritime National Historic Park in San Francisco for being fired after performing a baptism for a park visitor during his lunch break.

The case has been documented by Courthouse News, which said Roger Holly’s complaint against the Department of the Interior and his supervisors appeared this week in federal court.

Court documents say Holly, a Baptist minister, reported he baptized a park visitor in the ocean during his lunch break in November 2013. He reported he was out of uniform and simply “helped dunk the visitor into the ocean.”
“The religious ‘ceremony’ Holly performed did not include any outward, objective display of religion, such as reading sacred texts, public prayer, sermonizing or the like. It simply appeared that two persons were swimming in the ocean, much like other park visitors,” CN quoted from the complaint.

He then was interrogated by his supervisor, Robert Kier, who is named as defendant.

Holly reported he assured Kier he would not baptize someone while he was supposed to be working, or in his National Park Service uniform.

But he was terminated shortly after.

300,000 Low-Income Louisianians Gained Healthcare Today As Bobby Jindal Is Replaced By Democratic Governor

Acknowledging the huge problems facing the state of Louisiana, Edwards then laid out a progressive agenda to begin uplifting his citizens out of the rut that the Jindal administration had forced them to wallow in. One of his first actions will be to accept funding for the Medicaid expansion, giving healthcare to 300,000 of his citizens who desperately need it. He has promised to issue an executive order to begin expansion preparation within 24 hours, aiming to have the process complete by July 1st.

Kentucky bill looks to extend summer vacation to promote creationism

Kentucky senators have introduced a new bill, SB-50 that would “require schools to schedule the first student attendance day no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26, unless a school has adopted a year-round calendar.”

As I reported back in August of 2015, Kentucky Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, and Sen. Chris Girdler, R-Somerset had proposed such a bill to help extend the vacation season to bring more attention to the forthcoming Ark Encounter.

“Grant County is set to become a major tourist destination due to the presence of the Ark,” Thayer said. “But there won’t be many families from Kentucky visiting in August if we continue with the current calendar.”

A 2008 Tennessee study estimated that if summer was extended through Labor Day, an additional $189 million would be generated in tourist spending.

Answers in Genesis insists it has religious freedom to discriminate and lies about hiring practices

From Dan Arel concerning AIG's Ark Encounter project:

Answers in Genesis CCO Mark Looy wrote an op-ed for Grant County News Thursday in an attempt to dispel what he believes are myths surrounding the Ark Encounter project.

He begins by addressing the hiring discrimination that led to the loss of the project’s tax incentive, though Looy still believes they lost the tax incentive because of the religious nature of the project.

“One lingering myth has concerned the future hiring practices for the park next year. Despite the rumors, here are two important facts to remember: 1) the Ark Encounter has not yet determined its final hiring policies and 2) when the policies are completed, we have committed to closely follow all applicable federal and state employment laws that govern religious organizations like ours,” write Looy.

Yet on multiple occasions the Ark Encounter has posted job openings that have stated that employees must be young earth creationists and sign a statement of faith, thereby assuring the organization that the applicant believes in the organization’s version of Christianity.

Why tell readers you have not decided on hiring policies when you have been hiring for over a year? And why claim you plan to follow all state and federal laws when you clearly have not been already?

So what Looy is sayng, in a few years (after opening) there will be a massive funding drive to prevent it from closing due to "Christian persectution".

Answers in Genesis insists it has religious freedom to discriminate and lies about hiring practices

The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) has been quite busy

FFRF combats ‘pervasive religious endorsement’ in Texas school district

A national state/church watchdog has lodged a formal complaint over "pervasive religious endorsement" by the Mt. Vernon Independent School District in Texas.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation contacted the district Oct. 31 on behalf of a local complainant. FFRF, based in Madison, Wis, has more than 21,500 members, including 900 in Texas. Numerous allegations of Establishment Clause violations include religious postings in several classrooms,,,

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"Public schools have a duty to ensure that 'subsidized teachers do not inculcate religion' or use their positions of authority to promote a particular religious viewpoint," FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover wrote Superintendent John Kaufman in the Oct. 31 letter. "When teachers place Latin crosses or bible quotes on classroom walls, they have unconstitutionally entangled the school with a religious message, specifically a Christian message."

FFRF protests many police chaplains nationwide, including in Orlando

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national state/church watchdog, sent a letter and open records request to the Orlando Police Department (Fla.) on Nov. 3, objecting to the department's chaplain program. The complaint is the latest in a series of objections over law enforcement chaplaincies the FFRF has lodged this year.
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Orlando chaplains, as is typical, are required to be ordained ministers with experience as pastors, who counsel employees, employees' families, and victims of crimes, and assist with death notifications and other police activities. Orlando's chaplain program does have one distinct feature – a car with an "Orlando Police Chaplain" graphic displayed across the side. FFRF's records request asks for documents relating to this car, as well as many other aspects of the chaplain program.
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Some chaplain programs have other troubling elements, like chaplains delivering prayers at department ceremonies, or training law enforcement officers on subjects outside their expertise such as ethics and stress management. Some chaplains have contact with juveniles. A chaplain was photographed at a session of the Police Department's "Police Explorers" program in Dunwoody, Ga., whose participants are ages 14-21. The job description for Rochester's Clergy Response Team says that clergy "may volunteer in high schools with School Resource Officers." And Millville's chaplains made headlines in August for actually picking up and detaining children who had violated curfew.
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Attorney Andrew Seidel, one of five FFRF staff attorneys, handled most of the chaplain complaints on behalf of FFRF. His letters explain that courts allow government-employed chaplains only as an accommodation where the government makes it difficult for people to seek out private ministries, as is the case with military service members or prisoners. Since there is no government-imposed religious burden on law enforcement officers or the public, the government does not need to provide chaplains for them.

FFRF reports electioneering churches to IRS

Prior to Tuesday's elections, FFRF passed onto the IRS nine complaints about churches improperly endorsing or opposing candidates for political office. FFRF is investigating further complaints that came to light this week.

All 501(c)(3) nonprofits, including churches, are prohibited from intervening in any election or engaging in partisan politicking, such as by supporting or opposing specific candidates. "The regulations ensure that 501(c)(3) groups do not abuse the public trust, since tax exemption is a privilege and a form of public subsidy," explains FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor.

Many electioneering complaints stem from pastors who purposely violate electioneering restrictions from the pulpit as part of "Pulpit Freedom Sunday," an annual event put on by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian Right group. ADF and their allies argue that religious groups should be given special treatment, and be allowed to engage in partisan activity while maintaining their tax-exempt status. Many pastors, at the urging of ADF, have sent videos of their lawbreaking sermons directly to the IRS, hoping to incite a legal challenge to rescind the 1954 law against politicking by 501(c)(3) churches. According to ADF, more than 1,700 pastors participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday in October.

Ala. commission rescinds $3,000 faith grant to Baptist ministry

The Covington County Commission in Andalusia, Ala., voted unanimously Nov. 6 to rescind a $3,000 donation of taxpayer funds to the Covington Baptist Association for a men's ministry whose purpose was "to get more men to church."

The vote was in response to an Oct. 27 complaint letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation protesting the flagrant constitutional violation.

Katherine Paige, FFRF legal fellow, sent the commission a second complaint letter Nov. 7 after learning that Commissioner Harold Elmore might ask to renew the grant to the ministry under the guise of funding building renovations.

Paige investigated property records and learned that Elmore was an incorporator of the Judson Baptist Church, which owns the building (sometimes referred to as the "Old Stanley School" or the "Stanley Community Center") and runs the ministry. Elmore serves as church deacon and is one of the Covington Baptist Association's four trustees.

"The commission cannot escape the grant's religious purpose and Commissioner Elmore's involvement raises serious ethical concerns under Alabama law," wrote Paige.

FFRF stands up for students’ right to omit “under God” from pledge

The Freedom From Religion Foundation yesterday sent a strong letter to the Tracy Unified School District (Calif.) censuring the punishment of two West High School students who omitted the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Students in Shauna Baker's speech and debate class are charged with the responsibility of reading the daily announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance over the loudspeaker to everyone in the school as part of a graded assignment. Juniors Adrianna Teboe and Derek Giardina recently left out the words "under God" when it was their turn to recite the pledge.

Both students were marked down a grade for the omission, according to news reports. Giardina was reportedly given detention when he failed to include the phrase a second time, and Baker told him if he did not say the pledge properly, he would be suspended and kicked out of class.

"Students should not be singled out for exercising a conscientious objection to the words 'under God,' " wrote FFRF Legal Fellow Katherine Paige, pointing out that the phrase was only belatedly added to the previously secular pledge in the 1950s.

FFRF faults 7th Circuit timidity on clergy privilege case

Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who learned today a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says they have no right to challenge the discriminatory "parsonage exemption," expressed disappointment that the court is unwilling to confront "this blatant preference for ministers and churches."

The panel, in a unanimous decision by Circuit Judge Joel Flaum, vacated a strong ruling a year ago by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb for the Western District of Wisconsin, declaring unconstitutional 26 U.S. C. § 107(2), passed by Congress in 1954.

The law allows "ministers of the gospel" paid through a housing allowance to exclude that allowance from taxable income. Ministers may, for instance, use the untaxed income to purchase a home, and, in a practice known as "double dipping," may then deduct interest paid on the mortgage and property taxes.

"It's important to note," said attorney Richard L. Bolton, who handled the litigation, "that the court's opinion in no way reflects that the housing allowance is constitutional." As Flaum himself noted, the court did "not reach the issue of the constitutionality of the parsonage exemption."
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FFRF sets aside a portion of the salaries for Barker and Gaylor as a "housing allowance," which, under the IRS code, the couple is not eligible to claim, as they are not "ministers of the gospel," but instead espouse atheism, freethought and secularism.

Gaylor and Barker took issue with the appeals court's cavalier assessment that they have suffered no concrete injury, since they must pay taxes on their housing allowance, while ministers are rewarded, simply for being religious leaders, with a unique and substantial tax benefit. The parish allowance is not a tax deduction but an exemption — housing allowances are subtracted from taxable income.

"We will continue to challenge this indefensible favoritism for religion in other forums until the issue cannot be circumvented," Barker said.

FFRF sues praying school board in Chino Valley, Calif.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a prominent national state/church watchdog, filed a federal lawsuit yesterday in the Central District of California, Eastern Division, against the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education, whose meetings "resemble a church service more than a school board meeting," FFRF contends.
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School board meetings open with a prayer, and often include bible readings and proselytizing by board members. Board President James Na injects Christianity into many of his official statements, FFRF's legal complaint notes. At one typical meeting, Na "urged everyone who does not know Jesus Christ to go and find Him," after which another board member closed with a reading of Psalm 143.

Students often attend the meetings to receive awards, speak about issues affecting their schools, attend disciplinary hearings and do performances. Student attendance is mandatory in some instances, and a student representative is a member of the board.
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The plaintiffs "feel that the government is taking sides against them on religious questions," and view the prayers, bible readings, and proselytizing as state-endorsed religion. The board is excessively entangled with religion, alleges the complaint, noting there is no secular or educational purpose for prayers, bible readings, or proselytizing. FFRF contends this violates the Establishment Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and the California Constitution.

FFRF objects to Va. professor’s promotion of Islam in classroom

A Virginia professor's "Introduction to Islam" course crosses the line from objective religious teaching to proselytization, says the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

The national organization of atheists and agnostics, based in Madison, Wis., has more than 21,500 members, including 525 in Virginia. FFRF sent a letter last month asking Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in Annandale, Va., to investigate Professor Daoud Nassimi's class, which is described as an objective investigation of Islam "in its historical, religious, and political dimensions."

Instead, "this class has been used to proselytize students and advance belief in the existence of a god in an attempt to prove religious belief correct," wrote Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott and Legal Fellow Katherine Paige. An audio recording and PowerPoint slides from a lecture on the existence of god obtained by FFRF show that Nassimi's class is "a one-sided monologue by a government-paid employee whose agenda is to show the truth of religion – namely, the existence of a god."
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"The primary legal issue with this class is Prof. Nassimi's active promotion of his personal religious views. This is not a question of Prof. Nassimi's free speech – Prof. Nassimi is abusing his government position," wrote Elliott and Paige.

The letter concluded by asking NOVA to thoroughly investigate the class and, if the allegations are confirmed, to remove Nassimi from teaching the class. "Given his inability to separate his teaching duties from his religious sensibilities, we fail to see how he can conduct a collegiate course on Islam or religion," FFRF said.

FFRF urges IRS to investigate Noah’s Ark theme park

The Freedom From Religion Foundation yesterday sent a letter to the IRS asking it to investigate the tax exempt status of two nonprofits involved in operating and fundraising for the for-profit “Ark Encounter” theme park in Kentucky. The Noah’s ark-themed park, slated to open in 2016, will center on a full-scale ark built to biblical specifications.

Answers in Genesis (AiG) is a Christian fundamentalist group that advocates a literal interpretation of the bible, and owns the Creation Museum. Through a subsidiary nonprofit, it also owns Ark Encounter, a for-profit LLC, and has fundraised extensively for the park.

Donations to AiG, a nonprofit, are tax deductible, while donations directly to Ark Encounter, a for-profit company, would not be. But AiG fundraising materials include a space for donations to Ark Encounter, and note that donations are “tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.” On the AiG website, donors have the option to designate contributions to Ark Encounter.

A separate Ark Encounter website also states that sponsorship is tax deductible.

Thus it appears that AiG is taking tax-deductible donations and directly giving them to Ark Encounter, LLC, noted FFRF Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott.
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“Answers in Genesis cannot have it both ways,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Either the Ark Encounter is a religious enterprise and is eligible for tax-exempt donations, or AiG and Ark Encounter can be taken at their word that the park is purely a commercial enterprise.” In the latter case, then AiG is not “‘operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific’ or other exempt purposes,” as required for exempt status, and should lose its tax exemption, FFRF contends.

Creation Museum officials say funds in place to start building Noah's Ark theme park | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

The recent debate must have been a cash-cow for Ham. But when the Ark sinks, just like the museum is doing now, who will be to blame?

The creators of Northern Kentucky’s controversial Creation Museum say enough money has been raised to proceed with a new biblical theme park built around a 510-foot replica of Noah’s Ark.

Ken Ham, the president of Answers in Genesis who gained national attention earlier this month after a debate with Bill Nye the Science Guy, said that after a recent bond offering “the funding is in place” to start building the “Ark Encounter” park on an 800-acre site in Grant County, Ky.

The Ark’s website says it has raised $14.4 million in private donations toward the $24.5 million needed to build the ark alone as part of a theme park that is expected to cost more than $120 million. The complete first phase totals more than $70 million, and officials said they sold most of the $62 million in municipal bonds offered to investors.

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But Josh Rosenau, policy director for the California-based National Center for Science Education, said the Ark park is objectionable because it displays “a false account of world history and biology” and presents it “as if it were fact.”

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Late last year, the city of Williams­town, where the park would be located, helped by offering $62 million in municipal bonds on behalf of the Christian group. The city isn’t responsible for repaying the unsecured bonds, which would come from park revenues. Partly because of a lackluster response, the sale was extended in December.

Mike Zovath, the Ark project coordinator, said the minimum amount was sold, which constituted most of the bonds, and AiG purchased some. They did not provide exact figures.

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Earlier this year, Bloomberg News reported that the Ark project was drawing comparisons to tourist attractions from Alabama to Nebraska that have defaulted on such bonds, and noted that it came with the added risk of legal challenges from those who believe the religious themes may violate the Constitution.

Creation Museum officials say funds in place to start building Noah's Ark theme park | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

City seeks to jump-start stalled Ark Encounter park with $62 million 'junk' bond offering | Politics and Government | Kentucky.com

My first question would be, why would any one try and bail this "project" out? If the numbers and experience of what has occurred at the Creation Museum (declining attendance due to same shit different day syndrome) is any indication, it is doomed from the beginning. A second point is how is this legal, this is a state subsidy that appears to violate the separation of church and state.

A planned amusement park in Grant County featuring a life-size Noah's Ark is two years and millions of dollars behind schedule, but now it's getting more civic help: a $62 million bond issue being offered by the city of Williamstown.

The city, which has already granted the project a 75 percent break in property taxes over 30 years, won't have to repay the bonds, according to the bond-offering documents. That's good, experts say, because the bonds are not rated, which makes them speculative, or "junk" bonds, said Gene Gard of Dupree Mutual Funds in Lexington.

The taxable bonds are backed by future revenues from the project, which organizers believe will attract more than 1 million visitors in the first year.

The offering is not something that would be considered for purchase by a firm like Dupree, Gard said, because of the risk.

"It might be people who are looking to allocate some money to a more speculative issue, or it might be people who would really like to see this project built," he said. "Or you could look at it almost as a loan to a family member and not be as concerned about being paid back."

If the park can't produce enough revenue, the people who buy the bonds will lose their money, but it shouldn't have any lasting effect on Williamstown.

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Alex Luchenitser, legal counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State in Washington, D.C., said his group has been following the Ark Encounter project closely, but has not made any legal moves because it's not clear the project will happen.

"We're not interested in filing a lawsuit where you might not need one in the first place," he said. "But we think it raises serious constitutional issues, both on the federal church-state requirement and under the Kentucky Constitution," which has language prohibiting government aid to religious institutions.

City seeks to jump-start stalled Ark Encounter park with $62 million 'junk' bond offering | Politics and Government | Kentucky.com