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First, far from promoting morals and the general welfare, the exhibit deliberately mocks Christians and Christianity. The Biblical scene of the newly born Jesus Christ lying in a manger in Bethlehem lies at the very heart of the Christian faith. Subjecting an image held sacred by millions of Texans to the Foundation’s tasteless sarcasm does nothing to promote morals and the general welfare. To the contrary, the Foundation’s spiteful message is intentionally designed to belittle and offend, which undermines rather than promotes any public purpose a display promoting the bill of rights might otherwise have had. The Board has allowed and should continue to allow diverse viewpoints to be expressed in Capitol displays. But it has no obligation to approve displays that purposefully mock the sincere religious beliefs of others.
Second, the exhibit does not educate. According to the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s application, the purpose of the exhibit is “to educate the public about the religious and nonreligious diversity within the State.” But the exhibit does not depict any other religion, much less does it promote religious “diversity.” And it promotes “nonreligious diversity” only insofar as it mockingly depicts Christians’ religious worship. This is not an exhibit that spreads a secular message in an effort to educate the public about nonreligious viewpoints; it instead denigrates religious views held by others. There is nothing “educational” about that. To the contrary, the exhibit promotes ignorance and falsehood insofar as it suggests that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson worshipped (or would worship) the bill of rights in the place of Jesus.
Third, the general public does not have a “direct interest” in the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s purpose. That organization is plainly hostile to religion and desires to mock it—or, more accurately, to mock our Nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage. But it is erroneous to conflate the foundation’s private purpose with the public’s purpose. If the Foundation simply wanted to promote the Bill of Rights or even to promote the supposed virtues of secularism, its effort might have some public purpose. But it is hard to imagine how the general public ever could have a direct interest in mocking others’ religious beliefs.
It's a well known fact that reality has a leftist bias.
originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: DisinfoCom
Question, Really....
Do you post anything but leftest activist stories?
originally posted by: Gryphon66
Folks standing up for the First Amendment are now leftists?
(Wouldn't surprise me if it were true, but it's not true here. )
Funny, you see Governor Abbot ACTUALLY acting like a little tin-pot DICTATOR ... and not a word, not a peep.
originally posted by: Gryphon66
a reply to: infolurker
Could have sworn this was about a "Nativity" honoring our Founders and our Constitution ... you know ... what some of us call "Things that are Real."
Of course, I'm not surprised that a man who wants to be the dictator of his own little country hates the Constitution.
/shrug
"The First Ammendment does not require Texas to allow displays at its Capitol building that mock at satirize and entire religion. The lawsuit is completely basesless"
originally posted by: Klassified
a reply to: infolurker
I think I'll let the courts decide how baseless it is. This seems like a good group to me. I might see about membership.
That was brilliant! LMAO!
originally posted by: eNumbra
It's a well known fact that reality has a leftist bias.
originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: DisinfoCom
Question, Really....
Do you post anything but leftest activist stories?
originally posted by: jellyrev
Seems like juvenile behavior on all sides.
The issue is so miniscule that is does seem juvenile to form a group to do things like this that change nothing. Im not Christian but i have better things to do then pick a fight about the nativity scene.
Obviously abbot is in the wrong too.
A waste of everyones time.