From Pastor Dewey:
I got this letter from Lea Carawan
Executive Director
Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation
This whole thing just breaks my heart……..our families, schools, Churches, OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY keep being torn apart by Satan……Here at FGGAM we stand in the gap for God, join us, please.
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one” Ezekiel 22:30
| Dear Dewey,The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an organization attempting to remove all references to God and faith in our nation. The FFRF recently sent a letter urging the Clovis Municipal School District to remove/cover up a large mural painted inside the Freshman Academy that depicted a dove and an anchor, and included a quote from Hebrews 6:19 that said “hope anchors the soul.” Because of this, the District decided to comply with their request.
The New Mexico Legislative Prayer Caucus recently sent a letter to Clovis School District Superintendent, Jody Balch, encouraging him to reconsider; letting him know that they would stand behind the District’s decision to reinstate the mural. The letter also provided legal support to protect similar murals in the District. Furthermore, they sent the letter with a cover letter to the Mayor and city council to affirm the Constitutionality of the display of religious symbols in the public square. You can read the letter here and below. Please continue to pray for Superintendent Balch and take a few minutes to encourage him by contacting him at (575) 769-4320 or by email. For Faith and Freedom,
Lea Carawan August 28, 2017 Mr. Jody Balch Re: Religious Mural Inside Freshman Academy Dear Superintendent Balch: I am State Representative David Gallegos, District 61. I am the Co-Chairman of the New Mexico Prayer Caucus. We formed this Caucus because we believe in the power of prayer, and we firmly believe that the First Amendment’s Free Exercise of Religion protects Americans who want to glorify God in word and actions. We recently learned from news reports that an out-of-state organization urged the School District to remove/cover up a large mural painted inside the Freshman Academy that depicted a dove and an anchor, and included a quote from Hebrews 6:19 that said “hope anchors the soul.” A former art teacher had painted this mural with the approval, but not at the urging, of the District. We further understand that the District decided to comply with the request of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The Foundation claimed that the mural violated the First Amendment because it amounts, in their view, to an endorsement of the Christian religion. The organization, unfortunately, failed to understand that such references, as well as other religious symbols that grace government buildings and monuments, are simply an acknowledgement of religion’s rich influence on the development of this nation and its institutions. This Judeo-Christian historical influence is well documented in American history, as evidenced by the fact that Laus Deo, meaning Praise be to God, is engraved upon the aluminum capstone of The Washington Monument, and that inside the monument, there are a number of memorial stones with scriptural engravings from the Old and New Testaments. Similarly, the walls of the Library of Congress have inscribed upon them Psalm 19:1 (“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showest His handiwork”); John 1:5 (“The light shinest in the darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not”); and Micah 6:8 (“What does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and love mercy and walk humbly with thy God?”). America’s religious heritage is literally etched into our collective memory as a nation, from the federal level to our counties, cities, and towns. Though atheists may desire to remove every cross from every military cemetery and every religious reference upon our monuments and buildings, such hostility to religion is contrary to our nation’s Founders, our Constitution, and the will of our people. As the U.S. Supreme Court stated well in Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306, 314 (1952): “[W]e find no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious influence.” In 2005, Chief Justice Rehnquist, writing for the Court in the case of Van Orden v. Perry, 545 U.S. 677, wrote that the proper analysis to apply to the use of Scripture on monuments/buildings is the nature of the monument/building and our Nation’s history. The Chief Justice wrote the following regarding the portion of Scriptures called the Ten Commandments: Such acknowledgments of the role played by the Ten Commandments in our Nation’s heritage are common throughout America. We need only look within our own Courtroom. Since 1935, Moses has stood, holding two tablets that reveal portions of the Ten Commandments written in Hebrew, among other lawgivers in the south frieze. Representations of the Ten Commandments adorn the metal gates lining the north and south sides of the Courtroom as well as the doors leading into the Courtroom. Moses also sits on the exterior east facade of the building holding the Ten Commandments tablets. Similar acknowledgments can be seen throughout a visitor’s tour of our Nation’s Capital. For example, a large statue of Moses holding the Ten Commandments, alongside a statue of the Apostle Paul, has overlooked the rotunda of the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building since 1897. And the Jefferson Building’s Great Reading Room contains a sculpture of a woman beside the Ten Commandments with a quote above her from the Old Testament (Micah 6:8). A medallion with two tablets depicting the Ten Commandments decorates the floor of the National Archives. Inside the Department of Justice, a statue entitled “The Spirit of Law” has two tablets representing the Ten Commandments lying at its feet. In front of the Ronald Reagan Building is another sculpture that includes a depiction of the Ten Commandments. So too a 24-foot-tall sculpture, depicting, among other things, the Ten Commandments and a cross, stands outside the federal courthouse that houses both the Court of Appeals and the District Court for the District of Columbia. Moses is also prominently featured in the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives. . . . These displays and recognitions of the Ten Commandments bespeak the rich American tradition of religious acknowledgments. Of course, the Ten Commandments are religious – they were so viewed at their inception and so remain. The monument, therefore, has religious significance. According to Judeo-Christian belief, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai. But Moses was a lawgiver as well as a religious leader. And the Ten Commandments have an undeniable historical meaning, as the foregoing examples demonstrate. Simply having religious content or promoting a message consistent with a religious doctrine does not run afoul of the Establishment Clause. 545 U.S. at 688-89. We believe that the mural painted by the District’s art teacher is much less “religious” than the Ten Commandments cited approvingly by the Chief Justice. We encourage you to reconsider, and certainly would support the District’s reinstating the mural. Jim Davids is Special Counsel for CPCF and Steve Fitschen is Senior Legal Advisor for CPCF in his capacity as President of the National Legal Foundation. Together, our legal team has decades of experience litigating in state and federal courts. They have won important related victories at the Supreme Court of the United States, various federal courts of appeals, and state supreme courts and courts of appeals. If you believe you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Steve at (757) 463-6133 or via email at nlf@nlf.net. Sincerely, Representative David Gallegos  Follow us on Social Media! The Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization established to protect religious liberty, preserve our nation’s spiritual foundation, and sustain the elected leaders who are uniting in prayer and calling the nation to action. |
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