VICTORY!!

"...But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  II Cor. 15:57

In 1993, a three year battle to get the Bible into the Cayuga County Jail ended in victory for Calvary Bible Baptist Church of Elbridge and for Religious freedoms!  Now once again the Lord has given us the victory when the US District court handed down its decision that the Liverpool school district violated the Constitutional Right to Free Speech of a 4th grader from Calvary Bible Baptist Church.

On November 19, 1993 the New York State Appellate Court, fourth department, in a tremendous four to one decision, found the Cayuga County Sheriff's Department's restrictions against Mr. Phelps and the Open Door Ministry to be "arbitrary",  "capricious", and without "rational basis".  The Sheriff's Department had, in writing, approved of Mr. Phelps' ecclesiastical credentials and recognized him as a religious advisor in accordance with Title 9 N.Y.C.R.R. 7024.3(a), but unlawfully restricted his visits with inmates.  The Sheriff's Department's request for appeal was denied.

On March 30th, 2007 the United States District Court, northern district of New York, filed its decision upholding the right of a 4th grader to hand out Bible tracts and flyers containing her personal testimony to fellow classmates during non-instructional time.  The child, M.B., had been reprimanded by her teacher for passing out Bible tracts during recess.  Her mother advocated for M.B.'s right to free speech, addressing the situation with the appropriate school authority. School authorities forbade the child to hand out any more tracts or flyers citing separation of church and state.  It is disturbing that the educators in our public schools have so little understanding of our Constitution, our Nation's history, and the meaning (and origin) of "separation of church and state".

 But Praise the Lord that a mother and daughter remained faithful to their God.  In so doing, this court decision protects the freedoms of every student, whatever their religious belief.  In a round-about way, it is also a victory for the school.  They are now free from the daunting task of policing every spoken word and every piece of paper that passes between children in the school yard.  

   ....And in years to come, every attorney who reviews this case,  for use in part or in whole for their own purposes, will receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ contained therein   --because of the faithfulness of a little girl and her mother!

Below are the links to review the two court decisions:

COURT UPHOLDS CHILD'S RIGHT TO HAND OUT TRACTS

ARTICLE ABOUT 2007 COURT CASE

COURT UPHOLDS RIGHT TO BRING BIBLE INTO JAIL