HELP! I need links showing the ACLU defending Christians.

I have found a few examples, but they are from the ACLU website. I need independent sources (i.e. mainstream media). I got this email from a "friend" that obviously doesn't know me that well if she thinks I would like this. She and I are both Christians, that's probably why she thought I would agree with this (see below). I have to respond to this! I used to just ignore this kind of thing, but now I feel I have to respond every time.


Email:
Ya Gotta Love This Judge !!

In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation for Easter and Passover holidays and decided to contact the local ACLU about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holiday to celebrate.

The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to once again pick up the cause of the godless and assigned their sharpest attorneys to the case.

The case was brought before a wise judge who after listening to the long, passionate presentation of the ACLU lawyers, promptly banged his gavel and declared, "Case dismissed!"

The lead ACLU lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews--why in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah ...and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!"

The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said "Obviously your client is too confused to know about, or for that matter, even celebrate the atheists' holiday!"

The ACLU lawyer pompously said "We are aware of no such holiday for atheists, just when might that be, your honor?"

The judge said "Well it comes every year on exactly the same date---April 1st!"

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
- Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1

HOORAY FOR THIS JUDGE

What's the point of this?

I was hoping that fellow DU'ers might help me find links showing the ACLU helping Christians. I know the ACLU protect everyone's rights, but critics are always say they persecute Christians, which is of course ridiculous.

not true, urban legend, etc...

everyone's religious (of and from) freedom. Thanks.

Christianity is quite popular. The popular groups generally don't need ACLU help.

In fact, there was a case recently where a kid was handing candy canes out in school that had little scripture things written on the wrapper. Someone in school objected, and the ACLU went to court for his right to hand them out. They also made it clear that Christian groups may meet on the school grounds in the same capacity as any other affinity group.

There are other cases.

Many evangelical Christians, for instance, consider the ACLU an enemy of religion because of the organization's staunch support of the division of church and state.

But Jim Webber, a retired real estate agent turned street preacher, is an ACLU supporter. When Las Vegas casinos tried to stop him from preaching outside their doors, the group launched a successful campaign that allowed Webber and other preachers to stay.

"The ACLU has been my guardian angel," he said. "They have been the ones that have provided the ability for me to stand on the street and talk with people about Jesus Christ."

'Liberty's Law Firm'

"I love the description that the ACLU is 'liberty's law firm,' " said ACLU President Nadine Strossen, "and, in fact, our client is always freedom for everybody — equal rights for everybody."

Strossen says the group will defend anyone whose rights are violated — even people who disagree with the ACLU, such as conservative minister Jerry Falwell and Christians in Virginia who wanted to perform baptisms in a public park.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=548951&page=1

And I don't have a link but I know personally of a case in the next county (Creek) over from me a few years ago where the ACLU went to court to overturn a county jail rule that inmates were not allowed to have bibles...and they won.

:shrug:

http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLibertyMain.cfm

Plenty of cases in there many of which no christian would disagree with.

that came from the source it's trying to defend. That's why I wanted independent news links.

You seem to have a warped concept of evidence.

If the question is about the cases the ACLU is persuing, than the ACLU is not a biased source, it is in fact the best source and the source any independent source would have gotten thier information from.

to convince some that thinks ACLU is anti-Christian I would think that seeing independent reports would be more convincing. If someone was trying to convince me that GW was a great president, I would accept something from a GOP website as proof.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: www.snopes.com

Specifically, here's the link on your story:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/atheist.asp

that the ACLU is here for all of us. Thanks.

response to the original email incase any of you want a rapid response to idiotic emails like these.

This didn't really happen, it's an urban legend. Here's the link: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/atheist.asp

But I also want to respond to this common misconception: The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to once again pick up the cause of the godless and assigned their sharpest attorneys to the case.

The ACLU fights for religious freedom as our founding fathers intended (remember they came here to escape government ran "Christian" religion). They came here for freedom (of and from) religion.

Here is a case from just this month where the ACLU defended a Christian's right: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=548951&page=1

Here is another one from last year: http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion00942.shtml

Many people are under the misnomer that the founding fathers were Christians and this is just simply not true.

Thomas Jefferson:

"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury to my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg". (Dumas Malon, Jefferson The President: First Term 1801-1805. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1970, p. 191)
Thomas Paine was a pamphleteer whose manifestoes encouraged the faltering spirits of the country and aided materially in winning the War of Independence. But he was a Deist: I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. (Richard Emery Roberts, ed. "Excerpts from The Age of Reason". Selected Writings of Thomas Paine. New York: Everbody's Vacation Publishing Co., 1945, p. 362)


Here is an excerpt from the Treaty of Tripoli:

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

Authored by American diplomat Joel Barlow in 1796, the following treaty was sent to the floor of the Senate, June 7, 1797, where it was read aloud in its entirety and unanimously approved. John Adams, haven seen the treaty, signed it and proudly proclaimed it to the Nation.

Now I'll get off my soapbox. :)