Have you ever heard of the Freedom From Religion Foundation?
This Wisconsin-based atheist group is in an all-out war to completely eradicate any public expression of the Christian faith.
This group is responsible for lawsuits you may be familiar with such as “Can schools display three wise men?”, “Can Jesus be mentioned in graduations?”, and “Can public schools pray at all?”
But the group just received a Texas-sized whoopin’ after their latest scheme fell flat on its face in the Lone Star State.
This radical atheist group’s most recent nonsense lawsuit was filed against a local Texas courthouse and the Texans who live in that town decided to let them know how they felt about that.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation set their sights on San Jacinto County’s courthouse in mid-May.
You see, the courthouse displays four white crosses. The people in that Coldspring, Texas town are all for it. It has never caused an issue until the out-of-state atheist group showed up.
The way FFRF magically pops up with these lawsuits is an incredible feat. It’s like they are designed to gain the maximum attention for the group, probably as part of a fundraising scheme, and this one was no different.
On account of these four crosses, FFRF threatened to sue the entire county, unless of course, they complied by taking them down.
But Coldspring, only about an hour’s drive north of Houston, wasn’t having it.
To start, the county judge didn’t feel the need to cower or budge at all.
He did what any reasonably confident human would do in that position. He started with a vote with the interest of his townspeople in mind. He and four county commissioners voted unanimously to keep the crosses.
The vote essentially gave an answer to FFRF in clear terms: “It’s alright FFRF, we checked and the town with the crosses actually prefers to keep them. (Shocked, we know.) It’s a good thing we cleared that up.”
Not only that, but citizens in Coldspring actually organized a public rally in support of the cross, which drew hundreds of people who listened to a variety of speakers as they condemned the atheist group.
And it wasn’t just political activists and leaders, in any form. Local residents, preachers, store owners… representatives from the diverse population of the city.
One local resident was heard by Fox News, Cloresa Porter, saying things like “the devil is alive!”, and “political correctness is a one-way ticket to hell.”
This small Texas town wanted to be sure that nobody could miss their very adamant opinion.
On Facebook, Dwayne Wright started a fire: “THIS is how we roll in San Jacinto County! Not only did we not cower to the Wisconsin Whiners, we Lit Them Up!”
The chairman of the San Jacinto Republican Party pointed out on Facebook: “this is Texas — by God, they don’t mince their words or deeds.”
San Jacinto is really a small county relatively, with a population of approximately 30,000, so one might not expect such an intense response.
But when an out-of-state atheist organization steps in trying to squash the cross in Texas? They find they have another thing comin’.
Really, seeing how a group makes junk of our nation’s law, the free exercise of religion, is not a way to enter a Texas courthouse. Or anywhere in Texas. Or anywhere else in the country, for that matter.
Wright interviewed with Todd Starnes, conservative radio host. “Even a small, tiny speck of a community — when you come together and you share conservative principles — you can push back against any of these anti-religious groups.”
Wright started identifying what sparked the people of Texas: “We absolutely identify with David’s plight and we’re willing to toss that rock.”
Just like with David, the San Jacinto community had a certain message to tell the giants standing over them: “We don’t need freedom from religion. We need freedom of religion.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office wrote to this little county to assure them of his support, “We want to make it clear that your county may display historical religious symbols, like crosses, without violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. You should know that you can reject FFRF’s demand to impose its anti-religion bias against San Jacinto County.”
So how is the Freedom From Religion Foundation taking the blow? The Texan response may have been loud and proud, but they’re not ready to be knocked out of the game by this. The organization’s attorney, Chris Line, stated their opinions.
“It is extremely disappointing that the County has decided to continue violating the constitutional rights of its citizens. FFRF will be following up with our local complainant and evaluating our next steps.”
The San Jacinto county judge is being wise about the whole ordeal. Judge Fritz Faulkner is seeking advice from a legal representation if the FFRF decides to take their case further.
It’s really amazing how blind humans can be the farther we separate from the Truth.
The last statement from FFRF completely denies the reality of what the organization is going after. If they truly were seeking the benefit of the town, then the judge’s immediate, initial response of going to the town for a vote would have sufficed.
In our own lives, we should take this story as an example, and use it for some good self-examination.
What stories do we tell ourselves about our motivations? Are they true? What truly motivates us to serve others, care for our own needs, and “do things for God”?
Let our words reflect our truest intentions, and may we lift our hearts to God for renewal daily so as to not be swept away blindly by sin.