Jesus Banned
by Ryan McCann

The day has finally come. For decades it has been brewing right here in our back yard and now it is here. We may have thought that the liberal assault on Christianity through judicial activism would not strike us here in Indiana, but we were wrong. Prayer in the name of Jesus has been banned at the Indiana Statehouse. Kenneth Falk and his colleagues at the ICLU have successfully banned free speech. They have found a judge radical enough to actually censure voluntary prayers within the Indiana House of Representatives. Ironic, isn’t it? Liberals at the ICLU always seem to complain about censorship and the regulation of free speech when it comes to child pornography or flag burning, but when it comes to praying in the name of Jesus they throw their principles out the door.

Make no mistake about it, this ruling was as radical (and unconstitutional) as they come. Since becoming Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, Brian Bosma has allowed those who volunteer to pray before starting business within the Indiana House. The invitation is opened to all faiths and in fact Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Muslims have all taken him up on this invitation. However, those who pray in the name of Jesus are specifically targeted by the ICLU and Judge Hamilton. Not Allah, not Buddha…Jesus. This is where the religion of non-theism has taken us. In his opinion, Federal Judge David Hamilton (Clinton appointment) objected to the fact that Christians were so heavily represented within the Indiana House as voluntary prayer leaders. News flash...this just in...Indiana is overwhelmingly a Christian state! If Christians gave most of the prayers it is because most Hoosiers consider themselves to be Christians.

The fact of the matter is, there are some people out there who get up in the morning with the goal of muzzling Christians…of totally wiping us off the playing field publicly and politically. Through this case, Hinrichs v. Bosma, they have secured a key victory. The ICLU are supported by some of these people and also employ some of these people and Judge Hamilton is now guilty of pandering to these people.

These radical secularists have laid the groundwork over the years, slowly chipping away at our Christian heritage until they could start to take large chunks, and large chunks they have taken. Abortion and sodomy are now constitutionally protected rights. Prayer in the name of Jesus at the Indiana Statehouse, the ten commandments on public property, and "under God" in the pledge of Allegiance have all been banned (and that’s just the tip of the ice berg).

The destructive work of the ACLU and judicial activism is not merely a national news story, far away from Indiana. The ICLU is alive and well, they are searching for and finding judicial activists who will oppose the Constitution right here in Indiana. The war against Christianity is unfolding before our eyes in our own backyard.

Do not be fooled. Liberals are behind the success of the ACLU and the ICLU in Indiana. President Clinton appointed Judge Hamilton to his federal judgeship. There are distinct sides in this battle. If we do not show our opposition to this open attack on our freedom to freely express our religious beliefs we will lose this battle. We must send a message that the ICLU and rogue judges will not get away with stealing our liberty. The very liberty that our forefathers fought and died for and our fellow Americans are fighting and dying for right now must not be sacrificed at the alter of liberal secularism (a.k.a. the religion of non-theism). The Indiana Family Institute will do everything in its power to make sure this decision does not stand. Please join us in this effort.

For further information contact us at ifi@hoosierfamily.org.