An attack from every angle, now it's the First Amendment

I can not believe I am living in America. I note that as of 20 plus minutes ago, the Bill I highlight below has been pulled. However, the fact that the Catholic Church, or ANY legitimate Church, is being attacked by our GOVERNMENT is unconscionable. Friends, we have to be vigilant. It's time to put on our x-ray vision glasses, our kryptonite-proof armor and take up the fight.

Alarming Attempt to Muzzle Catholic Church in Connecticut
Contact: John Horvat II, American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, 717-225-7147

HANOVER, Penn., Mar. 10 /Christian Newswire/ -- According to the American TFP, same-sex "marriage" advocates and dissident Catholics are joining forces in Connecticut to usurp the authority of Catholic bishops and pastors.

In fact, experts in constitutional law as well as fair-minded Americans are alarmed by Senate Bill 1098 which singles out the Catholic Church. Introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly in early March, the bill repeals elements of present Connecticut law (Section 33-279) that respect the Church's hierarchical form of government.

Most Rev. William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, points out on the diocesan website: "This bill violates the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It forces a radical reorganization of the legal, financial, and administrative structure of our parishes."

Connecticut State Senator Michael McLachlan said: "The real purpose of this bill is payback to the bishops and pastors of the Roman Catholic Church in Connecticut for opposing gay marriage."

TFP vice-president John Horvat calls attention to the fact that: "Both co-chairs of the Committee sponsoring the bill, Sen. Andrew J. McDonald (D) and Rep. Michael P. Lawlor (D) support same-sex 'marriage.' It is also telling that the bill mandates changes in the Catholic Church desired by liberal dissident groups such as Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) and Voice of the Faithful."

"By usurping the right of the Church to decide how to structure itself under civil law for purposes of property ownership and the administration of parishes and other corporations, those in favor of SB 1098 join the same band of despots and soviets who threatened Her freedom over the centuries," he continued.

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (www.tfp.org) calls on all Americans to repudiate and protest Connecticut's SB 1098 and to be vigilant against similar measures in other states.

Legislative Attack on Connecticut's Catholic Church Poses Threat to all Churches
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Mar. 9 / Christian Newswire / -- An attack on the Catholic Church of Connecticut by leaders of the state legislature's Judiciary Committee "is clearly unconstitutional and poses a danger to all religions, even though its immediate target is the Catholic Church," Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, said today.

Alarming Attempt to Muzzle Catholic Church in Connecticut
HANOVER , Penn. , Mar. 10 / Christian Newswire / -- According to the American TFP, same-sex "marriage" advocates and dissident Catholics are joining forces in Connecticut to usurp the authority of Catholic bishops and pastors.

Catholic Church, State In Power Struggle
A proposed bill that would take power from Catholic priests and bishops and turn it over to parishioners has sparked outrage among church leaders, criticism from opposition lawmakers and questions about its legality.

Debate rages on church bill
HARTFORD -- Lingering bad feelings over multimillion-dollar losses at Roman Catholic parishes in southwestern Connecticut have set off a volatile debate in the General Assembly over the rights of parishioners to oversee church affairs.

21 minutes ago:
Lawmakers Pull Bill That Proposed Changing Catholic Church Governance
A bill to change how Catholic churches operate has drawn widespread criticism and caused a public hearing to be postponed. Opponents say the legislation tramples religious freedoms and should never have been written in the first place.

Supreme Court Declines to Hear "Candy Cane" Speech Case

Supreme Court declines to hear 'candy cane' speech case

LaNia Coleman, Religion News Service December 12, 2008 12:40PM
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal in a case involving a Michigan fifth-grader who tried to sell candy canes with a religious message at his school.

The high court on Monday denied the petition that the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Alliance Defense Fund filed on behalf of Joel Curry.

Curry was 11 in 2003 when he made candy cane-style Christmas ornaments with notes that school officials considered "religious literature." The notes attached to the ornaments, titled "The Meaning of the Candy Cane," referred to Jesus six times and God twice.

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2008/12/supreme_court_d.html