A federal court ruled Wednesday against a national atheist group that filed a lawsuit against the city of Detroit for pledging to reimburse a church for property improvements.
“Churches cannot be treated as second class simply because they are religious institutions. They have the same right to reimbursement for physical improvements as all other entities have,” said Dale Schowengerdt, a counsel for the Christian legal group Alliance Defense Fund, in a statement.
“No reasonable person would consider a church’s receipt of contractually-promised reimbursement to be a government endorsement of religion. The court agreed that the church was rightfully allowed to be part of the city’s program,” he argued.
The City of Detroit Development Agency made a contract with St. John’s Episcopal Church to improve its outer appearance to help boost the city’s image before the 2006 Super Bowl and to spur economic development in the area, according to ADF, which represented the church’s interests in the suit.
Detroit vowed in the contract to reimburse half of the church’s expenses, up to $180,000.
American Atheists had in response filed a suit on behalf of itself and residents claiming a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. constitution.
As a result, the city withheld reimbursement to the church despite the fact the church had already secured a loan and completed the improvements.
The federal court, however, ruled that the church should receive most of the reimbursement promised by the city.
“Despite the cramped interpretation of the First Amendment by the American Atheists, reimbursing churches for non-religious purposes is not an establishment of religion, just like reimbursing a secular business is not an endorsement of the store or its products,” said Schowengerdt.
“We’re glad that the court saw through this blatant attempt to punish an inner-city church when all it desired to be is a good member of the Detroit community by agreeing to improve its property.”
The Alliance Defense Fund is a legal alliance formed by the leaders of 35 ministries who came together in 1994. ADF seeks to defend and advocate for religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and traditional family values through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
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God is all powerful ... If God is with us who can win against us ... God Bless The Church ...
In response to FatSean, apparently he is unaware that his own creation myth (naturalism) violates several natural laws that we observe. The Law of Biogenesis (life only comes from life), the First Law of Thermodynamics (matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed), the Second Law of Thermodynamics (increasing enrtropy) that order always tends to disorder, and the Law of Cause and Effect (everything that has a beginning, has a cause), the universe has a beginning, therefore has a cause and the idea that literally nothing, no space, time, matter or energy, somehow exploded and came into being takes quite an imagination. To the contrary, all of these things are consistent with what the Bible says about our existence when properly understood. If you diligently seek the Lord, you will find Him. But ". . .without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that the rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6.
The idea that the unbelieving are somehow supporting the church is wrong. The money that churches receive are from people tithing from money that has already been taxed. Only a small portion of the money received goes for things like salaries (which are taxed) or building improvements. A large portion of the money received and countless volunteer hours are spent helping their fellow man in places like soup kitchens, hospitals, clothing drives, community involvement, community development projects in places we might never personally go to and to the Great Commission, to mention a few. I know there are some of the unbelieving who write their once a year, tax-deductible gift for their charity of choice, but for the committed Christian, it is a way of life
Isn't it enough that the non-religious help susbsidize your churches? Churches pay no taxes, and espouse philsophy as truth. I personally do not find any of the ancient creation stories believable, but I still pay my taxes and thus support your churches.
It's OK, I call myself a Christian all the time and I can quote some scripture too. Why? Because it's good business in the USA, where intolerant believers of fantasy judge you on whether you buy into the creation myths of a tribe of ancient savages who denigrated their women.
Atheists and their fascist organizations will become finically bankrupt as they continue to lose all their court decisions all over america. They shall not prosper individually nor collectively. Strike up a durge! ..... Call for the funeral Pyre! ---- Atheism and Evolution are now DEAD ====>> http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com
to mart0224: I am not sure how you would find that this was a violation of the constitution at all, there is no difference between the city offering money to a church to spruce up its exterior facade as it would be for the city to offer money to a grocery store to do the same, they are not establishing a religion, they are cleaning up their city. You should read the constitution as should the American Atheists...
God triumphs again. Too God be the Glory. Art.
First of all, the fact that church(es) would spend money on religious iconography shows how little regard they have for the constitution. Providing money like this for religious organizations is going to be rife with unavoidable violations. It's like a minute of silence laws for schools. Their only purpose it so promote religion.
Second, religious institutions are not treated like second class citizens. Citizens are the one who are treated as second class. The churches are exempt from taxes, so they get lots of things for free which everyone else must pay for. In fact, second class citizens are paying a hidden church tax because they have to pay more to compensate for the non-payment of churches.