On The Front Lines
Another Institute Victory! Church Can Proclaim 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season'
The Rutherford Institute Secures Victory for Calvary Chapel's Right to Proclaim 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season'
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Will Display Religious Message in Holiday Fantasy of Lights
MIAMI, Fla. -- In response to a suit filed by Rutherford Institute attorneys on behalf of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, a federal district judge has ordered Broward County officials to permit church officials to sponsor a display consisting of a cross and the words, "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" in the county's annual holiday light display. The court agreed with Rutherford Institute attorneys that by censoring Calvary Chapel's message, the county violated the church's rights to free speech as guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Broward County's annual "Holiday Fantasy of Lights," a two-mile light festival that takes place at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Fla., is expected to draw 250,000 attendees during its two-month duration from November 22, 2003, through January 4, 2004. The festival is sponsored by local businesses and organizations that pay a fee up to $15,000 to design and exhibit their own light displays. In 2002, church officials at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale expressed interest in sponsoring a display for the festival and submitted a design to Broward County officials that included a Christmas star and the words "Remember Him." Calvary Chapel's proposed design was rejected by county officials because of its religious message. Thereafter, a compromise design with the words "God Bless America" was eventually agreed upon. In 2003, Calvary Chapel again expressed the desire to sponsor a $15,000 display, submitting a design that included a cross and the words "Jesus is the Reason for the Season." Again, Broward County officials rejected Calvary Chapel's design because of its religious message. Church leaders at Calvary Chapel then turned to The Rutherford Institute for help in defending their right to participate in the community event. Insisting that Calvary Chapel has a constitutional right to take part in the Fantasy of Lights, Institute attorneys filed suit in federal district court. They pointed out while county officials have routinely permitted individuals and organizations to sponsor displays that express a secular viewpoint about the Christmas and Chanukah holidays, the county has systematically excluded from the "Holiday Fantasy of Lights" those displays expressing a religious viewpoint about the Christmas and Chanukah holidays.
"Many Americans would agree with Calvary Chapel that Jesus is the reason for the season, and the First Amendment protects their right to publicly proclaim that belief," stated John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "This ruling clearly sends a message that the First Amendment protects religious speech just as it protects secular speech. Government may not, in the name of political correctness, single out the views of religious persons for discriminatory treatment. As we move into the holiday season, this is a lesson government officials would do well to learn."
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.
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