ACLU Defends Catholic Man Coerced to Convert to Pentecostal in Drug Program

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Church_Militant

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(12/6/2005)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org

DETROIT – After exhausting all avenues in the Michigan courts, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a Catholic man who was criminally punished for not completing a Pentecostal drug rehabilitation program.

“This man was punished for insisting on the right to practice Catholicism and refusing conversion to the Pentecostal faith,” said Kary Moss, ACLU of Michigan Executive Director. “The Michigan courts would not acknowledge his First Amendment rights, but we’re confident that the federal court will.”Link to Press Release
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I may not agree with the ACLU on everything they do, but this time in Michigan at least they got it right.

As someone who is involved in a small Catholic prison correspondence ministry, I can attest that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the Prison Faith Based Programs are funded by fundies and use curriculums like B.H. Clendennon’s “School of Christ” a heavily anti-Catholic curriculum.

Good as the intent is, there is no justification for making anyone convert to any specific religion in any publically funded program and if the program in question is not publically funded then the state shouldn’t be allowed to use it.
Pax vobiscum,
 
Church Militant:
Maybe the ACLU IS good for something?
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Nah, this case fits their agenda about discriminating fiath-based organizations from government funding.

The Thomas More Law Center would probably have picked this case as effectively.

I think that it’s actually wrong that the government funds charities at all as we don’t pay taxes for the governmenten to dole money to those who have better connections with it. Given the fat chance of changing it, no charity should be discriminated against, as it’s against the 1st Ammendment on freedom of the exercise of religion.

:godbless:
 
Must be approaching a fund-raising drive.

ACLU DOES take token decent cases so they can use them as ‘examples’ in fund-raising efforts.

I’m not fooled.
 
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convert_2000:
Am I blacklisted or something? I posted on this last week or so
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No, you aren’t blacklisted. I just did a search and found the thread. I dunno… no one responded to your thread quickly enough so it got buried. And people saw this thread, responding to it instead.
 
The reason most people don’t like the ACLU is because they will defend anyone whose rights have been violated, regardless of that person’s creed. If we don’t stand up for the rights of others, who will stand up for ours if our rights are violated. As Pastor Niemoller (sp?) said after WWII and his experience with the Nazis:

*First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out. *
 
No matter what, there is no justification for requiring him legally to convert to any religion. That just isn’t constitutional.
 
Kudos to the defendant for being unwilling to compromise even under the threat of punishment.
 
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