I wonder how offended the Indians in the area are about the presence of this pastor on what was, undoubtedly, once their land? :innocent:
why doesn't he get a personalized plate if he doesn't like the state-issued one?
The wicked part of me is truly hoping that pastor gets rained on every day for a solid year, now.
why doesn't he get a personalized plate if he doesn't like the state-issued one?
I object to prayers and Bible readings in public schools and I'm a Christian.
Which nation? I don't know where you live but can you give examples of your accusations towards atheists?
Well how about many many cities that were sued to remove manger scenes at Christmas, crosses from water towers even though they had been there 50 years or more. Employees being told they can not say Merry Christmas to shoppers during the Christmas season. that is in the USA the country I live in.
Good for this pastor finally fighting back at being forced to look at a "God' other than the one he serves and is not allowed to have on a license plate denoting his god., Children not allowed to say a christian prayer in any public school in America.
For crying out loud I live in the USA.
It's called separation of church and state, it's not something "atheists" just randomly thought up five minutes ago.
It's easy to see this as frivolous, but it's not necessarily so. I venture to say that the pastor feels that since the plate is a depiction of a person who worships a rain god, which in Christianity is idol worship, it's not a "statement" he should be traveling around with. He apparently feels to do so is a manner of endorsement of idolatry. YMMV, but this doesn't make him a hypocrite: rather it is consistent with his faith. It doesn't mean he is anti Native; it just means he recognizes that he shouldn't be promoting something emphatically forbidden in Christianity. The first and foremost commandment states "I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods before me." Sometimes Christians bend over so far backwards to be accommodating that we violate our God's precepts unintentionally. We are told in the Bible to avoid even the appearance of inconsistency.
He is not asking the state to change the plate - he is only asking that he not have to pay extra money to have a plate that does not advertise that which his faith forbids.
Schools no longer have prayer or Bible readings because atheists objected. In my area, Nativity sets have been forbidden on public property at Christmas, and this goes on all over the country. But this pastor is not asking for others to dance to his tune in that manner; he just wants to preserve the integrity of his message.
why doesn't he get a personalized plate if he doesn't like the state-issued one?
Well how about many many cities that were sued to remove manger scenes at Christmas, crosses from water towers even though they had been there 50 years or more. Employees being told they can not say Merry Christmas to shoppers during the Christmas season. that is in the USA the country I live in.
Good for this pastor finally fighting back at being forced to look at a "God' other than the one he serves and is not allowed to have on a license plate denoting his god., Children not allowed to say a christian prayer in any public school in America.
For crying out loud I live in the USA.
Because it's not really about the plate at all, IMO. It's about some bigoted ole boy taking the opportunity to spew his personal hatred.
Ausgirl, that works both ways, doesn't it? What do you say to atheists who object to most every display of Christianity? They bend a nation to their will at every opportunity.
Or by putting a "rain god" on a license plate that all their citizens have to use every day UNLESS they pay through the nose for the privileged to have a different one. Whose stupid idea was that anyway?everyone is free to worship how they want in their homes and places of worship.
It doesn't mean any religious group has the right to shove their religion down anyone else's throat at Walmart, public schools, municipal buildings etc
He's not worried about people being confused that he endorses worship of a rain god. He's making a statement about efforts to remove Christan practices and representations from government. Unfortunately he doesn't grasp the difference between a representation of his states historical and cultural uniqueness and practices that perpetuate and tacitly endorse participation in this country's dominant religious ideology.
From http://houston.cbslocal.com/2013/06...icense-plate-as-affront-to-christian-beliefs/He claims the image unconstitutionally contradicts his Christian beliefs by depicting Indian religious beliefs, and that he shouldn't have to display the image.
The appellate judges stated Oklahoma law imposes sanctions for covering up the image, and the state charges more for specialty plates without it.
His lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City seeks a court order allowing him either to cover up the image on his plates or to get a personalized plate for the same cost as a standard license plate.
Mr. Cressman's (lawsuit) states a plausible compelled speech claim, the appellate judges wrote Tuesday in a 39-page decision, reversing Judge Joe Heaton's dismissal of the lawsuit.
He has alleged sufficient facts to suggest that the Sacred Rain Arrow' image on the standard Oklahoma license plate conveys a particularized message that others are likely to understand and to which he objects.
He is not asking that the state not use the Native American plate. He is not asking that the state switch to a plate with Christian symbolism. He is only asking to be allowed to display an alternative plate at no extra charge.The Sacred Rain Arrow image that ultimately was chosen for Oklahomas license plate five years ago is a likeness of the statue by noted American Indian sculptor Allan Houser, a Chiricahua Apache artist recognized as one of the foremost sculptors of the 20th Century. The statue, which was displayed at the Olympic Village during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, features a warrior shooting the arrow skyward as part of a ritual involving a prayer for rain.
[snipped] Cressmans attorney said his clients lawsuit is in no way a criticism of Native Americans or their rich history in Oklahoma.
Its really the idea that he would have to communicate a religious belief that he doesnt hold, Kellum said.