Trial Begins – Pastor Prosecuted for Reading the Bible Out Loud in Public

Today, the case of two men arrested while reading the Bible - out loud and in public - is going to trial, over a year after the events transpired. One of them is a Pastor Bret Coronado of Reconciled Christian Fellowship in Hemet, California. View the video of the arrest. This story was widely covered by Fox News and many other news outlets shortly after the arrests: Fox News Video.

The men were arrested when they went to their local DMV in Hemet, California, and read from the Bible aloud as people stood in line for the DMV to open.  When the first California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer arrived on the scene, he grabbed the Bible away from the man reading it and said he could not “preach to a captive audience.”  There is no penal code that says such a thing, so the officer later cited them for violating California Penal Code Section 602.1(b) which provides:

“Any person who intentionally interferes with any lawful business carried on by the employees of a public agency open to the public, by obstructing or intimidating those attempting to carry on business, or those persons there to transact business with the public agency . . . is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for up to 90 days, or by a fine of up to four hundred dollars ($400), or by both that imprisonment and fine.”

 This penal code is meant to protect businesses from protesters who intimidate patrons and block entrances.  In this case, the DMV was not yet open at the time the men were there, and they were standing approximately 40 feet away from the entrance of the building.  Obviously, this citation had no merit.

After Advocates for Faith and Freedom filed a federal lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol for unlawful arrest, Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach decided to charge the men with “trespassing” on State property, a misdemeanor offense under Title 13 of the California Administrative Code, Section 1860(a): “No person shall hold or conduct any demonstration or gathering in or upon any state buildings or grounds unless a permit has been issued by the Department.”

Trial is scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm on Monday, August 5, 2013 in Department S-204 of the Riverside County Superior Court located at 30755 Auld Road, Murrieta, California. The trial is expected to last approximately 4 to 5 days. Criminal defense attorney Nic Cocis of Murrieta, CA, and Robert Tyler, General Counsel of Advocates for Faith & Freedom, will be defending Pastor Bret Coronado and Mark Mackey.

Robert Tyler remarked, “These men were exercising their First Amendment right of Free Speech.  They were simply sharing their faith on public property, and we will defend their constitutional right to do so. This prosecution amounts to nothing more than retaliation for our filing a federal lawsuit.”

The defense contends that the regulation being enforced is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment right to free speech and is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause. Additionally, however, the defense contends that the permit requirement does not apply because the men were not engaged in a “demonstration” or “gathering”.

Also, join us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on our progress in this case and others.

Christians Arrested for Reading the Bible in Public

Here's a video of our clients, who were arrested for "trespassing" after reading the Bible aloud outside of their local DMV in Hemet, CA... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FruQO8qaw9c

Happy 4th from Advocates!

Dear friends,

All of us here at Advocates for Faith & Freedom wish you a Happy 4^th of July!  Today, we celebrate the freedoms and liberties that we are blessed with due to God’s grace and the courage and faith of our forefathers. 

As Thomas Jefferson said:

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free.”

May you enjoy this day with your family and friends, and praise God for this nation and our freedom!

Blessings,

The Advocates Team

Hear from an Abortion Survivor

Tonight, May 14 at 7:00 pm, we will be putting on an event along with Student Venture and California Family Council at Calvary Chapel in Murrieta, CA, where a woman will share her story of surviving the abortion experience.   She will also share advice for young women and men about what to do if you experience an unwanted pregnancy, a situation she found herself in.  If you are in the Southern California area, please consider joining us for this event to hear the life-changing story of this brave woman. Here is a short video from the organization, Ripple Affect.

          This event is especially relevant with the news that came yesterday: Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortionist who ran a clinic known as the “house of horrors,” was convicted of first-degree murder.  This verdict came in the case of three babies who were born alive, but whom Dr. Gosnell then killed with scissors.

          We praise God for this victory and justice for those three babies, not to mention the countless of unborn children who lost their lives to this abortionist.  We pray that this verdict will make people think about unborn children and abortion in a new way – and realize that all life is valuable!

Planned Parenthood is at it Again

         Planned Parenthood has sponsored and is a key advocate of AB 154 in California – a bill that would dramatically increase the number of abortions in this state. According to Planned Parenthood, the bill would “address the current shortage of health care professionals able to provide early abortion care in California” and reduce long wait times.  If passed, the bill would allow nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants, and certified midwives to perform first trimester abortions by means of aspiration (suctioning out the contents of the uterus) or medication (drugs that end a pregnancy). Not only is this an affront to the value of life, but this could also be a potential safety issue for pregnant mothers.   Allowing non-physicians to administer these procedures could possibly result in a higher risk of complications.

We strongly oppose a bill that widens the availability of abortion and further demeans the value of unborn life.  This bill has already passed through two committees in the California legislature…please join us in prayer as it moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee!

ACTION ALERT

Please contact the members on the California Assembly Appropriations Committee and tell them you strongly oppose AB 154!  Find their contact information here: http://apro.assembly.ca.gov/membersstaff

Christianity Under Fire

Dear Partner, Over the past couple of decades, Americans have watched as their individual and religious freedoms have slowly been eroded, taken away, or replaced by governmental mandates and legislation.

The situation we are currently facing reminds me of the frog that is placed in a cold pot of water.  When the water slowly heats up, the frog has become so comfortable there that he doesn’t even realize that he is being boiled alive! 

As Christians in America, we have a lot of freedoms for which we should be continually grateful.  Our Constitution promises us that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

However, it is our responsibility to stand up for these liberties that we enjoy and make sure that they do not slowly disappear!  Our present actions will directly affect the future reality for generations to come – this fact alone should prod us forward in defense of what we believe and what makes this Nation so great.

Here at Advocates, I regularly see examples of how our fundamental constitutional liberties are being challenged:

Hostile Attacks on Christianity in the Courtroom – Such as the case of Chad Farnan, a high school student who endured almost daily anti-Christian and anti-religion rants from his Advanced Placement (AP) European History teacher.  We took this case to court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals eventually ruled that the teacher could not be held responsible, simply because there was no law or clear precedent that a teacher is liable for his or her statements in the classroom.

Even though the final decision in this case is not what we had hoped for, I am extremely proud of Chad and honored to have fought with him.  We believe that this case was vitally important because, for years, we had heard from teachers who were being admonished or even disciplined for having Bibles on their desk, wearing a Christian-themed t-shirt, or praying with a student.  We felt that it was imperative to stand up for students on the other side of the coin – those whose religious ideologies were being attacked consistently in the captive arena of the classroom.

Silencing Christians – Three men, including a pastor, went  to their local DMV to read the Bible aloud to passers-by, something that they had done previously as a ministry.  On this day, however, the men were arrested by an officer who, after ripping the Bible from the pastor’s hands, said that the men could not “preach to a captive audience” and eventually charged them with “trespassing.” We are defending these men because we believe that, as Americans, we possess freedom of speech.  Even if we would choose a different method for sharing the Gospel, we believe that Christians must defend their right to spread the Good News.  If we don’t protect this right now, we very well might find our options for sharing the Gospel greatly restricted in the near future.

Why We Christians Must Take a Stand – You may have heard of the recent incident at Florida Atlantic University, where a professor  instructed his students to write the name of Jesus on a piece of paper, put it on the ground, and stomp on it. This instruction was given as a classroom “exercise.”

After the media storm that ensued, the university put the professor on academic leave and banned the “stomp Jesus” exercise from all future classes.

This is a great victory, and it happened because Christians were outraged by the incident and spoke up.  What would have happened had local pastors, reverends, and Christians stayed silent?

Sometimes, it can be difficult to take a stand for what we believe to be truth, based on God’s Truth.  It can feel like we are in the minority or that we are alone in the fight.  But, that is not a reason to stay silent.

If we don’t stand up for our God-given liberties and constitutional freedoms – right now – who will?  And, what will the future hold for the generations of Christians to come?

  National Day of Prayer is May 2nd!

On Thursday, May 2, Americans will join together in a collective National Day of Prayer.  This year’s theme is “Pray for America,” based on the following Bible verse:

“In His name the nations will put their hope."   Matthew 12:21

We encourage you to take a moment with your family on this day and pray for America, our president, our legislators, and the hardships that we are facing in today’s economic environment.  Also, let’s remember to bring thanks to God for all of the freedoms that we enjoy in our Nation. God Bless America!

God bless you,

Jennifer Bursch

Associate General Counsel

Planned Parenthood Wants to Perform...Webcam Abortions?

Recently, Planned Parenthood has refiled a lawsuit in Wisconsin to reinstate its legal right to practice webcam abortions. What IS a webcam abortion?

Well, the abortion industry wants to make getting an abortion as easy as a push of a button. 

In what Planned Parenthood calls “telemedicine” or “telehealth”, a woman would be able to chat with a medical doctor through a webcam – meaning over the Internet – and if the doctor is satisfied with the conversation, he would press a button, at which time a drawer opens for the woman and a pill is made available.  This pill is an abortion-inducing drug, one of which is RU-486.

So, without a physical examination of this woman, a doctor can remotely approve and deliver an abortion through drugs.

Please take a moment to watch the video below.  Though we don’t necessarily endorse all the views of the organization that prepared the video, we do think it is informative, heart wrenching, and a further motivation for us to continue to advocate for the unborn, who cannot speak for themselves.

(Click on the image above to view the video on YouTube)

Why Are "Adult Businesses" Protected More Than Churches?

Local zoning laws are required by law to permit “adult businesses” without the same burdens hurled upon churches. The U.S. Supreme Court has determined that “adult businesses” are entitled to protection from discriminatory zoning laws because the businesses’ “speech” and “expression” are protected by the First Amendment. And why aren't churches and Christian schools entitled to the same protection as “adult businesses”? It's because of the fact no legal precedent has yet been established on behalf of the churches.

We have a plan to correct this injustice in the courts, but we need your help!

Please be on the lookout for churches that are going through the permitting process to occupy a building, expand their facilities or build a new building. Refer them to Advocates for Faith and Freedom because we can probably help.

We have also found that many zoning regulations applied to churches are unconstitutionally applied or violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Regulations are often unlawful because they impose substantial burdens on churches that are not justified or they impose burdens on churches that are not equally imposed upon other similar uses like movie theaters and assembly halls. Sometimes, churches are unlawfully excluded from zoning districts while other similar uses are permitted.

Please let your church leaders know that we are here to help them. We are searching for the right cases with the right set of facts in order to establish the legal precedent that is long overdue.

Victory in San Diego!

Last week, we received an urgent call from one of our ministry friends, Ron Harper. He asked for our immediate help to prevent the County of San Diego from placing a huge burden on churches. Ron is a contractor who specializes in building churches. Ron informed us that the County of San Diego was planning to adopt a new law that would require all churches to drastically increase the amount of parking they provide before they expand any facilities or build a new building.

Ron said that the new law would require churches to purchase twice the amount of land currently required. Further, a church would be required to buy almost twice the amount of land that a similarly sized movie theater, convention center or other assembly-type use would be required to buy even though the parking needs are the same.

In most cases, the cost of having church in the County of San Diego would be so great that churches would be priced out of existence.

We intervened and wrote an extensive legal opinion to the County of San Diego on behalf of numerous churches, including Maranatha Christian Fellowship and Horizon Christian Fellowship, explaining why the new law violated federal law. Along with Ron, we were able to build a grassroots effort in about 12 hours that included an e-mail blast from a San Diego state assemblyman and support from San Diego churches representing tens of thousands of residents.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted down the new law and in favor of churches. The Supervisors mentioned that this had become “a huge controversy, suddenly-out of the blue.” Ron Harper commented, “It was great to watch a victory come together ‘out of the blue’ in such a short time!”

Thank you for supporting our ministry so that we can quickly come to the aid of worthy causes like this one!  Although this case will never hit national news, the victory will help save millions upon millions of dollars for San Diego churches.

Why Do We Celebrate Presidents' Day?

This week, we commemorated the amazing leaders of our nation on Presidents' Day. But, do you know why we celebrate this holiday?

Originally, the holiday fell directly on the birthday of George Washington, our first president.  Thus, the day was meant to celebrate not only this Founding Father, but all presidents that came after him.  In 1971, the date was changed to the third Monday in February, leading many to believe that the day specifically commemorated Abraham Lincoln, as well, since he was also born in February.

Thus, we often think of these incredible men when we celebrate this day each year. It is an appropriate time to remember just what our Founding Fathers stood for and wanted for the fledgling nation of America. We’ll leave you with a couple of quotes from two of the greatest presidents our nation has known:not only this Founding Father, but all presidents that came after him. In 1971, the date was changed to the third Monday in February, leading many to believe that the day specifically commemorated Abraham Lincoln, as well, since he was also born in February.

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” – George Washington

“Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.” – Abraham Lincoln

“The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” – George Washington

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.” – Abraham Lincoln