Stoplight: ‘The Universe Next Door’
In this week’s ‘Stoplight’ commentary, Stuart Shepard of Citizenlink talks about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision re-affirming that legislative bodies may open meetings with prayer. Watch it below.
Seven Things to Know About Greece v. Galloway
Earlier this week we told you about the U.S. Supreme Court’s favorable ruling in the case of Greece v. Galloway. The ruling affirms–once again–that legislative bodies are free to open meetings in prayer.
Today Alliance Defending Freedom has released a list of seven important things to know about the ruling. They are:
- The town of Greece is inclusive.
- Being offended does not violate the Constitution.
- The Obama administration sided with Greece.
- You are free to pray.
- Prayers must “lend gravity” to the meeting.
- The vote was 5-4.
- This decision has ramifications upon other similar cases still in progress.
You can read a short summary of each point listed above by going to ADF’s website.
City Suspends Pastor Pending Review of Sermons
Public Health Director Eric Walsh of Pasadena, CA, is a bivocational minister. He works for a church, and he works for the City of Pasadena.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Walsh is an associate pastor at Altadena Seventh-day Adventist Church in California, and he was hired as Pasadena’s Public Health Director in 2010. But his employer, the City of Pasadena, has placed him on temporary paid administrative leave following statements he made to his church concerning homosexuality and evolution.
“In sermons uploaded to various websites, Walsh, a Seventh-day Adventist preacher, calls evolution ‘a religion created by Satan,’ compares Disney to a ‘dark empire’ of superstition and witchcraft, and criticizes homosexuality. . . .
“[City spokesman William] Boyer said the city placed Walsh on leave because time is needed to review the online sermons and conduct an inquiry into his ability to lead the department.”
Here’s a question: What does a man’s opinion of the Disney corporation have to do with his ability to work as Public Health Director? Are his views on evolution affecting his ability to conduct restaurant inspections? Do his beliefs about homosexuality prevent him from working with low-income HIV/AIDS patients–something Pasadena’s Health Department has done under his watch? Or is this actually about expressing views the city finds disagreeable?