ACLU: First Amendment Protects Against Being an “Outsider”

Published: August 7, 2007, 11:45 am

Tags: aclu, church state, 1st amendment, americans united for separation of church state

Crossposted at Church and State The ACLU in Illinois says a small town must remove a sign that reads, “Welcome to The Village of Alorton. Where Jesus is Lord. Randy McCallum Mayor,” even though there have been no complaints about the sign and virtually every resident approves. “If it’s been put up by the city, then it definitely raises a constitutional issue,” said Wendy Park, a staff attorney with the group. A city-funded sign with a specific religious message appears to violate the religious liberty guarantee of the Constitution, she said. That guarantee says no religion should be promoted over any other by a government. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in the past that a government cannot endorse religion or express a message that endorses religion because “it basically leads nonbelievers to feel that they are outside the political community and are not participants in the political community,” she said. A government? I’m certain

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