Saturday, February 25, 2012

Santa Monica Reconsiders Holiday Display Policy

The Santa Monica city council introduced a motion at its Feb. 28 meeting to discontinue its longstanding policy of providing free public space to local neighborhood groups for winter holiday displays.

For years, the city of Santa Monica has provided space in a local city park along Ocean Ave. for local Christian communities to put up life-size nativity scenes. Requests in recent years from other local groups, including Jewish and atheist communities, for equal consideration resulted in the city adopting a system to allocate the free space by lottery.

In 2011, the lottery system resulted in most of the available slots being awarded to non-Christian groups, keeping most of the nativity scenes from being mounted that year.  Because of the number of complaints that the city received over the lottery results, the city attorney has now recommended that the city abolish its winter holiday ordinance altogether.

A final decision will likely be made by the Council at its March 27 meeting.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

"IGWT" Movement Spreads in Ventura County

Camarillo City Council Considers posting "In God We Trust" slogan in City Hall

The Ventura County Star reported today (Feb. 23) that a motion was placed before the Camarillo City Council at last night's council meeting to consider posting the religious phrase "In God We Trust" in the city hall above the pictures of past and current councilmembers.  The request was made by a constituent who supports the campaign of Bakersfield councilwomen Jacquie Sullivan and her organization, In God We Trust-America Inc., to have the slogan posted in schools and government buildings across the nation.

This action follows the adoption last month of the City of Port Hueneme to display the slogan in its city council chambers, paid for with private funds.

The Camarillo City Council will be considering the issue over the next two weeks before making a decision at its next council meeting on Wednesday, March 14 in order to provide opportunity for the public to weigh in on the measure. NOTE: As of March 28, this issue has been indefinitely postponed for consideration by the Camarillo City Council. Further updates to this website will be noted if and when it is scheduled again.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Katherine Stewart in Los Angeles, March 6 & 7

Katherine Stewart To Speak in Los Angeles!

The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children

Katherine Stewart

TWO Dates!

Tuesday, March 6, at 8:30pm
Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica

Wednesday, March 7, at 7:30pm
Heretic House, Angelino Heights, Los Angeles

We're pleased to be able to host two more nights to Katherine's schedule in Southern California, these in Santa Monica and Los Angeles!

See the event announcement for Katherine Stewart in Ventura County, below, for a description of her work and presentation.

Katherine will be speaking Tuesday night, March 6 at the Unitarian-Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, 18th & Arizona Streets, at 8:30pm.

The next evening, Katherine will be speaking in a private setting at Heretic House, a turn-of-the-20th-century mansion in the historical Angelino Heights district overlooking downtown Los Angeles. Both events are free, but seating is limited at the Heretic House, so please let us know if you're coming to that event. Please email us or call 805-405-3929 for reservations and directions.

Event attendees are encouraged to purchase and read the book prior to this presentation to participate in the dialogue. (Kindle edition is also available!) Copies will also be available for purchase and signing at the event. Come find out more about Katherine's research and book and what this means to the wall of church-state separation in this country!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Author Katherine Stewart - The Good News Club

March Event in Ventura County!

The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children

Katherine Stewart

Thursday, March 8, at 6:30pm
Oxnard Public Library Community Room
251 S. A Street, Oxnard

In January, 2009, Katherine Stewart learned that the Santa Barbara public elementary school her children attended had added a Bible study class called the “Good News Club” to its afterschool program. Stewart’s curiosity turned to concern as she discovered that the specific yet unstated purpose of the club, which is sponsored by the Child Evangelism Fellowship, is to convey the impression to its young members and their schoolmates that their school favors their particular form of the Christian religion. (From the CEF Website: "the purpose of Good News Club is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living.")

She soon learned that the Good News Club—a seemingly spontaneous and voluntary after-school program—was in fact part of a larger, calculated initiative by national advocacy groups whose declared aim is to “take back” America’s public schools and repurpose them with a Fundamentalist Christian agenda.

What happened in Stewart’s community is happening nationwide. At the end of 2010, there were more than 3,500 Good News Clubs operating in public schools across the country, and the number is rapidly increasing.

Come find out more about Katherine's research and book and what this means to the wall of church-state separation in this country! Event attendees are encouraged to purchase and read the book prior to this presentation to participate in the dialogue. (Kindle edition is also available!) Copies will also be available for purchase and signing at the event.