Ten Ways the ACLU Is Destroying America

1. Indefensible! Ten Ways the ACLU Is Destroying America

2. Exposing Darkness “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” - Ephesians 5:8-11

3. Communist Roots The ACLU was founded in 1920 by communism enthusiast Roger Baldwin.

4. Communist Roots “I saw in the Soviet Union many opponents of the regime. I visited a dozen prisons—the political sections among them. I saw considerable amounts of the work of the OGPU [secret police]. I heard a good many stories of severity, even of brutality, and many of them from the victims.” - Roger Baldwin, 1934

5. Communist Roots “While I sympathized with personal distress I just could not bring myself to get excited over the suppression of opposition… No champion of a socialist society could fail to see that some suppression was necessary to achieve it. It could not all be done by persuasion.” - Roger Baldwin, 1934

6. Communist Roots “I am for socialism, disarmament, and, ultimately, for abolishing the state itself... I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class, and the sole control of those who produce wealth. Communism is the goal.” - Roger Baldwin

7. Rewarded for Treachery In 1981, President Jimmy Carter awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest award bestowed on American civilians) to Roger Baldwin—a man who openly endorsed Stalin’s policies and sought to ultimately “abolish the state.”

8. A Formidable Foe • The ACLU boasts 500,000 members. • It is the nation’s largest public interest law firm. • The ACLU employs roughly 100 staff attorneys, while assisting nearly 2,000 volunteer attorneys. • It files roughly 6,000 lawsuits each year. • The organization appears before the U.S. Supreme Court more than any other organization besides the U.S. Justice Department.

9. Ten Campaigns of the ACLU 1. Erasing Our Christian Heritage 2. Attacking Religious Liberties 3. Silencing the Church 4. Advancing Sexual Anarchy 5. Sexualizing Our Children

10. Ten Campaigns of the ACLU 6. Redefining Marriage & Family 7. Promoting Obscenity 8. Promoting A Culture of Death 9. Impeding the War on Terror 10. Looting the American Taxpayer

11. A Self-Governing Nation? • 77% support public Ten Commandments displays. • 87% support the public display of nativity scenes. • 87% support “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. • 59% (ages 27 to 59) support school prayer. • 51% believe that churches “should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.” • 55% support curricula that includes creationism and intelligent design, while only 12% support an “evolution only” high school biology curricula.

12. A Self-Governing Nation? • 57% agree that: “Abortion is murder.” • 70% support a ban on partial-birth abortion. • 73% support requiring minors to obtain parental consent before getting an abortion. • 64% believe that wives should have to inform their husbands before getting an abortion. • 66% of Americans oppose same-sex “marriages.”

13. The Constitutional Chaos “To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions [is] a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy.” —Thomas Jefferson “We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the judges say it is.” —U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, 1930

14. Losing Confidence in Courts A 2005 Pew Research poll found that between 2001 and 2005 Americans’ approval of the judiciary fell dramatically from 68% to 57%. Among Evangelicals, the drop was even more dramatic—falling from 73% to 51%. —Washington Post, June 16, 2005.

15. Protecting Us From Ourselves The Founders understood that self-governing nations will either be ruled by a higher law, OR … “Democracy will soon degenerate into . . . [such] anarchy that every man will do what is right in his own eyes and no man’s life or property or reputation or liberty will be secure.” - John Adams

16. The Source of Rights? Pivotal Issue of America’s Future To whom do we attribute our rights?

17. Liberty From the State? Stalin’s secular regime led to the deaths of millions of Russian dissidents!

18. Liberty From the State? Hitler’s secular regime led to the deaths of millions!

19. Liberty From the State? Mao’s secular regime led to the deaths of tens of millions of Chinese dissidents!

20. Liberty From the State? Pol Pot’s secular regime led to the deaths of millions of Cambodians! Skulls Taken From The Killing Fields

21. Unique Claim of America “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

22. Unique Claim of America Alexander Hamilton, signer of the U.S. Constitution, called the idea of man-made moral law “absurd and impious doctrine.” George Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

23. Morality Dismissed From Law “One’s religious training, one’s attitudes toward life and family and their values, and the moral standards one establishes and seeks to observe, are all likely to influence and to color one’s thinking and conclusions about abortion.” —U.S. Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade

24. Morality Dismissed From Law “The fact that the governing majority in a State has traditionally viewed a particular practice as immoral is not a sufficient reason for upholding a law prohibiting the practice.” —U.S. Supreme Court, Lawrence v. Texas—

25. Reverend John Witherspoon - Born in Scotland in 1723 - Ordained Presbyterian Minister at 20 - Hired as President of Princeton (1768) - Fiery Sermons During Great Awakening - Served on Continental Congress - Signed the Declaration of Independence

26. Witherspoon Curriculum “God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable.” “He is the best friend to American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion… Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not [do not hesitate] to call him an enemy of his country.” —May 17, 1776

27. Witherspoon's Influence “The record of Princeton men who studied under Rev. John Witherspoon is outstanding, including President James Madison, Vice-President Aaron Burr, nine cabinet officers, 21 United States senators, 39 members of the House of Representatives, three justices of the Supreme Court, 12 governors, and numerous delegates to the Constitutional Convention.” —Princeton University Admissions Office

28. Not the Exception! • Twenty-four of the signers of the Declaration held seminary degrees. • The first actions of the Continental Congress included purchasing 20,000 Bibles. • The first Speaker of the House was the Reverend Frederick Muhlenberg. • Our treaty with the British began, “In the name of the most Holy and undivided Trinity.”

29. 158 Years Without A Wall “Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine… Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law [church and state] are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other.” —Supreme Court Justice James Wilson (signer of U.S. Constitution)

30. 158 Years Without A Wall 1803–The Maryland Supreme Court decreed, “By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed on the same equal footing and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty.”

31. 158 Years Without A Wall 1811–The New York Supreme Court explained, “We are a Christian people and the morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity.” 1824–The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled, “Christianity, general Christianity, is and always has been a part of the common law.”

32. 158 Years Without A Wall 1844–The U.S. Supreme Court declared, “Christianity . . . is not to be maliciously and openly reviled and blasphemed against, to the annoyance of believers or the injury of the public.” 1889–The High Court argued, “Bigamy and polygamy are crimes by the laws of all civilized and Christian countries.”

33. 158 Years Without A Wall 1892 — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, “This is a Christian nation. We are a Christian people.” 1931–The U.S. Supreme Court explained, “We are a Christian people … acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God.”

34. Birth of the "Wall" Everson v. Board of Education (1947) “The First Amendment erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.” —U.S. Supreme Court

35. “In 1947, the ACLU was responsible for Everson v. Board of Education coming before the high court. One of its lawyers, Leo Pfeffer, wrote the draft of the opinion which resulted in the so-called ‘separation of church and state.’” —December 14, 2004

36. Meet Klansman Black The author of the Everson decision was Justice Hugo Black, a former member of the anti-Catholic Alabama Ku Klux Klan. *** In 1962, Justice Black also wrote the decision (Engel v. Vitale) prohibiting school prayer.

37. The ACLU's Reasoning? “Although the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, it took two centuries for a body of law on the church/state relationship to evolve.” - ACLU Briefing Paper, Summer 1999 -

38. ACLU Impact in Supreme Court 1962 – Engel v. Vitale – no prayer in schools 1963 - Abington v. Schempp – no Bible either 1968 - Epperson v. Arkansas – States cannot prohibit the teaching of evolution 1980 – Stone v. Graham – Ky. Commandments pulled 1985 – Wallace v. Jaffree - no moment of silence 1987 – Edwards v. Aguillard – creationism cannot have equal time in classrooms 1989 – Allegheny v. ACLU – no nativity scenes 1992 – Lee v. Weisman – no graduation prayer 2003– Locke v. Davey – no scholarships for theology

39. Religion Is Under Attack The Anti-Defamation League 64% of American adults believe that “religion is under attack.”

40. Erasing Our Christian Heritage Ten Commandments “If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the school children to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments… [This] is not a permissible state objective.” —U.S. Supreme Court (1980)

41. Abandoning Founding Philosophy “The state may not acknowledge the sovereignty of the Judeo-Christian God and attribute to that God our religious freedom.” - U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson

42. Erasing Our Christian Heritage Nativity Scenes “[The] government may celebrate Christmas in some manner and form, but not in a way that endorses Christian doctrine.” —U.S. Supreme Court (1989)— *** In the same decision, the Court declared that public displays of menorahs were acceptable.

44. Erasing Our Christian Heritage Mojave WWI Memorial Cross “The presence of the cross on federal land conveys a message of endorsement of religion.” —U.S. District Judge Robert J. Timlin “The cross must come down, and no amount of political maneuvering or grandstanding will prevent that.” —ACLU Attorney Peter Eliasberg

45. Erasing Our Christian Heritage Mount Soledad War Memorial “It is now time, and perhaps long overdue, for this Court to enforce its initial permanent injunction forbidding the presence of the Mount Soledad cross on City property.” —U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson, Jr.

46. Erasing Our Christian Heritage Los Angeles County Seal The ACLU pressured the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to revise the county’s official seal, because the design featured a tiny cross.

47. ACLU Hypocrisy Not all taxpayer-funded religious symbols are forbidden by the ACLU! • A crucifix submerged in a jar of urine. • Painting of the Virgin Mary with elephant dung smeared on it. • A painting of a naked, crucified woman on display in the Honolulu City Hall.

48. Barring Military Prayer The ACLU won its lawsuit to prohibit Virginia Military Institute cadets from offering collective, voluntary prayer before supper meals. “VMI’s supper prayer conflicts with First Amendment principles.” —Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

49. Muzzling Legislative Prayer The ACLU won a lawsuit against Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma. He was barred from allowing prayer in Jesus’ name during the invocation. “If the Speaker chooses to continue any form of legislative prayer, he shall advise persons offering such a prayer … that they should refrain from using Christ’s name.” —U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton

50. Religious Liberties “The prayer practice is a demeaning act.” —ACLU Legal Brief, Cobb v. Pelphrey—