Foundation: ‘Don’t Discriminate Against Christian Flag
Pastor Harold Shurtleff and Camp Constitution wanted to hold an event in the Boston Commons. But when they asked to raise their Christian flag on the City flagpole, Boston said no.
On the surface that might not seem surprising — until we learn that 284 organizations have asked to raise their flags on the City flagpole during the past 15 years, and the City of Boston has approved every one of them — except the Christian flag, which features a cross. Boston has approved the flying of the LGBT rainbow flag, the transgender rights flag, the Malcolm X flag, and the flag of the Chinese Progressive Association, but said “no” to the Christian flag. Sensing discrimination, Pastor Shurtleff sued the City, and the case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Foundation for Moral Law, an Alabama nonprofit organization dedicated to the defense of religious liberty and the strict interpretation of the Constitution as intended by its Framers, on Tuesday filed an amicus brief in support of Pastor Shurtleff and his right to fly the Christian flag. Besides noting Boston’s discrimination against religion, the Foundation argued that the display is justified under Marsh v. Chambers because from the Nation’s founding there has been an unbroken tradition of the public display of the cross.
Judge Roy Moore, who established the Foundation, noted that “Boston was the home of the Puritans. Can you imagine their shock if they could see this blatant discrimination against Christianity today?”
Foundation Senior Counsel John Eidsmoe, who authored the brief, added, “In American Legion v. American Humanist Association, the Supreme Court upheld the display of the permanent 40-foot Bladensburg Cross in Maryland to commemorate those who gave their lives in World War I. Following this 2019 precedent, the Court should also uphold this temporary display of the Christian flag with a cross.”
(SOURCE: Foundation for Moral Law)
