Alan E. Sears
President, CEO and General Counsel
Alliance Defending Freedom
(15100 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85260-2769)
December 2013
Why you can have real hope
(no matter how bleak it seams!)
One
year ago, I wrote to warn you that legal attacks on your religious freedom were
about to get worse. That warning has proven correct.
Today, your religious freedom is
assailed by an onslaught of attacks from all sides . . . attacks never seen
before in the 237-year history of the Republic!
In New Mexico, the State Supreme Court held that an artist who
photographs weddings could be compelled to use her artistic talent to celebrate
and memorialize the story of a same-sex commitment ceremony. A justice wrote
that violating her deeply held religious beliefs regarding God's design for
marriage is "the price of
citizenship."
In Washington D.C., we have a presidential administration that believes
forfeiting your religious beliefs is the
price of doing business.
The
Obama Administration imposed a death penalty on dissenters — employers who
refuse to fund abortion-inducing drugs. These penalties are so severe that
family businesses will die if they don't provide the drugs. And when employers
seek exemption for religious reasons, this same administration claims it has
the power to determine what is religious and what is not, though hundreds of
exemptions have been granted for other reasons.
Although
Tyndale House Publishers is the world's
largest Bible publisher, the Obama Administration claimed Tyndale
wasn't religious enough to qualify for a religious exemption to its
ObamaCare abortion pill mandate.
In spite of this grave situation, I'm writing you
today with hope.
No
matter how many challenges we have faced, I always look forward to Christmas.
Because as we enter the Christmas season, we are reminded that Christ came to
bring real hope — hope of salvation and eternal life. That
hope never waivers, regardless of our circumstances.
Unlike
the world, our hope comes from God. What's more, often, out of the darkest
hours come the greatest victories. And this year the Lord gave us many amazing
victories.
A
dozen times on behalf of a broad array of clients, we have challenged the Obama
Administration abortion pill mandate. So far, we have won these cases for eight
clients. These cases are pending in the courts, and we are appealing the only
loss — to the Supreme Court.
Among
the victories was a decisive win for Tyndale House. The government dropped its
appeal against Tyndale. Apparently even the Obama Administration didn't want to
defend its position that a Bible publisher is not religious enough for a
religious exemption. We thank God for this glorious victory!
And,
as your support has allowed us to show up for the battle and fight, we've won
case after amazing case! In fact, by God's grace, we win nearly 75 percent of
the cases we take on. But, we count on
generous year-end giving to take on more cases and stay strong. To keep
winning, we urgently need AM $8.5 million before December 31.
Make
no mistake, when the Obama Administration imposed its abortion pill mandate,
many people were discouraged. I spoke with Christian employers and CEOs, and
the majority felt it was not worth the fight, that the Obama Administration has
unlimited resources, and all would be lost. But thanks be
to God, a boatload of family business leaders, ministry leaders, and Christian
college presidents said, "No way will we fund the taking of innocent human
life."
And
for them, we have won some early victories, but now is not the time to let down
our guard. If you think attacks on your religious freedom are bad now . . . you haven't seen anything yet. Our national
nightmare is about to get even worse!
Anti-Christian
activists are firmly entrenched in Washington D.C. They know that for at least three more years, they
will have your tax dollars and very powerful friends in the White House to help
them advance their agenda. That means attacks on the sanctity of life, marriage
and family, and your religious liberty will intensify in 2014.
Here's
what you can count on in the weeks and months ahead:
• The Obama Administration will advance
its secular agenda, appointing more and more activist left-wing judges.
• Legal advocates of homosexual behavior
will push their agenda in all 50 states.
• Pro-abortion activists will use
ObamaCare to try to force you to pay to end the lives of even more innocent
pre-born children.
• Radical atheists will challenge more
Judeo-Christian expressions of faith and memorials, and bully schools and local
governments to remove them.
• More and more Christians will be told
to sit down, shut up, or be punished.
What
you've seen up until now is just a taste of what's to come! What you've seen up
until now is just a taste of what's to come! But as the battle heats up, now
more than ever, it's time to "saddle up" and fight, and to increase
our capacity to do so.
Alliance
Defending Freedom has been used by the Lord to make a profound impact for
religious freedom in America. I shudder to think what America would look like if Alliance Defending Freedom had not
been able to fight for your religious freedom during the last two decades!
If Alliance Defending
Freedom had not been there . . .
If
Alliance Defending Freedom had not been in the battle, things would be far
worse. Take a look at cases where we — thanks to your financial support have
stood up to assaults on religious freedom . . . and made a difference for these
Christians under attack:
• Michayla Maertens — This Cooperstown,
N.D., high school student was told by her principal that her pro-life poster
would be removed because a parent had called and complained about it. Michayla
had made the poster as part of a current issues class assignment. It featured a
collage of pro-life messages such as "Life Not Abortion."
Alliance Defending
Freedom stood by Michayla, and wrote a letter to the school explaining that
censorship of the student's pro-life speech violates the First Amendment. In
response, the principal returned Michayla's poster back to the wall. He even
wrote a reply, thanking Alliance Defending
Freedom for clarifying the issue.
• Christians on public university and college
campuses — Opponents of religious freedom have imposed unconstitutional
rules, policies, and penalties on Christian student groups and campus
ministries across the nation. For example, Louisiana State University (LSU)
tried to confine student free speech on campus to a single 1,000-square-foot zone.
Alliance Defending
Freedom launched a legal effort last year to change these unconstitutional
policies. To date, this strategic effort has resulted in policy changes at over
110 universities across the country, including LSU.
• Crisis Pregnancy Center — A crisis pregnancy center
in Vermont found its facilities at risk, based on undisclosed
"faith-based eligibility criteria," after a government agency denied
payment because the group provided voluntary Bible studies in one of the
classrooms.
Alliance Defending Freedom fought for
the pregnancy center and won a favorable ruling, allowing the center to
continue to hold Bible studies.
• Voices of Mercy Outreach Ministries —
This East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ministry had run Sunday school programs for
at-risk youth in a public park for five years when the city park commission
banned them due to "religious activities."
Alliance Defending
Freedom filed a lawsuit on behalf of the ministry leading to a settlement in
its favor. The city agreed to change its policy and allow the group to meet and
hold events in the park.
We
celebrate these and so many more victories, and thank God for them! At the same
time, we know our opponents are not giving up. In all of these cases, we have
won a battle, not the war. Our opponents are appealing many other cases, and we
must not grow weary.
As
we move into 2014, there's certainly no shortage of well-funded opponents:
√ The ACLU, emboldened by radical Supreme Court decisions on marriage, is
building its war chest to take its demands to every state.
With your support, Alliance Defending
Freedom continues to battle state-by-state for marriage according to God's
design. We also stand for the religious freedom of people like you who choose
not to condone or celebrate the redefinition of marriage.
√ The Obama Administration continues to
fight fiercely for the abortion pill mandate it imposed with ObamaCare. God
gave us an amazing victory for Tyndale House. So far we've won for 10 of 11
clients which have gone to court. We recently appealed to the U.S. Supreme
Court on behalf of a Pennsylvania family that challenged the abortion pill mandate
because it violated their religious beliefs. Their woodworking business now
faces fines totaling nearly $35 million a year, certain to put them out of
business.
As we have the resources, we're taking on the cases of
other employers who refuse to bow to a government ordering them to violate
their most deeply held beliefs.
√ Americans United for Separation of Church
and State continues to attack your religious freedom. This group is behind
the lawsuit attempting to stop the Town of Greece, N.Y., from opening town council meetings with
prayer. Just a few weeks ago, we defended the town and its prayer policy before
the U.S. Supreme Court.
Efforts like this would not be possible without your
prayers and financial support.
√ The Freedom From
Religion Foundation is threatening government entities across the country
with lawsuits if they pray before meetings — as Americans have prayed for more
than 200 years in this country.
With your support, Alliance Defending
Freedom is standing with public officials in defense of religious freedom.
√ Planned Parenthood receives more than
$500 million of taxpayer money each year. And each year it kills more than
300,000 pre-born babies. Several former Planned Parenthood employees have come
forward with evidence of fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. As a
result, we have brought three lawsuits against Planned Parenthood in three
different states with the goal of stopping its fraud and of driving it out the
abortion business.
Your gifts make it possible to directly challenge America's largest
abortionist, and save the lives of pre-born babies!
√ Advocates of the homosexual legal agenda
are demanding that you and I be forced to approve and celebrate their agenda.
We're defending the New
Mexico artist
who declined to use her photography talents to celebrate a same-sex commitment
ceremony. When the state Supreme Court ruled against her, one justice wrote
that the photographer and her husband "now are compelled by law to
compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives," adding,
"it is the price of citizenship."
As we prepare to take this case all the way to the US. Supreme
Court, we need your support.
When
these radical groups win, you lose. When they succeed, your religious freedom
shrinks. And, for too long, they won most cases without adequately funded
Christian opposition winning by default.
They've
helped create an atmosphere of fear, intimidation, and disinformation that has
caused countless public officials to limit your freedom, the freedom of your
children or grandchildren, the liberty of churches, and the free speech of
pastors.
Because
we know they are relentless, determined, and well-funded, we must resolve to
keep fighting. and keep winning . . . or surrendering.
Your support is needed more now than
ever!
The
unrelenting attacks from those who despise religious freedom mean Alliance
Defending Freedom is needed more now than ever. In addition to all of our other
opponents, an emboldened Obama Administration is pushing to impose its
anti-Christian agenda on America.
Your support now is absolutely vital for the legal
battles in the year ahead, against the ACLU . . . Planned Parenthood . . . the
Obama Administration, and many more!
Year-end giving makes up a significant
part of our income. I'm trusting God for $8.5 million in gifts before December
31, so we can be there to defend Christians when they are attacked for freely
living out their faith.
To
meet this objective, it means everyone must do their part. Your gift — large or small — will help us immediately. So, please
give as you are able.
Every
year we receive more than 3,000 calls — many requesting our help. That's far
more cases than we have the resources to take. It troubles my heart every time
we have to say "no" to someone who urgently needs legal help.
When
you stand with us with your prayers and financial gifts, we can fight and win!
(John
15:5) But without your support, we can't even show up and fight. Alliance
Defending Freedom is a cash-based ministry, and will not take on a legal battle
unless we have adequate funding.
Thank
you for standing with Alliance Defending Freedom this year. Please prayerfully
give the very best gift you can give today. Every dollar counts.
Yours
for religious freedom,
Alan
E. Sears
President,
CEO & General Counsel
P.S. Do not
lose heart! Together, we can take back round that has been lost and build a
bright new future for America. I'm praying
for $8.5 million before December 31, so we can show up, fight, and win more
battles for religious freedom (John 15:5).
Thank you for your faithfulness!
Alliance Defending
Freedom is always looking for potential precedent-setting cases and for
attorneys who could help our cause. If you wish to refer an attorney or a
potential case to us, please see the [requested] enclosed reply form. Please
note that success in past cases does not guarantee success in future cases. Copyright ©2013, Alliance Defending Freedom. All rights reserved. Permission to
reprint this and other documents as noted in their entirety is granted to
Alliance Defending Freedom Allied Ministry Friends. But please do us a favor —
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85260 • 800-835-5233 • AllianceDefendingFreedom.org