To: National Desk
Contact: Dane Rose, 202-546-8329 ext. 106; Rev. Rob Schenck, 703-447-7686 cell, both of the National Clergy Council
WASHINGTON, June 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Faith and Action, America’s only Christian outreach located across the street from the U.S. Supreme Court, has launched a national petition drive in support of its display of the Ten Commandments. The Government of the District of Columbia has ordered the display to be removed from the organization’s garden in front of its property.
The 3-foot high granite sculpture faces the private entrance to the Supreme Court where the nine justices arrive and leave each day. The U.S. Capitol is one block away and many U.S. senators pass the sculpture on their way to the nearby US Senate office buildings.
D.C. officials have threatened Faith and Action with daily fines of $300 and possible forced sale of the property if the display remains in place.
“This Ten Commandments display is not in a courthouse, or on the grounds of a state capitol, it is in our front garden,” said Rev. Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), president of Faith and Action. “Other Capitol Hill property owners are allowed to have whatever they want in their front gardens. We were singled out because the D.C. government doesn’t want the Ten Commandments staring out at Capitol Hill everyday. This is nothing but discrimination and we will fight it.”
Rev. Schenck’s goal is to acquire 20,000 signatures by the D.C. Government’s June 30 deadline. He plans to hand-deliver the petitions to D.C. officials shortly after that date. A formal defense of the display has been prepared by Faith and Action’s legal team headed by attorney Phil Jauregui of the Judicial Action Group and backed by the Alliance Defense Fund, a religious liberty law firm.
The Capitol Hill Ten Commandments Petition can be accessed on the Internet at www.nationalclergycouncil.org/News.html. It may also be downloaded and duplicated for distribution to churches, Sunday school classes, home Bible study groups, etc. More information about the display is available at www.faithandaction.org.
Rev. Schenck is available for further comment.
