The 3 - November 26, 2017

In this week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, there is a positive outcome from Maine, in which a teacher's free speech rights regarding religion were upheld.  Also, Christians in China are reportedly facing pressure to remove religious symbols and to replace them with a picture of the country's president.  Plus, a ban on what are called "dismemberment abortions" in Texas has been negated by a Federal judge.

3 - ME school district says it's OK for employees to offer to pray for co-workers

Toni Richardson, a special education teacher in the Augusta, Maine school district, in 2016, asked a co-worker if she could pray for her - this occurred during a private conversation.  The ChristianHeadlines.com website reported on the events that transpired.

The co-worker appreciated the gesture, but, according to the report, just days later...

...an administrator asked Richardson if she had made any “faith-based statements” while at school, including telling co-workers she was a Christian, offering to pray for them, or even saying something vague like, “That’s a blessing.”

The story continues by saying, "...the school administrator told Richardson her statements violated the First Amendment and could get her fired if repeated."

So, as the article states: "Fearing for her job, Richardson filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The school district’s actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which forbids discrimination on the basis of religion, the suit argued."

The outcome for Richardson was favorable.  The story says:

In a new “coaching memorandum” sent to Toni Richardson last week, officials with the Augusta School Department acknowledged employees’ First Amendment right to privately discuss their religious beliefs with co-workers.

Employees can say things like “God bless you,” or “I am praying for you,” as long as students aren’t around.

Richardson was represented by First Liberty Institute.

2 - Chinese Christians told to replace images of Jesus with pictures of President

The purge of religious symbols in areas of China continues, with residents of Yugan county, where a cross had been removed from a local church, are now being asked to remove Christian symbols from their homes, according to a story on the Christianity Today website, which stated that:

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports that Communist Party of China (CPC) officials visited believers’ homes in Yugan county of Jiangxi province—where about 10 percent of the population is Christian. They urged residents to replace personal religious displays with posters of President Xi Jinping; more than 600 removed Christian symbols from their living rooms, and 453 hung portraits of the Communist leader, according to SCMP.

The Post contends that there are Communist Party members who believe that faith is related to the poverty in the region.  Some Christians in the Yugan region say they had been told they would be ineligible for government financial assistance if religious posters were not removed, according to an Asia News/SCMP story that was linked to the CT story.  Christianity Today also says that:

In September, China passed tighter restrictions regarding religious gatherings, teachings, and buildings. Though they are not slated to officially go into effect until February 2018, Christians in some provinces have already noticed a crackdown on their activity. Police detained leaders of a house church, as well as a three-year-old, who were caught singing in a public park.

1 - Federal judge blocks bill banning dismemberment abortion procedure

We know that the abortion procedure is intended to take a human life.  And, the act of partial-birth abortion was considered so gruesome that it is now banned by Federal law.  According to LifeNews.com, there is another type of abortion that was banned by a law from the Texas Legislature - so-called "dismemberment" abortion.

The website states: "Signed into law earlier this summer, Texas Senate Bill 8 prohibits dismemberment abortions, a method typically used in the second trimester to kill nearly fully-formed, living unborn babies. It is a barbaric and dangerous procedure in which the unborn baby is ripped apart in the womb and pulled out in pieces while his or her heart is still beating."

But last week, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel struck down the ban on dismemberment abortions, blocking it from taking effect just one day before a temporary restraining order that he had put in place was due to expire.

Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life, is quoted in the article: “The Texas legislature overwhelmingly voted to protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from being subject to such a dehumanizing experience,” adding, “Releasing the decision on the eve of a national holiday in the hopes that no one will notice is an act of cowardice. Rest assured, the right-to-life movement takes notice. We are confident that the Texas attorney general will appeal Judge Yeakel’s cruel decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and it will be overturned.”

There are eight states that have passed such action: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia.