The faith of an elderly Christian woman from Massachusetts was put to the test after she was told to take down the Bible verses posted on the front door of her apartment complex.
Luckily, the woman, who was not named, had the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) to back her up, according to The Christian Post. The woman was putting up her Christmas decorations, which included the Bible verses, when she was told by the apartment tenant that she was violating federal law.
The ACLJ then sent a letter on behalf of the woman to the owner of the complex, and explained that forcing the woman to remove her Bible verses is a violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). The law provides that people cannot be discriminated against on the grounds of their religion, so they are free to put up religious items as decorations.
The group said on its website that the apartment complex's initial demand was an "erroneous assertion." While the FHA does require neutrality, it also does not prohibit religious expression. Moreover, it does not permit the removal of religious expression simply because other people find it offensive.
"We demanded that the apartment complex rescind the notice, permit the religious display, and refrain from any harassment of and/or retaliation against our client for her religious speech. The apartment complex immediately complied," the law group explained.
"In this case, the apartment complex indicated its intent to keep the complex 'religion neutral,' however, the result was, instead, hostility toward, and discrimination based on, religion," the ACLJ added. "Fortunately for our client, the matter was quickly resolved just in time for the Christmas season and she now displays her Bible verses on her front door without fear of reprisal."
The ACLJ has often stood up for Christians who are being bullied for their expression of faith. This year alone, they scored two landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The first one was against the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which was limiting church healthcare plans with burdensome government bureaucracy. The next concerned the state's decision to deny the funding that would help protect children who play on a church playground.
