The City of Boston permitted the public celebration of a genocide that claimed more than 65 million lives but refused to permit Camp Constitution’s celebration of the U.S. Constitution simply because the word “Christian” was used on its application to describe the “Christian flag.” In other words, Mao the communist butcher was welcomed, but Jesus the Prince of Peace was not.

The City of Boston discovered this year that robbing Americans of their religious freedom is costly. Read on to learn more how YOU helped win an extremely rare, unanimous 9-0 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. —Mat

The anti-Christian left isn’t done harassing and silencing religious people. Help Liberty Counsel DEFEND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY in 2023 and have YOUR IMPACT DOUBLED by a generous year-end Challenge Grant. But hurry, the Challenge Grant expires at MIDNIGHT, your time zone, on New Year’s Eve!

Help Liberty Counsel STOP the SILENCING of CHRISTIAN VIEWPOINTS in AMERICA!

On January 18, 2022, I presented oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that the City of Boston had unconstitutionally BANNED a flag from flying simply because it was called a “Christian” flag on the application.

Liberty Counsel sued the City of Boston on behalf of Hal Shurtleff and Camp Constitution. 

For 12 years, from 2005 to 2017, the City of Boston encouraged local citizens to apply for use of its “public forums.” Individuals and groups alike could fill out a permit application to reserve the square and one of the flagpoles to celebrate Boston’s rich history and culture. Over the years, hundreds of permitted events have taken place on the square, and at least 284 separate private flags have flown on the designated pole.

Flags flown have sported symbols of and celebrated Islam, Boston Pride, LGBTQ and even the bloody Chinese Communist revolution that butchered more than 65 million people. They allowed a flag representing a butcher to fly but not a flag representing the Prince of Peace!

But when Camp Constitution submitted an application to fly the Christian flag in order to celebrate Boston’s rich Judeo-Christian heritage, the application was denied simply because Camp Constitution’s application used the word “Christian.” Boston vigorously defended its position, stating that under no circumstances would it allow religious viewpoints, based on the Supreme Court’s 1971 decision in Lemon v. Kurtzman. Our case brought down the infamous “Lemon test” once and for all.

On May 2, 2022, the High Court issued an extremely rare, unanimous 9-0 ruling in favor of Hal Shurtleff and Camp Constitution. 

The Court stated that the City of Boston violated the Constitution by censoring Camp Constitution’s private flag in a public forum open to “all applicants” merely because the application referred to it as a “Christian flag.”

Contrary to the City of Boston’s position that flying the Christian flag violated the Establishment Clause, the Supreme Court ruled that censoring the Christian flag was, in fact, religious viewpoint discrimination and violated the First Amendment. And now, the old ghoul that haunted the First Amendment, known as the “Lemon test,” has finally been buried.

This case was truly about religious discrimination masquerading as government speech—and Liberty Counsel stopped Boston’s anti-Christian bias in its tracks! On August 3, 2022, we raised the Christian flag in celebration. And Boston had to pay over 2.1 million dollars for its unconstitutional censorship.

“God’s hand was in this the whole time,” Shurtleff says. “We have God-given rights under the Constitution. The Constitution doesn’t give us rights. God gives us the rights; the Constitution just protects them. But if we are not vigilant about those rights, we are going to lose them.”

Hal says he gives “all the credit in the world to Liberty Counsel” and generous supporters like you who made this win possible.

These past several years defending the faithful against secular governments gone mad has taxed our resources. Our caseload defending religious freedom is growing.

Please, help us STOP THE ATTACKS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM! Please, give generously TODAY and take advantage of our year-end Challenge Grant to DOUBLE your gift by December 31, midnight, your time zone.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14-16).

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

Sources:

Morgan, Ryan. “Communist China’s Flag Raised above Boston City Hall Plaza, Philly; Supported by Elected Officials.” American Military News, October 8, 2019. americanmilitarynews.com/2019/10/communist-chinas-flag-raised-above-boston-city-hall-plaza-philly-supported-by-elected-officials/.

“USA and 12 States Support LC in Free Speech Case.” Liberty Counsel, November 24, 2021. lc.org/newsroom/details/112421-usa-and-11-states-support-lc-in-free-speech-case.