Letter: Religious Liberty and Christian Nationalism

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To the Editor:

For those of you who were able to stand with us on Jan. 6, in witness against the rising tide of Christian Nationalism (Christianity as the one state religion) and in favor of freedom of religion and voting rights for all, we extend a huge thank you for doing so.

The threats are real. The danger to religious freedom is growing.

At a Texas rally, Michael Flynn, a Trump ally, vigorously advocated: "If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion, one nation under God, and one religion under God."

Speakers like Byron Fox, an evangelist touring with an organization called Faith Wins, sees the church as a battleship, that Christians are the persecuted ones, instilling fear of the Bible being outlawed, urging all Christians to be soldiers for Christ.

Other speakers at national conferences and rallies are adherents of the Seven Mountains Dominionism, an ideology that calls explicitly for the domination of government and education by Christians.



So let us all encourage our friends, family, and congregations of any and all religions to be very aware, and continue to speak up and speak out on this rising threat to religious liberty.

For further information or to get involved, email us at: deaconFCC@gmail.com.
 

Signed: First Congregational Church Williamstown, Committee for Religious Liberty

Betsy Burris
Adrian Dunn
Sherwood Guernsey
David Langston
Bridget Spann


 

 

 

 

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Williamstown Town Meeting Debates, Passes by Large Margins, CPA Grants

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — As it has done nearly every time since the town adopted the provisions of the Community Preservation Act, town meeting Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to respect the decisions of its Community Preservation Committee and award the CPA grants recommended by that body.
 
Among the last actions of the nearly three-hour meeting were the approval of two heavily-discussed CPA grants, one of which generated a negative advisory vote from the town's Finance Committee.
 
That grant went to the Sand Springs Pool and Recreation Center, a $20,000 allotment of CPA funds to renovate and expand facilities at the facility.
 
The Fin Comm voted, 3-5, not to recommend town meeting OK the expenditure, and several residents took the floor at Tuesday night's meeting to argue against approving a grant that the center plans to use to improve its sauna.
 
"Why would we do such a thing?" asked Donald Dubendorf. "I understand we have 'recreational purposes' under the act, but why would we do such a thing when we are in dire straits in other areas, like housing?"
 
The executive director Sand Springs took the microphone to explain that an infrastructure investment in the sauna is part of a strategy to make the facility a year-round town asset and improve the non-profit's revenue stream.
 
Enhanced revenues, in turn, allow Sand Springs to keep its entry fees lower and provide scholarships to families of limited means, Henry Smith said, including in the summer months, when it is "the only public, guarded waterfront in town."
 
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