Wed, Feb 10, 2016
Praise And Worship Club Directed By Attorneys From Using The Name In Club Announcements
NASA's attorneys have advised the Praise and Worship Club at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to discontinue the use of the name "Jesus" in its announcements in the JSC newsletter.
The newsletter is distributed electronically to employees, and includes information about events ranging from salsa lessons to soccer camp, according to a report from Fox News.
In a statement, NASA said the agency "does not prohibit the use of any specific religious names in employee newsletters or other internal communications. The agency allows a host of employee-led civic, professional, religious and other organizations to meet on NASA property on employee’s own time. Consistent with federal law, NASA attempts to balance employee’s rights to freely exercise religious beliefs with its obligation to ensure there is no government endorsement of religion. We believe in and encourage open and diverse dialogue among our employees and across the agency."
The Liberty Institute has threatened a lawsuit against the agency unless it apologizes to the group.
The announcement that led to the note from the agency's lawyers said "Join with the praise and worship band “Allied with the Lord” for a refreshing set of spring praise and worship songs on Thursday, June 4, from 11:15 a.m. to noon in Building 57, Room 106. (The theme for this session will be “Jesus is our life!”) Prayer partners will be available for anyone who has need. All JSC civil servants and contractors are welcome." The legal department called the organizers to say they could not use the name "Jesus" in its announcements.
It its complaint, the Liberty Institute said the club's leadership was told that "NASA would be censoring all future club announcements that featured the name ‘Jesus’." Liberty Institute attorney Jeremy Dys told Fox News contributor Todd Starnes that it offered to put a disclaimer on its announcements identifying it as private speech not endorsed by the government or NASA, but the club was told that was not acceptable. Using the name "Jesus", they said, made that announcement “sectarian” or “denominational.”
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