[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=573&ncid=573&e=7&u=/nm/20020805/od_nm/bibles_dc_5[/url]
Bible-Reading Prison Workers Win Minnesota Lawsuit
                                                    Mon Aug 5, 9:28 AM ET

                                                    ST. PAUL, Minn. (Reuters) - Two prison employees reprimanded for reading their
                                                    Bibles in silent protest of an employer-sponsored training session on
                                                    homosexuality have been awarded $78,000 in damages by a federal jury, their
                                                    attorney said on Friday.

                                                    The U.S. District Court jury on Thursday agreed that the workers were discriminated
                                                    against during the 1997 diversity training session entitled, "Gays and Lesbians in
                                                    the Workplace," said attorney Francis Manion of The American Center for Law and
                                                    Justice, a Virginia-based public interest firm that frequently supports religious
                                                    causes.

                                                    The employees, Thomas Altman and Ken Yackly, contended in their lawsuit that their
                                                    silent objection to the mandatory session put on by Minnesota's Department of
                                                    Corrections was to read silently from their Bibles. The lawsuit charged that the
                                                    session amounted to state-sponsored indoctrination aimed at changing their
                                                    religious beliefs about homosexuality.

                                                    After receiving reprimands for "inappropriate and unprofessional conduct" they filed
                                                    suit, arguing their right of free speech was abrogated and that they were
                                                    discriminated against on the basis of religion.

                                                    A spokesman for Minnesota's Department of Corrections said the two remain
                                                    employees but could not comment on the verdict pending further court action on the
                                                    case.

This may be an important decision in the courts. Be interesting to see the final outcome....

Wow, this is too cool.

Nice to see the system protect traditional Christians also. Maybe this'll be the start of a surge of pro-Christian court actions.

Wouldnt a surge in Pro-Christian court cases have to be preceeded by a glut of anti-christian actions???


That said....these two guys were right on!

Even though I am an atheist I cannot condone the state trying to force any view down someones throat!

Most excellent.

--LS

IMHO traditional christian values and morals have been under assault from without and within for years.