Lawsuit Seeks Removal of Bible at Texas Courthouse
Posted on August 26th, 2003 by Anthony K. Valley
Kay Staley, a Houston real estate agent and a member of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, filed a lawsuit to have a glass encased bible removed from the grounds of the Harris County Courthouse. She was prompted to file this lawsuit as a reaction to the Alabama Courthouse/Ten Commandments controversy.
HOUSTON (Reuters) – A Texas woman has filed a lawsuit to remove a religious memorial from the grounds of the Harris County Courthouse, saying she was prompted by the Alabama controversy over a Ten Commandments monument.
The lawsuit requests that county officials get rid of a King James Bible enclosed in glass atop a 4-foot pedestal outside the courthouse.
The memorial was erected in 1956 to honor a late Houston industrialist for his contributions to a homeless program. It fell into neglect and became filled with trash, but was refurbished in 1995 under the direction of a local Republican judge.
Houston real estate agent Kay Staley, who is a member of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said she filed the lawsuit on Monday out of alarm over the Alabama controversy.
[Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage]
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I think our world has gone crazy. If this Bible bothered this “real estate agent” so much, why didnt she just stay out of the courthouse, and tend to her business. I hope the name of Kay Staley gets out and that prespective home buyers and sellers, will boycott her, and hire someone with more scruples. We have a “Godless” country, because lawmakers have allowed these radicals to test the law. Does anyone remember that our forfathers, fled to this land, to excape religious persecution? It is the Christians who are being discriminated against. I therefore want the statue of Sam Houston, in Huntsville removed…and by the way, the “Alamo” has got to go…..in fact, I want every statue torn down, and every “state” affiliated anything GONE!! Lets not forget the USS Constitution…...get out of here, and The Queen Mary…and Mount Rushmore…..then we will have created jobs for “destruction”crues. Lets just go crazy…get rid of our BIBLES..ok, then any and all government memorabilia of any kind….Oh yea, lets get rid of the Statue of Liberty…its too government for me…..as a Christian, I resent having to look at these items of a government that was supposed to protect us and represent the “Land of the Free”. I think I will file a lawsuit, to get all of the above torn down…...and we might as well send the rubble to Kay Staley…...
When Christians fight these things, we are considered “unchristian”, but how can we make it stop? If we don’t speak up against the Kay Staleys and others who don’t believe in anything soon we’ll be a nation of nonbelievers. Without the belief and faith in God that this nation was founded on, we are nothing. We are not the strong, proud leader of the free world, we have no purpose, no reason to think that our way of life, our system of government, our belief in democracy is any better than any other. Aferall that is what Christians are called to do. To spread the word of God to all so that they can make their own decision. Kay Staley and others will take that opportunity away so that people will never hear of the true God who loves them and wishes to know them and give them the hope and salvation they desperately need. If Kay Staley is a Christian, she has done God and other Christians a great disservice. If she is not a Christian, she should support her own faith. If she has no faith, she should shut up and let people who have faith, morals and something important to do and say do so.
“to spread the word of god to all so that they can make their own decision.” Well, it seems they have decided, doesn’t it? You are very wrong to assume that without faith in your particular god that someone else doesn’t believe in anything or has no morals.
I think Kay Staley should try reading the Bible before she brings a suit against the book.
How do you know she didn’t already read it, and found it worthy of dismissal? besides, she isn’t suing against the Bible, but against the public display of it where it doesn’t belong, unless the tenets of all the other religions are also displayed. If the government promises freedom of religion, they should therefore post the tenets of all major religions so that people are really free to follow whichever path suits them. Yes, the Judeo-Christian heritage of our country is part of our history, but that’s not the whole story, and one religion shouldn’t be the focus of public buildings. It is right to remove religious symbols from public buildings and government buildings when those symbols serve to exclude the symbols of other religions and (by implication) endorse one religion while dismissing others.
One question on this matter? WWJD?
What would Jesus do?
Ms. Staley will meet her maker and answer to him for her decisions. The mission was on private property and as such it is my thought their voices needed to be heard by the judge in this conflict.
Staley’s will has been imposed unjustly on someone else, restricting their right to express their religious views.
If it offended Ms. Staley, my words to her would be “turn the other cheek.”
One question on this matter? WWJD?
What would Jesus do?
Ms. Staley will meet her maker and answer to him for her decisions. The mission was on private property and as such it is my thought their voices needed to be heard by the judge in this conflict.
Staley’s will has been imposed unjustly on someone else, restricting their right to express their religious views.
If it offended Ms. Staley, my words to her would be “turn the other cheek.”
This nation was founded under God. If you don’t like it then go live with the Arabs. What a weak nation we have become, to let a bunch of people
who just want to see their name in the news dictate what America does with our religious heritage. People like staley should be exiled from this country since they don’t like what it was founded upon in tne first place.
this may be very un-christian, but I hope Kay Staley is homeless someday and has to turn to the great organizations of this country, such as Star of Hope-see where her thoughts turn about such issues.
Everyone has failed to state that Kay is a member of the Houston Atheist Society and received this years award for activist of the year. It amazes me how these people are so against Christians pushing their beliefs on others that they feel they have the right to object, by pushing their “non-beliefs” on those same people. Is this not the ultimate form of hypocrisy?
Is picketing still allowed in this country? Ms. Staley does have a house and, I believe, you can still picket someone as long as you don’t “infringe upon their rights”. Her address is (as posted on the web by HER regarding her New Years party): 6135 Queenswood, Houston, 77008. I do not attend church regularly, but I am a Christian. I believe in God AND Country. If Ms. Staley is so unhappy here, she should move somewhere else. Nobody is trying to shove religion down her throat, yet she is trying to shove atheism down ours. I was considering joining Houston Independent Real Estate Brokers until I found out that she is a member of same. No way will I go anywhere near her or anything she has anything to do with! I am sorry for you, Ms. Staley, that you have so little regard for what our country was founded on.
I think Kay Staley’s potential customers should know exactly what she stands for.
Kay Staley
Kay Staley Real Estate
2607 Bissonnet
Houston, Texas 77005
Phone: 713-523-9211
Fax: 713-522-2272
Email: kays@hal-pc.org
Texas License Number 0229017
I think that this whole situation in absurd. Kay Staley needs to quit b**ching about something that honestly DOES NOT affect her in her daily life. She just wanted some publicity and she got it…God is the reason we are here and if we want to have His writings displayed, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that…grow up, quit your moaning and groaning and get over it. If this has “offended” you, then here is my middle finger…i hope that does in fact offend you.
What our legal system has to realize is that having no belief in GOD is a belief system too, and therfore a religion. All of the “new thinkers” in this country want to make this a “Godless society” supporting their religion…
Lets seperate our Great Nation from that and all other false religions.
Maybe she needs her own monogrammed Bible sent to the address below.
Kay Staley, (713) 880-4299, 6135 Queenswood Ln, Houston, TX 77008
Had the homeless shelter displayed God’s revelation in the Holy Koran and that sacred book been ordered removed, none of you would have posted here. How would you all feel if the county courthouse seemed to like to display the Holy Koran’s teachings in the building. For instance, “Let he who steals lose a hand” that sort of thing. It is very UnAmerican to not respect and uphold the constitution and its wise amendment separating church from state. If you like the bible etc displayed everywhere try a christian country such as the many European one out there.
The United KIngdom is a good place. Christianity is the official religion and the Queen is Pope over there (thank you Henry!)
The most annoying aspect is that there is no separation of church and state anywhere in the united states constitution or in any state constitution. The 1st amendment states..
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Just because you display a bible does not mean that one religion over another is being established. People are still free to practice any religion they want. The people I am more annoyed with is the judges who do not seem to be able to read.
However, picketing her place of business would be a good idea too
I am so tired of people trying to broaden the opinion of the term, separtation of church and state, to mean more than what the Federal or the several states Constitutions provide. Even though the Bible display is on the grounds of a
Harris County, Texas court lawn, and the state of Texas Constitution is the high authority, such Constitution cannot legally be broader than
the US Federal Constitution. Turning to the US
Federal Constitution, Amendment I, in part reads that…... CONGRESS shall make no LAW respecting
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof;.... That is the true meaning of separtation of church and state. It
does not elaborate to say public places are forbidden to have religious symbols displayed, nor does it say that public servants are prohibited from personally recgonizing a colleagues religious views, nor does it say that
when a group of persons do recgonize a persons
religious background and pay tribute and honor to such person, that that same group must also
find someone of a different religious group and
pay tribute to them.
The bottom line is the legislators may not establish a religion….and they haven’t….in the Federal government or the state of Texas government.
It is not so broad that America was founded on
Christianity, but more so that the creation of the laws of the land were designed by using the
basis of biblical standards and principles.
Christians as well in their personal lives and aside from politics and legal matters, also use
the Bible as their standard for their lifestyle.
If someone like Kay Staley, who apparently creates her own standards for personal lifestyle, is offended, that is really to bad for
her.
Our Constitutions, Federally and throughout the
several states do not guarantee anyone the right
to not be offended.
Dear Understanding,
The problem with your posting is you know nothing about this Nations History. The Koran had nothing to do with supporting the beliefs and dreams of the founding fathers of this great nation. They based this countries legal and ethical principles on the CHRISTIAN BIBLE. That is why it has been displayed throughout this great land for centuries. Read the Declaration of Independence for starters. Your new thinking is the main reason
why this countries greatness is faltering.
The freedoms we enjoy in this country are a direct result of Christianity.
Keep trying to change it and the freddoms will change also.
Hello Everyone,
I am well aware that most people do not agree with the movment of which I am a part of. I am the Grand Dragon with the White Knights of the Confederacy. I wrote this lady stating that this organization will fight her with every means within the law to secure the existance of the Bible. It has gone too far. This great Nation was built on christian principles and it shall stay. I believe that it is these same christian principles that have kept us prospering all these years. I am looking into several ways to help. If any of you have an idea please feel free to e-mail me. Thank you for your time and God Bless
Morgan AKIA