title:  Arkansas Mayor To Use The 4th Of July To Force His Religion Down Everyone’s Throats
text: Beebe, Arkansas mayor, Mike Robertson, loves Jesus. He loves Jesus so much that he s using public dollars to fund a gospel band for Beebe s 4th of July celebration, and he knows what he s doing, too. Otherwise, he wouldn t have said this in his letter urging residents to come out: I am pleased to announce that this year s live music will be provided by Grammy-Nominated, Multiple Award-Winning Gospel Artists, The Bowling Family The Bowling Family combines talent, sincerity and experience to create a memorable concert experience. Their goal for the evening is to usher in the presence of god and to celebrate the Christian message. They feel privileged and honored to enjoy the freedom to honor Christ with any and all of their abilities.  [emphasis mine]You can read the letter in its entirety here.It s ironic that he d knowingly pick a gospel band to help his town celebrate a day on which our founders declared their independence from the British Crown, and sought things like religious freedom for the colonies. It s sad, too; Robertson clearly practices the religious right s warped and twisted view of American history.David Niose, the legal director of the American Humanist Association, sent a stern letter of warning to Robertson s office, saying that a concerned citizen had contacted him about usurping our Independence Day, along with public dollars, to endorse a religion not everyone in Beebe practices. The American Humanist Association has successfully sued other government entities for promoting religion in the past, and Niose makes a point of mentioning that. He also said: You should not be surprised that some of your constituents object to your use of the apparatus of government, which of course is funded by citizens of various religious backgrounds, to endorse and promote your personal religion. Indeed, Beebe was also the center of controversy in 2014 when a family there opened a small, pagan temple in their garage. Robertson was initially behind that, thinking it was a little Christian church, but when he found out it was pagan, he changed his mind and claimed that zoning laws forbade a place of worship on that property.In fact, zoning laws actually allowed it. Robertson just doesn t like the idea that there are people in his town that practice a different religion than he does. Worse, he believes that public officials should be praying to his god  as the true leader of the nation.  This is Christian zealotry at its finest. Freedom for Christianity and Christians, but not for anyone else.Roberston told OneNewsNow that the city is acting fairly, and he s prepared to defend having this gospel group at their 4th of July event: We ve had all different types of entertainment. And we try each year to change it to do something for everybody s desire and liking, and so we chose a gospel group. He went on to say that people could just stay home if they don t like it. Wow. Just wow. Perhaps he s the one who should stay home, and let people who actually understand freedom of religion, along with the whole reason we even celebrate that day, plan this event.Featured image via Beebe, Ark. official website