Yes, they still burn crosses in 2012. At least that's what was planned as the culmination of a three-day, whites-only religious conference held this week in Lamar County, Ala. A number of residents and local officials were incensed by the racist overtones of the gathering, which prompted the minister to complain that his First Amendment rights were being violated, according to MSNBC.
"Yes, we believe that the Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God," according to the website for Christian Identity Ministries, which is holding the event with Church of God's Chosen. "We believe this, not because we think that the white race is superior, but because there is overwhelming proof in support of this belief. We do not back down from this belief, because we are certain."
Some local residents learned of the July 4-6 gathering after the group posted fliers promoting their fourth annual pastors' conference, announcing "All White Christians Invited," according to a report by WBRC in Birmingham …
Christian Identity Ministries founder Mel Lewis, who spoke to a reporter from WAFF TV of Huntsville, charged that the Winfield mayor was violating his flock's right to free speech.
"The mayor ordered our fliers to be taken down," he said. "When did they start religious censorship?"
No information is available yet about whether the cross-burning went as planned yesterday evening, but if this gathering is about more than religious freedom, the organizers should have been brave enough to say it instead of hiding behind the Bible to justify their agenda.
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