Government sued over its anti-Christian discrimination

(Pixabay)

A lawsuit has been filed against the county and town of Blacksburg, Virginia, after officials there insisted on keep their anti-Christian discrimination in place.

The situation is over their decision to grant a tax exemption for college students of "another religion" but then refuse the same treatment for Christian students.

The case is being pursued by the Rutherford Institute, which explains the fight is over "a Christian ministry’s right to be treated equally with other religious and charitable organizations which provide similar services."

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The legal team explains:

Through the Bradley Study Center, the Christian Scholars Network (CSN) ministers to the Virginia Tech community by holding worship services, prayer meetings, Bible studies and weekly theological discussions and fellowship. The Rutherford Institute is challenging a local government’s refusal to recognize CSN as a religious association that uses its property exclusively for charitable, religious, or educational purposes, which would thereby qualify CSN for a property tax exemption given to nonprofit religious organizations under the Virginia constitution and state laws. Attorneys affiliated with The Rutherford Institute filed suit in the Montgomery County Circuit Court against the county and the town of Blacksburg after the commissioner of the revenue refused to reverse the denial of tax exemption for CSN’s property, even though the county provides a property tax exemption to a similar organization for college students of another religion.

John W. Whitehead, the chief of the institute, explained, "The First Amendment not only affirms the right to religious freedom for people of all faiths, but it also requires that the government treat all faiths equally and not favoring or disfavoring one over the other."

He warned, "This is the slippery slope that affects us all, whether you’re talking about religious freedom, free speech or privacy: if the government is allowed to deny freedom to one segment of the citizenry, it will eventually extend that tyranny to all citizens."

Is anti-Christian discrimination on the rise in America?

The institute noted that CSN is a nonprofit ministry which has been exempt from federal income tax by the IRS under section 501(c)(3).

In 2019, it purchased real estate near the Virginia Tech campus and opened the Bradley Study Center "to cultivate a thoughtful exploration of the Christian faith and how one’s faith connects to their studies, work, and life," the institute reported.

"CSN uses the Bradley Study Center property for worship services, prayer meetings, studies and discussions on the Bible and theological books, and a Fellows Program for Virginia Tech students to meet weekly for theological discussions and fellowship," it reported.

But local government officials claimed those worship activities were not, in fact, "worship."

The complaint is in Circuit Court of the Montgomery County, and names as defendants various government officials there, including Revenue Commissioner Helen Royal, Treasurer Helen V. St. Clair, the board of supervisors and others.

The institute reported that the court already has rejected the government's demand that the dispute been dismissed, and a trial on the fight is expected to be scheduled in the coming months.

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