Colorado Sheriff is an Outspoken Defender of Christian Rights; Takes a Stand in His Community
"The fact that we are even engaged in a discourse of whether Christmas trees and Christian symbols of faith should be allowed on city property is absurd...Our country, and sadly our own community, has reached that point where people of faith and good conscience can no longer stand silently while a belligerent minority usurps our heritage and dictates how and where we express our religious freedoms. It is time to make a statement...."
(Larimer, Colorado)—Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden is an outspoken defender of the Christian faith. In his role of U.S. citizen, he wrote a column defending the right of Fort Collins residents to celebrate a traditional Christmas in the public square.
He wrote on his blog: "Let us not forget that the Separation of Church and State is a fairly modern creation of the Supreme Court, not the views of our Founding Fathers and certainly not expressly found in our Constitution. Our Founding Fathers fought in part for the right of citizens to freely express their religious beliefs. Express – not suppress... It seems that government at all levels is more interested in suppressing Christian beliefs. The fact that we are even engaged in a discourse of whether Christmas trees and Christian symbols of faith should be allowed on city property is absurd...Our country, and sadly our own community, has reached that point where people of faith and good conscience can no longer stand silently while a belligerent minority usurps our heritage and dictates how and where we express our religious freedoms. It is time to make a statement..."
So, he noted, in recognition and celebration of Christmas, members of his department would display "a Christmas tree – not a holiday tree" on the department's lawn on Dec. 1, and to make sure no tax dollars go to the "unauthorized" display, he said he would accept donations of lights and ornaments.
For these comments, and for taking a stand on the issue, he is now facing a backlash from secularists, even though the proposal to ban traditional Christmas displays in Fort Collins was voted down. County Commissioner Glenn Gibson said the Sheriff's comments are being reviewed. But, says Alderden, the overwhelming support he has gotten far outweighs any negatives.
According to a report in WorldNetDaily, Alderden said he's gotten about 400 e-mails and telephone calls about the issue, and only a handful were negative. Many people have been donating lights and ornaments. He was also quoted as saying that other officers in police departments around the country called to congratulate him and express similar frustrations.
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