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Leaders of a small town in Colorado have stirred up a hornets’ nest by banning a Christian church from holding Sunday prayers at an amphitheater they have used for 42 years.
Dillon, Colorado has been plunged into the middle of a heated debate over the separation of Church and State, with various groups, religious and otherwise, now tearing at each other over the venue.
“Town officials in Dillon blocked all non-town sponsored groups from using the space – including Dillon Community Church which had held events there for 42 years – after being inundated with rental requests,” the Daily Mail reported.
“The decision has catapulted the 1,000-person town to the center of a debate over worship in public facilities,” the outlet added. “Pressure groups on both sides are threatening lawsuits, with some demanding the church be given special dispensation to gather, while others slam the preferential access as ‘Christian privilege.’”
(Video Credit: CBS Colorado)
In an interview with the Denver Post, Town Manager Nathan Johnson stated, “There needs to be a separation of church and state. We cannot favor one denomination over another.”
The subject was apparently never an issue before and now the town is torn apart over something that was commonplace for decades.
“The amphitheater was built in 1993 and renovated to become a top-of-the-range venue in 2018, with views over the water to the mountains beyond,” the Daily Mail noted.
“Dillon Community Church has hosted their worship events there for decades, paying an annual $1,100 rental fee and drawing in over 300 people a week,” according to the media outlet.
Earlier this year, other groups started wanting to use the space, including Native American tribes and a synagogue. Because of the beauty of the lake, people clamored to book the venue.
“Christian privilege” in Colorado mountain town’s amphitheater fuels church-and-state storm https://t.co/ZUsz599ZhX
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) June 23, 2024
Johnson asserted that the council could not accept everyone’s request. They were forced to put some groups on “hold.”
“Now with the popularity of the venue, we have more and more people reaching out. Everybody wants to be down there,” he said not explaining why after 42 years the venue suddenly became so popular.
However, he did take time to bash the church, saying that “an expectation has been set” by allowing the Christian congregation to use the space.
“We haven’t told anyone ‘no’ – at least that I’m aware of,” Johnson commented. “We want to have clear and definitive direction from the town council on what is allowed and not allowed in this setting. If we are going to open up the amphitheater, we have to open it up for everybody.”
On June 11, the city council voted 5 to 1 to allow the church special access to the site. There was a great deal of backlash after the vote with those against the church screaming about “Christian privilege.” The contract attorney for the city, Kathleen Kelly, resigned over the decision and the council quickly backtracked over the vote.
It feels like this is going to end up costing this town’s taxpayers a LOT of money at some point.
— Burl Falconcrest, Esq., The True King of Iowa (@RyanLankford) June 17, 2024
Now all third parties are banned temporarily while the council decides on a policy that will keep them from being sued into oblivion.
Former council member Tim Westerberg hammered the council over it, “They don’t seem to care about what the Constitution says. It’s just damn the torpedoes full speed away, bulldoze ahead our agenda.”
Some of the church members reportedly support allowing all religious groups to have access to the venue.
Church representative Wendy Myers has a different take on the issue, “Dillon Community Church should be grandfathered into whatever contract. They’ve been here for over 40 years. It attracts an incredible number of our visitors who come to the county every single summer and love coming to church.”
Agree but leftists hate Christianity….it’s the only religion they routinely attack.
— judy morris (@judymorris3) June 24, 2024
“Madeline Ziegler, staff attorney for the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, told The Post that if town officials have excluded any religious groups, members of that group could file a civil rights lawsuit,” the Daily Mail reported.
“She said the town’s historic preferential treatment had sent ‘a signal to the town residents that their government prefers Christianity and that Christians will be treated better than other people in this town,” the outlet wrote. “That’s not a message that the people’s representatives should be allowed to send.”
But banning the church has legal ramifications as well. Lea Patterson from the Texas-based First Liberty Institute is advising the council to allow the church to continue prayers at the venue or risk being sued.
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Author: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
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