Celebrating Easter, Religious Liberty

The entire team at Texas Values would like to wish you and your family a very Happy Easter this weekend. As a Christian organization that is dedicated to helping ensure biblical values are upheld in our culture, it is very important that we take the time to celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We reflect on Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

His sacrifice on the cross enables us to receive the forgiveness and grace we need and gives us the hope to persevere and keep fighting the good fight. We thank God we live in a state where we can still worship freely, realizing the duty we have to ensure that these freedoms are passed on. Thank you for your support of Texas Values that enables us to continually work to protect our religious liberty and the values that matter to Texans.

Good Friday School Alert:

It has come to our attention that some school districts in the DFW area are making tomorrow, Good Friday, an official makeup day for a previous bad weather day. Further, we have been informed about concerns regarding how one school district is handling this issue, specifically requesting “documentation of participation” of how a student chooses to exercise their holy day observance, if a student seeks to be “excused.” Good Friday is a holy day for Christians and the Texas Education Code requires that schools provide an “excused” absence for students that observe a religious holy day. Texas law does not say that a child has to attend a specific religious event. We are concerned that Good Friday would be chosen as a “make up” day to begin with, but we are even more concerned that students and families may be punished for exercising their First Amendment rights because school districts refuse to follow state law. Get all the details.

Texas A&M University will host a graduation event this year for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender graduates.  According to reports, the “Lavender Graduation Celebration” event is being organized by the Texas A&M LGBT Resource Center. The special celebration, reportedly being funded through student fees, is being headlined by transgender judge Phyllis Frye and will see attendees receive rainbow-colored tassels. In an interview with Campus Reform, some students have expressed concern about the celebration and being forced to help pay for it: “Texas A&M should not be using mandatory student fees to support a GLBT Resource Center, which is used to push a one-sided sexual worldview. This Lavender Graduation is one such example of Texas A&M using student money for political activism.”

Texas Values president Jonathan Saenz spoke with One News Now and expressed concern about the message this event sends to students and university supporters: “This special Texas A&M ceremony essentially promotes and celebrates dangerous and risky sexual activity that can seriously jeopardize a person’s well-being. I’m not sure this is the most responsible way for a university to prepare students for the real world.” Read more.

Registered to Vote for Runoff?

Texas’ Republican Primary Runoff Election is a little over a month away on May 27. The election will see several high-profile state races, including races for Lt. Governor and Attorney General. If you are not registered to vote, the last day to register to vote for the runoff is April 28. You can start the voter registration process on the Texas Values Action Voters Guide site by clicking “Register to Vote.” You can also check to see if your friends and family are registered and then invite them to register by clicking “Search for a Voter.” Visit the site.

Does family still matter in today’s society? On May 6, Focus on the Family will be presenting a new documentary seeking to answer this question. The film will explore why we all yearn to be a part of a family and the causes for family breakdown that are so prevalent in society today. This one-night event will be in theaters nationwide and would be a great event for churches and bible study groups. Get more details at www.irreplaceablethemovie.com.