Signs, shirts, and raised voices made one thing clear: the crowd believed Lincoln County Christians need to stand up against the American Civil Liberties Union.

     “Tell them at West Lincoln, pray,” said the Rev. Paul Jabour Friday evening to a crowd gathered on the steps of the Lincoln County-Brookhaven Government Complex. “We best not tell people to back down.”

     The crowd, many of them associated with the Church at Brookhaven and the Brookhaven Tea Party, gathered Friday evening to protest the recent actions of the Mississippi ACLU, which has demanded school-sponsored prayers at West Lincoln Attendance Center cease.

     The speakers addressing the crowd lent their support to West Lincoln and loudly decried what they called the “anti-Christian” stance of the ACLU.

     Speakers and spectators emphasized what they see as the distinctly Christian roots of America. Quotations from Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and The Declaration of Independence were read.

     “This country was founded on the Christian religion,” said state television and radio personality Paul Ott.

     Another theme emerged: the necessity for Christians everywhere, including those employed at West Lincoln Attendance Center, to defy the demands of the ACLU even if those demands are backed by the force of law.

     “You tell the teachers not to back down,” Jabour said to the crowd, some of them wearing shirts from Enterprise, some from BHS.

     Jabour denounced what he called the false idea that Christians must “obey the laws of the land.” Jabour said all government is granted its authority by God, but only so that “the evil” will be punished.

     However, Jabour believes judges, “men in black,” as he calls them, have twisted the words of the U.S. Constitution and the legal statutes subsequently formed now punish the good instead of the evil.

     He believes it’s the role of Christians to speak against this distortion.

     “If they’re doing wrong, call them down,” he said, speaking of those in government.

     Speaking of federal laws against coercive religious practices by governments, Jabour said Christians “can’t pretend to be atheists just because we walk into a public school.”

     Jabour and Ott described the purpose of the rally as encouraging Christians to defy the prevailing laws barring prayer by government employees.

     Ott said Christians shouldn’t fear the consequences.

     “They’ve thrown a Paul in jail before,” Ott said laughing at the fact that he and Jabour both share a name with the New Testament’s Apostle Paul.

     Others invoked the example of biblical figures that were persecuted or jailed for defying rulers. Kendall Boutwell, who was an active supporter of Proposition 26, the “Personhood amendment,” said Christians should be the like the biblical Daniel, who defied laws against prayer and was punished.

     Ott affirmed that he wants to see teachers continue praying at West Lincoln and said he doesn’t know why the ACLU has singled out West Lincoln.

     “They’re praying everywhere,” Ott said.