This is the Jubilee Market in Chicago (pics courtesy of Rob Sherman):
(You can see the fine print on that second pic — “Serving You with the Care of Christ” and “Believe in Jesus Christ and Be Saved… Acts 16:31”)
If you look at other pics of the place, it only gets more Jesufied. Not surprising since it is basically a Christian convenience store.
Jubilee Market is going to receive $1,000,000 in taxpayer money “for costs associated with capital improvements” unless someone puts a stop to it.
Sherman, an atheist activist, called the owner of the building, Reverend Walter McCray (who runs Black Light Fellowship). Sherman had to call McCray because he wasn’t in his own store… because it seems to be non-functional.
Here’s how their conversation went down:
Sherman: Is the store open?
McCray: I am there occasionally.
Sherman: But is the store operating?
McCray: I ran out of money to operate the store due to the economic downturn.
Sherman: What are you going to do with the million dollars?
McCray: My people said that I’m not allowed to talk about that.
Sherman: Well, are you going to build a new place with the money or re-open here, and if you are going to build new, where are you going to build?
McCray: I’m not allowed to say.
Sherman: Who is the legislator who sponsored the line item to give you the million dollars?
McCray: I’m not allowed to talk about that, either.
Sherman: Is this store an extension of your Christian ministry?
McCray: I’m a reverend. Everything that I do is an extension of my Christian ministry.
Sherman: Thank you for your time, Reverend McCray.
McCray: Is this going to be in the newspaper?
Sherman: It’s going to be in Godless in Chicago, which is an on-line blog that can be read at Chicago Now dot com.
Again, I don’t know why there isn’t a bigger outcry in my state about this capital bill that is giving millions to tax-exempt religious organizations.
Sherman writes:
This million dollar grant to a private Christian ministry grocery store is one of the line items in the Capital Bill that I will be challenging when I file suit, most likely next week, to stop hundreds of donations of your tax dollars to politically connected houses of worship, parochial schools and religious ministries. The grant to Jubilee Market will be challenged on the grounds that it violates the Illinois Constitution’s prohibition against requiring any person to support a ministry against his consent, the prohibition against the State showing a preference to any religious denomination, and the requirement that public funds be used for public purposes.
Good luck and Godspeed, Rob.
(via Godless in Chicago)
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."
It’s Moving Day for the Friendly ..."