NPR: No religion with your stamps

No religion with your stamps

This story sort of sneaked into the news, then out again last week, but I wanted to bring it back because of the church-state issues it raises.

Last week in Hartford, Conn., U.S. District Judge Dominic J. Squatrito ruled that God and stamps do not mix in a case that involved a church-run post office. Squatrito also told the Postal Service that the 5,200 facilities run by contractors "cannot promote religion through pamphlets, displays or any other materials." And he wants the Postal Service to monitor these contractors to make sure they play by the rules.

The Associated Press reports that the suit was originally brought by Bertram Cooper, a Jewish Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War. In 2003, he sued the Postal Service and the Full Gospel Interdenominational Church, which operates the Sincerely Yours Inc. post office on Main Street in downtown Manchester.

As the Hartford Courant reports:

The religious displays "put the church's beliefs front and center, out for the public to see, endorsing the church's form of Christianity and seeking outsiders to join the church in its mission," U.S. District Court Judge Dominic J. Squatrito wrote in a decision handed down last week. The displays "violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment," [he] wrote.

Squatrito said there was nothing wrong with the store exhibiting religious displays -- but that it can't do that while it is carrying out its duties under contract with the Postal Service. While the Postal Service deal allows contractors to conduct their own businesses along with postal offerings, they have to be clearly separated from each other. Squatrito said the two were too intertwined at Sincerely Yours.

The Postal Service has argued that it was obvious from signs in Sincerely Yours that the store wasn't an official post office and that no postal employees worked there, so the church running the store wasn't doing anything wrong. Officials at the Postal Service and with the church said they are considering an appeal.

Hmm. I talked with some reporters who cover church-state issues and they tell me that this will be a tough one for the Postal Service to win. That could mean a bit of an upheaval for those 5,200 contractors, depending on how closely they mash up their stamps with their regular businesses. We'll keep an eye on this one to see where it goes.

10:43 AM ET | 05- 3-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

It is real simple. The church in question is a known cult church in Manchester, CT. Untold hundreds have left the church with stories of their cult activities. This is a fair ruling by the judge and one that hopefully will expose this "church" for what it is. A fraud.

Sent by Jack Poirier | 12:34 AM ET | 03-11-2008

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