By Christy Barritt

Complaint Filed over Restaurant’s Church Bulletin Discount

A Pennsylvania man filed a complaint against a local restaurant that offers a 10 percent discount for customers who bring a church bulletin with them on Sundays.

John Wolff, an atheist, argued that the discount is discriminatory since he doesn’t attend church.

He filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen of Columbia. The co-owner of the restaurant, Sharon Prudhomme, told Lancaster Online that when she first found out about the complaint, she thought it was a prank.

“I felt strongly, I still feel strongly, that there is nothing wrong with the discount,” said Prudhomme.

Prudhomme also said that she talked with ministers in the area who agreed that anyone could come by their churches and grab a bulletin without attending services.

Prudhomme has 30 days from when the complaint was filed to issue a written response to the Human Relations Commission.

Jesus Popsicles

A New York City man has created “Christian Popsicles,” which he claims are made out of frozen holy wine transformed into the blood of Christ. Instead of the normal popsicle stick beneath the frozen treat, there is a crucifix with the image of Christ on the cross.

Roman Catholics believe that the bread and wine used during Communion are transformed literally into the body and blood of Christ. Sebastian Errazuriz, the creator of the popsicles, said the same thing has happened with his juice creations. 

Errazuriz is a practicing atheist who was raised Catholic. He created the popsicles for an event going on during New York Design Week as a way of taking aim at religious extremism.

Errazuriz said he wants his “Christian Popsicles,” whose sticks will remain stained red by the wine after consumption, to signify the relationship between fanaticism and historic religious violence.

Teens More Likely to Experiment with Drugs, Alcohol in Summer

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released a study that indicates that kids between the ages of 12 and 17 are most likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana for the first time during the summer months.

The study featured 231,500 teens from 2002 to 2012, and it showed that more than 11,000 of them tried alcohol for the first time in June, July, or December. Any other month, only 5,000 to 8,000 tried the substance. The numbers for first-time smokers also peak during the summer months—5,000 compared to 3,000 to 4,000 during the rest of the year. For marijuana, more than 4,500 kids will try it during summer break, compared to 3,000 to 4,000 at other times.

The study found the number one reason for the spike was because the kids were at home alone while the parents worked. 

Utah School District Comes Under Fire for Gay Parenting Book

The Davis School District in Utah recently implemented a new policy that requires parental consent for children to check out a book advocating gay parenting.

The controversy was sparked when a kindergartener checked out In Our Mothers’ House from the school library. Afterward, 25 parents signed a petition asking administrators to take action against this happening again without parental consent. As a result, the district created the new policy. 

The American Civil Liberties Union caught wind of what happened and demanded that the schools allow students to check the book out without parents’ knowledge. The Alliance Defense Fund, however, stepped up to defend the decision. According to the ADF, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that schools are allowed to require parental consent before allowing children to have materials about sexuality. The policy is currently still in place.

Christy Barritt is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and speaker living in Chesapeake, Virginia. She and her husband Scott have two sons. 
www.christybarritt.com