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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, November 28, 1979
Page 6
This is what we must stress in and out of court for we must not let the
Attorney General fool, confuse and deceive the ignorant, the unwary, the
trusting, the lazy.
We must use this vehicle--this lawsuit--as another way to fulfill the
Great Commission to convey His announcement with even greater impact to
even more people!
--Stanley R. Rader
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA VS. WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
As you may have already heard, the California Supreme Court has reviewed
our request to grant an expedited hearing on certain legal issues that
have arisen in our case. Justices Bird, Mosk and Newman were in favor
of granting the hearing, but the four other justices voted against it.
The legal procedure does not require the judge to give a reason for his
actions. We only receive a postcard saying "hearing denied."
The court's denial at this time was in spite of 16 church or related
organizations that had requested the court to grant a hearing because
of the importance of the religious issues involved. Therefore, when the
Supreme �ourt refused to grant a hearing they not only refused us, but
they refused the other churches or religious organizations as well--so
the refusal was an affront to all religion.
In my mind, the court's refusal is indicative of the general growing
attitude of the courts and legislature to view religion as a commercial
venture. They view the Church members and the public as any other
consumer of a commercial product. Then certain men in government adopt
the role,through political ambition, paranoia or whatever,as the protector
of this "religious consuming" public. These men would then take upon
themselves to determine what they subjectively in their mind consider to
be "religious wrong." This "religious wrong" they label or translate
into the legal word "fraud."
What is this "fraud"? It has no set meaning. What it encompasses is
only limited by the ingenuity and prejudice of the particular oppressive
bent government official that might be wielding the power of the state at
that time.
This attitude of government, if it continues so as to indicate a defini
tive trend, could have major significant implications of prophetic signifi
cance, especially in light of current world events.
--Ralph K. Helge
FEDERAL COURT HEARING STILL PENDING
The next round of our legal battle with the State of California is coming
up next week in the Federal District Court in Los Angeles. Originally
scheduled for November 26th, the court moved it to a later date yet to
be set--tentatively either December 3 or 4. It involves a hearing con
cerning whether all pretrial discovery proceedings (including Mr. Rader's
deposition) should be ordered stopped until our appeal in the federal
appellate court is heard.
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