The Thomas More Law Center is a not-for-profit public interest law firm dedicated to the defense and promotion of the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life. Our purpose is to be the sword and shield for people of faith, providing legal representation without charge to defend and protect Christians and their religious beliefs in the public square.

I was disturbed by this on so many levels: that they think religious freedom is only a right of Christians, that they want to actively promote their version of Christianity in the public square, and their overtly militaristic rhetoric.

On top of defending victimized fire fighters, the Thomas More Law Center defended Dover County PA's intelligent design curriculum in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District and sued the State of Michigan to stop funding equal employment benefits for gay couples. Even more appallingly, they are currently defending Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, commanding Marine Battalion officer charged with the murder of 24 Iraqi civilians (including children) in Haditha. They also have been involved in dozens of symbolic cases involving publicly sponsored displays of crosses, the Ten Commandments, and prayer.

This gay firefighter case is symbolic (along with Terri Schiavo and religious symbols). It is meant to distract those who believe in the separation of church and state, those who prefer our democracy, however imperfect it is, to a fundamentalist theocracy.

For every symbolic case Thomas More brings, they are involved with cases that have real substantive effects on the separation of church and state like Dover County. Those who support the separation of church and state should not be fooled by the distraction tactics of Thomas More and other theocrats.