The York Dispatch
has an editorial on the aftermath of the Dover trial and how it has affected the plaintiffs in the case. In short: not well. First they remind us of the words of John Jones III at the trial:
"The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for (intelligent design). It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy."
Despite this, as the editorial outlines, Bryan and Christy Rehm have been the target of veiled attacks and have been ostracized:
The Rehms, whose days in Dover Township are numbered, recently told The York Dispatch that they've had enough of the negativity that has followed them since the trial. They're moving.
"It just never goes away," Christy Rehm said. "We have proof it never goes away. We still feel it. We have neighbors that aren't so friendly with us."
Religious literature regularly fills their mailbox, and people call them "heathens" behind their backs, they said.
"We've given so much time, effort and energy to this district," Christy said. "A lot of people — a lot of our friends — have walked away, and we're still here. People just don't stay here."
What a rotten Christian witness from people who don't seem to know better but should. I am sure there are quite a few people who didn't treat them this way, but the stench remains. This is one reason (out of many) that I am almost done with modern evangelical Christianity. Not Christianity, just the way people in the modern evangelical movement practice it. I have a friend who went that route (not for the same reasons) a few years ago and converted to Orthodoxy. That is looking better and better.
