Bible Study Banned From State DES Cafeteria? No Way, Says DES

Contrary to a Tuesday report in the Sonoran Alliance blog, a spokesman with the state Department of Economic Security tells New Times that the agency has never prohibited Bible study in its cafeteria. The conservative blog site called on the Alliance Defense Fund and Governor Jan Brewer to look into the...

By Ray Stern

January 29, 2009

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Contrary to a Tuesday report in the Sonoran Alliance blog, a spokesman with the state Department of Economic Security tells New Times that the agency has never prohibited Bible study in its cafeteria.

The conservative blog site called on the Alliance Defense Fund and Governor Jan Brewer to look into the problem -- but DES spokeswoman Liz Barker-Alvarez says there is no problem to look into. The Sonoran Alliance post claims employees at the cafeteria, located at 1789 West Jefferson Street, were told their Bible study was prohibited even as someone nearby was playing with Tarot cards.

But the post was very light on specifics. Who knows, maybe "Chewie," the post's shy author, made the whole thing up. When the author is anonymous, there's no accountability for bad info.

Not only is Bible study permitted in the cafeteria -- which is open to the public -- but state employees could even hold their study in an unused DES conference room, as long as they were using their free time, says Barker-Alvarez.

Praise Jesus.

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.