Letter: Religious Liberty and Christian Nationalism

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To the Editor:

For those of you who were able to stand with us on Jan. 6, in witness against the rising tide of Christian Nationalism (Christianity as the one state religion) and in favor of freedom of religion and voting rights for all, we extend a huge thank you for doing so.

The threats are real. The danger to religious freedom is growing.

At a Texas rally, Michael Flynn, a Trump ally, vigorously advocated: "If we are going to have one nation under God, which we must, we have to have one religion, one nation under God, and one religion under God."

Speakers like Byron Fox, an evangelist touring with an organization called Faith Wins, sees the church as a battleship, that Christians are the persecuted ones, instilling fear of the Bible being outlawed, urging all Christians to be soldiers for Christ.

Other speakers at national conferences and rallies are adherents of the Seven Mountains Dominionism, an ideology that calls explicitly for the domination of government and education by Christians.



So let us all encourage our friends, family, and congregations of any and all religions to be very aware, and continue to speak up and speak out on this rising threat to religious liberty.

For further information or to get involved, email us at: deaconFCC@gmail.com.
 

Signed: First Congregational Church Williamstown, Committee for Religious Liberty

Betsy Burris
Adrian Dunn
Sherwood Guernsey
David Langston
Bridget Spann


 

 

 

 

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Theaters Respond to Changing Customer Tastes, Studio Requirements

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
This is the last of three articles in a series on the evolution and current status of movie theaters in Berkshire County. Read Part I here; and Part 2 here.
 
Operating a movie theater of any size is a complex mix of art and business. It is not as simple as booking a film, opening the doors and selling tickets. It involves complex strategies.
 
Local theaters also have to adapt to constantly-changing conditions and trends in the film and theater industry. This requires balancing the often-convoluted requirements of movie studios and distributors with the preferences and tastes of local audiences.
 
Berkshire County is unusual in an era that is dominated by immense theater chains.
 
Following the closing of the Regal multiplex in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough in 2022 and the closing of the North Adams Movieplex, in 2023, there are now three remaining theaters.
 
Two of those — Images Cinema in Williamstown and the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington — are operated by community-based non-profit organizations.
 
While the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield is a for-profit multiplex owned by the Phoenix Theaters, chain, it is a relatively small company compared to major chains. Under its founder and President Cory Jacobson, Phoenix operates as a midsized independent business. It has 10 theaters in the Midwest, Tennessee and Massachusetts. By comparison, AMC Entertainment owns 855 theaters worldwide, and Cinemark operates 500 theaters.
 
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