In case you aren't aware of the controversy, Apple continues to reject the Manhattan Declaration's request for an iPhone "application." This despite the fact that Apple originally approved the Manhattan Declaration app and gave it a “4+” rating.So what happened? Homosexual activists jumped in and pressured Apple to drop the app because the Manhattan Declaration outlines the Bible's position on three major social/political issues of the day: the sanctity of life, the meaning of marriage, and the nature of religious liberty.
Here are a couple of Chuck Colson's BreakPoint commentaries (1, 2, 3) which confront the matter with cool wisdom. And I'd love to send you over to the Manhattan Declaration site itself but -- for some strange and suspicious reason -- I cannot link to the site though I've been trying for a long time.
Hmmm.
Anyhow, whatever games the search engines or hackers are playing with the MD site, you can read through the following letter from Colson et al asking for help in persuading Apple to do the just thing here.
Shockingly Apple has turned us down again, and we need you to act at once. Please call (408-996-1010) or email Steve Jobs (sjobs@apple.com) at Apple today and tell him of your displeasure.
As you know, on December 8 we re-filed the Manhattan Declaration iPhone app with nothing except the Declaration and the opportunity to sign showing support.
Apple rejected the app, saying in a letter on December 22 that the app contains "references or commentary about a religious, cultural or ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected. We have evaluated the content of this application and consider its contents to be objectionable and potentially harmful to others."
What this means is that the teachings of the Bible itself are offensive, even dangerous.
That's why we need you to sign the petition for app reinstatement at ManhattanDeclaration.org and email or call Apple. We have to persevere until Apple relents. If we don't, it will mean that merely citing Scripture on some key moral issues is grounds for removal of apps and the limitation of speech entailed by that. This app is no more objectionable than any other app that includes the Bible or the Quran, or other religious texts that speak to moral issues. The result of this decision will be chilling to all faith groups.
Apple may be banking on the fact that people have short memories; that this issue will just go away after a few days. Your job and ours is to make sure this doesn't happen.
Please continue to show your support by contacting Apple, signing the petition to have the app re-instated (which now has over 47,000 signatures), and encouraging those who have not signed the Manhattan Declaration to do so.
Thank you for your support at this important time,
Chuck Colson
Robert George
Timothy George
