Several Christians launched recently a petition protesting Apple’s decision to remove an iPhone app from its store because it expresses the Christian stand on homosexuality and abortion.
The app in question, The Manhattan Declaration, enables Apple users to append their name to an ecumenical document that expresses support for the sanctity of life, religious liberty and traditional marriage, The Christian Post said.
Prior to its removal, over 478,000 people signed their names to support the Manhattan Declaration, CBN News said. However, the app was removed after some 7,700 members of Change.org asked that it be taken out.
The liberal organization, in an email that they sent to Apple, said the app contained “hateful and divisive language.” Apple, in compliance, took the Declaration out in late November during Thanksgiving, the Baptist Press said.
The Manhattan Declaration, penned by Chuck Colson, Timothy George and Robert George in 2009, is one of over 200,000 software programs in the app store. The 4,700 word statement was signed by 150 evangelical, Southern Baptist, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders, Baptist Press said.
The Declaration says, “[W]e will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act, nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s,” Baptist Press reported.
The Baptist Press noted that some beliefs in the Declaration are discussed on the floors of some legislatures, and dozens if not hundreds of apps use the word “gay” including “gay travel” and “gay news.”
Concern was expressed that although only owners of iPhones and iPads are affected for now, other Christian apps in the iTunes store may be similarly removed in the future, Baptist Press said.
Petition
A petition asking Apple to reinstate the Manhattan Declaration app has been signed by over 35,000 people. The petition states that the Manhattan Declaration, “in a civil, reasoned, and respectful way, promotes the sanctity of every human life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom,” the Baptist Press said.
Colson noted that when the app was first released in October it got a 4+ rating by Apple, which is the rate required to ensure that there is no objectionable material, The Christian Post said.
In a statement on its website Apple said, “We removed the Manhattan Declaration app from the App Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people,” CBN News reported.
However the Christian petition notes, “Despite the claims of some, the Manhattan Declaration does not promote hate or homophobia. It is not anti-gay. Rather, it proclaims that all human beings are loved by God and are worthy of respect. Civil discourse is a hallmark of a civilized and free society. Disagreement is not hate,” the Baptist Press reported.
