Religion & Law

?Christmas controversy settled my way?

Posted on December 14, 2009
Zanesville Times-Recorder: "It's that time of year again. Cookies are baking, trees are being decorated, and presents are chosen carefully. That's right. It's ready to rumble time; the ACLU vs. the ADF . . . The American Civil Liberties Union is not only facing the Alliance Defense Fund but also the American Family Alliance and a huge grassroots effort to take back Christmas...

Muslim scholar publishes anti-Christian Book in Egypt

Posted on December 14, 2009
EuropeNews: "Christian[s] in Egypt are up in arms this week over a controversial book issued as a free supplement with this month's Al-Azhar magazine, describing Christianity as a Religion of "idolatry" and claiming that the Holy Bible is a misquotation of the original one...

Home-Schooling: Socialization not a problem

Posted on December 14, 2009
Michael Smith writes at the Washington Times: "Until recently, 'Homeschooling Grows Up' was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled 'Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults' from the Canadian Centre for Home Education...

New Study Strongly Links Child Porn Use and Child Abuse

Posted on December 14, 2009
"A recent study performed by psychologists among inmates of the Bureau of Prisons suggests a strong link between the use of child pornography and child abuse."

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The Re-Birth of Population Control: Human Life Seen as a Carbon Problem

Posted on December 14, 2009
Zenit: "The Copenhagen climate summit has brought with it an outpouring of opinions on environmental issues. Among these is a disturbing return to the Malthusian position of seeing population control as the solution to the world's problems."

?Islam Is a Dangerous Religion,? Most American Pastors Say

Posted on December 14, 2009
Christian Post: "Two-thirds of Protestant pastors believe Islam is a dangerous religion, according to survey results just released by LifeWay Research . . . Additionally, a study by the Pew Research Center found that 38 percent of all Americans say Islam is more likely to encourage violence than other religions...

Salt Lake County to consider ?anti-bias? proposals

Posted on December 14, 2009
Deseret News: "The Salt Lake County Council on Tuesday will consider a pair of statutes that offer protections against discrimination based on sexual preference and gender identity in the areas of housing and employment."

Pro-Abortion Republican Group Backs Candidates in Delaware, New Hampshire

Posted on December 14, 2009
LifeNews: "In a Monday filing with the FEC, according to Congressional Quarterly, the group gave $5,000 to Rep. Michael Castle, a Delaware congressman."

Custody Battle Between Lesbian-Turned-Christian, Ex-Partner Reaches Va. Appeals Court

Posted on December 14, 2009
Christian Post: "The Virginia Court of Appeals heard oral arguments this past week on the issue of whether Virginia must enforce a custody order and visitation order arising from a dissolved Vermont same-sex civil union."

Study shows pot more popular among teenagers

Posted on December 14, 2009
Boston Globe (AP): "According to the study [University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse] of 47,097 students, among this year's 12th graders, 20.6 percent said they used it within the past month, compared with 19.4 percent in 2008 and 18...

NJ Abortion Clinic Pays $1.9 Million for Botched Abortion

Posted on December 14, 2009
Christian Newswire: "A troubled New Jersey abortion clinic affiliated with the National Abortion Federation (NAF) has paid out $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by a Rasheedah Dinkins, who suffered a horrifically botched second trimester abortion in 2007...

Mass. Eases Rules on Public Comment by Judges

Posted on December 14, 2009
Legal Blog Watch: "Last week, the SJC concluded its deliberations and announced that it had approved a new judicial conduct rule that slightly eases restrictions on state court judges' ability to explain their decisions to the public. Although the SJC did not adopt the more liberal rule changes recommended by the committee, it nevertheless clarified that judges may issue supplemental memoranda to explain their decisions without violating judicial ethics...

?D.C. Gay Marriage Bill Expected To Pass Council Vote?

Posted on December 14, 2009
NPR (Audio available): "David Catania, the openly gay councilman who drafted the bill, says he has been waiting for this day for a long time. 'After a year of planning and working and strategizing and organizing and cajoling and discussing it, I can finally see that the end is in sight,' Catania says...

China: ?More than 3,000 detained in porn crackdown?

Posted on December 14, 2009
Reuters: "Chinese police have detained some 3,470 people so far this year during a crackdown on online pornography and closed thousands of pornographic websites, state media said on Saturday."

David French: Responding to Professor Eugene Volokh (the sequel: CLS v. Martinez)

Posted on December 14, 2009
"What conceivable state interest exists in requiring open membership by expressive organizations?"

?Gay Marriage?s Big Problem?

Posted on December 14, 2009
Peggy Drexler writes at the Huffington Post: "While we ponder timing, demographics, politics and other issues, we will have to remember that any strategy must also embrace the intractable reality of a sizable group of voting Americans who believe fervently in individual rights, but have "a problem with the whole (pause to find the acceptable words) 'gay thing...

Houston elects ?openly gay? mayor in low turnout election

Posted on December 13, 2009
My Way (AP): "[Annise] Parker defeated former city attorney Gene Locke with 53.6 percent of the vote Saturday in a race that had a turnout of only 16.5 percent."

Iranian hard-liners hold pro-government rallies

Posted on December 11, 2009
Bostone Globe (AP): "The demonstrations marked the first response by Iran's clerical leadership and its supporters to the taboo-shattering actions of their opponents on Monday, when tens of thousands of students protested at universities around Iran."

Joe Infranco on Point of View of Radio: 9th Circuit Arguments in the Mt. Soledad Cross Case

Posted on December 11, 2009
ADF attorney Joe Infranco appeared on Point of View Radio with Kerby Anderson to discuss recent oral arguments at the 9th Circuit in the Mt. Soledad Cross case. The MP3 runs over 8 minutes. Related ADF Media Information Page Veterans Memorials Project: ADF, Liberty Legal Institute, American Legion SaveOurMemorials...

Iraqi-American Christians blast U.S. policies in Iraq

Posted on December 11, 2009
Detroit Free Press: "Upset and frustrated, about 300 metro Detroiters with roots in Iraq, most of them Chaldeans, gathered Thursday night in a banquet hall in Warren where Michael Corbin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, spoke to the crowd...

NC Constitution: No God, no city council seat

Posted on December 11, 2009
Boston Globe (AP): "Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell believes in ending the death penalty, conserving water and reforming government -- but he doesn't believe in God. His political opponents say that's a sin that makes him unworthy of serving in office, and they've got the North Carolina Constitution on their side...

The Guide to Live-Blogging and Tweeting From Court

Posted on December 11, 2009
Legal Blog Watch reports: "On its blog, the CMLP [Citizens Media Law Project] announced yesterday that it has created and will now be maintaining a guide to live-blogging and tweeting from court."

Christianity in Europe: A part of or apart from culture?

Posted on December 11, 2009
Christian Science Monitor: "It's impossible to understand European history without reference to religion. But it's less and less difficult to understand contemporary European society in purely secular terms. Two recent controversial political and legal decisions about the Christian cross and the Muslim minaret in Europe illustrate an increasing disconnect between religion and culture...

Lesbian Nominee, Feldblum, approved by Senate committee despite outcry

Posted on December 11, 2009
'Chai Feldblum is absolutely dedicated to granting rights for engaging in non-heterosexual, non-monogamous sex that would be superior to religious freedom,' Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America (CWA) told CNA."

Slovak parliament objects to European court ruling on religious symbols

Posted on December 11, 2009
The Slovak Spectator: "A ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the placing of Christian crosses in Italian schools is in conflict with Europe?s cultural heritage and its Christian history, according to a declaration published by the Slovak Parliament on December 10, the TASR newswire reported...

Six figure explosion causes average Federal salaries to soar past the private sector

Posted on December 11, 2009
USA Today: "The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data . . . The growth in six-figure salaries has pushed the average federal worker's pay to $71,206, compared with $40,331 in the private sector...

The Theory of Moral Sentiments: Adam Smith?s Timely and Timeless Classic

Posted on December 11, 2009
Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson writes at Grove City College Center for Vision and Values: "2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith?s masterful treatise on ethics, ?The Theory of Moral Sentiments.? . . . The genius of 'Moral Sentiments' lies in its clear, thorough explanation of the necessary preconditions for social harmony...

Washington Times: ?Cruising gay bars with the safe schools czar: The double standards pile up on Obama education official?

Posted on December 11, 2009
Washington Times Editorial: "The new whoops is a safe-sex guide distributed in a Massachusetts high school in 2005. Included in the book are the addresses and phone numbers of Boston-area gay bars to make it easier for teens to find the businesses that cater to homosexual men over the age of 21...

Raunchy Christmas Plays Abound

Posted on December 11, 2009
Catholic League: "For whatever reason, there are more raunchy Christmas plays this year than ever before. Not surprisingly, many are gay-themed, most are confined to the east and west coasts, and all are loved by art critics. The plays run the gamut from the irreverent to the vulgar...

Volokh replies to French: Christian Legal Society v. Martinez and the Court?s University Speech Decisions

Posted on December 11, 2009
Law Professor Eugene Volokh has written this response to ADF attorney David French. It concludes: "So whether the matter arises as to funding or room access at public universities, or funding or room access in other government-owned institutions, the result is the same: The First Amendment doesn?t stop the government from making such benefits available only to groups that don?t discriminate based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and the like...

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