Religion & Law

Bangladesh: Muslim Villagers Beat Evangelists In Southeast

Posted on June 02, 2009
PersecutionBlog.com: "Nearly four months after Muslim villagers in this southeastern Bangladesh sub-district furiously beat two evangelists for showing the 'Jesus Film,' one of the Christians is still receiving treatment for nerve damage to his hip."

EU: Churches can?t define membership

Posted on June 02, 2009
Varlden Idag: "Under an anti-discrimination directive passed by the European Union Parliament in April, Christian churches, schools, and social services in Europe cannot limit their membership to those who share their beliefs."

Tenn home school diploma bill becomes law

Posted on June 02, 2009
AP: A proposal to give home school diplomas the same weight as those given by public schools has been signed into law by Gov. Phil Bredesen . . . Read SB0433 at: http://www.capitol.tn.gov

Judge allows public school commencement at church

Posted on June 02, 2009
"A federal judge in Wisconsin has decided to allow a public school district to hold its graduation ceremonies in a church."

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Ralph McInerny: The Marrying Animal

Posted on June 02, 2009
Ralph McInerny writes at First Things: "The divorce of sexual activity from its manifest aim has created a chaos that is all around us. Replacement rates, in the touching phrase, are no longer met by western societies. Irregular unions, contraception, and abortion represent a vast suicidal movement toward extinction...

LeRoy Carhart vows to keep Tiller?s abortion clinic open

Posted on June 02, 2009
McClatchy: "But the clinic will resume normal operations next Monday, said LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska physician who has been coming to Tiller's clinic on a rotating basis for more than 10 years now."

Oregon inmate sues over involuntary exposure to religion

Posted on June 02, 2009
Ohmygov: ason Dwain Davies, 32, a prison inmate from Eugene, Oregon, has filed a federal lawsuit from his cell, claiming that his civil rights were violated by Lane County parole offers who tried to require him to live at the Eugene Mission, a ?fundamentally religious facility? after his October 2006 release from prison.

Australia: Queensland woman carrying child for single gay brother

Posted on June 02, 2009
Mark Schliebs reports in the Courier Mail: "A Queensland woman is due to give birth to a child for her gay brother after impregnating herself with donor sperm from a third party - an act that is illegal here."

?Gay-rights group wants to name petition signers?

Posted on June 02, 2009
Mark Rahner reports in the Seattle Times: "[M]embers of Washington-based WhoSigned.org plan to shine a light on those who sign petitions for Referendum 71, an attempt by religious and conservative groups to overturn the state's 2009 Domestic Partner Expansion Bill...

?Clinton vows to fight for gay rights abroad?

Posted on June 02, 2009
AFP: "US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed Monday to fight for gay rights, calling for all nations to stop violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation . . . 'The example set by those fighting for equal rights in the United States gives hope to men and women around the world who yearn for a better future for themselves and their loved ones,' said Clinton, a former senator from New York...

Study: 70,000 youths in Sweden fear forced marriages

Posted on June 02, 2009
The Local reports: "Nearly 70,000 young Swedes feel they aren?t able to freely choose whom they want to marry, according to a new study, leading the report?s authors to propose Sweden outlaw forced arranged marriages altogether."

UK: House of Lords to consider assisted suicide law

Posted on June 02, 2009
OnMedica reports: "The House of Lords will today start a two-day hearing to consider the law on assisted suicide . . . The two-day hearing represents Ms Purdy's last chance in the UK legal system. If she loses the case, her final option would be to go to the European Court of Human Rights...

UK: Top Surgeon tells court that junior doctors are ?cavalier? over abortions

Posted on June 02, 2009
ccfon reports: "Professor Stuart Campbell has fiercely attacked the Department of Health?s suppression of abortion statistics in a court hearing closing today, Tuesday, 2 June 2009. The Department is fighting attempts by the Information Commissioner and the Pro-Life Alliance to get resumed publication of the data...

Homosexual group pushes agenda at ?straight? bars

Posted on June 02, 2009
Lauren Bishop reports at Cincinnati.com: "Inspired by other Guerrilla Queer Bars in such cities as San Francisco, Boston and Detroit, the goal is to gather a large group of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender and say, 'Let?s go to a space where we?re usually marginalized and be in the center for a night,' says organizer Ethan Philbrick, 23, of Over-the-Rhine...

?GLBT activists? oppose minister?s nomination to Chicago City Council

Posted on June 02, 2009
Laura Washington reports in the Chicago Sun-Times: "De Jesus, an influential evangelical minister with 4,000 church members, has taken stands and uttered words that infuriate many in the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community."

Teen ?sexting? is on the rise among teens - and younger

Posted on June 02, 2009
Jackie Burrell reports in the Contra Costa Times: "Teens have been posting scantily clad images of themselves online since the early days of MySpace. Now they've been joined by their middle school and even elementary school colleagues. And the proliferation of cell phone cameras in the past several years has given even the younger crowd the opportunity to snap those pictures anytime and anywhere, and send them not just to that special someone, but to, well, everyone...

Global child porn arrests

Posted on June 02, 2009
The Cairns Post: "A Yungaburra man has been charged with 15 other Australians as part of a worldwide investigation into downloads of an 18-minute child rape movie. The arrest of the 28-year-old Far Northern man comes as a result of an Australian Federal Police investigation, codenamed Operation Furious...

Danish study: ?Mental illness less likely for lesbians? kids?

Posted on June 02, 2009
The Copenhagen Post: "The study found that while five percent of children from traditional families developed conditions such as depression or anorexia between 1992 and 2008, the number was two percent among the 387 children of lesbian parents participating in the study...

The State of Free Speech on Campus: Stanford University

Posted on June 02, 2009
FIRE reports: The policy acknowledges that its definition of 'sites may include unmoderated forums containing the personal opinions and other expressions of the persons who post entries on a wide range of topics.' Users of any of the above resources must agree, among other things, not to post 'statements that are bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive...

Report: NH gov. approves of religion clause added to marriage redefinition bill

Posted on June 01, 2009
Kevin Smith, executive director of Cornerstone Policy Research, said the changes still did not protect individuals . . . ?This is just more window dressing. It?s the latest attempt to try to give the governor more cover for having flip-flopped on gay marriage,? Smith said.

?Activists see window closing for gays in the military?

Posted on June 01, 2009
The Hill: "Gay-rights activists are pressing the White House to align Pentagon leaders with President Obama?s goal to repeal a controversial ban on gays serving openly in the military . . . Supporters of the repeal in recent days have pointed out that Obama?s senior military team has not been in line with the president?s decision to overturn the policy known as Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell...

School Choice Is the New Civil Rights Struggle

Posted on June 01, 2009
Wall Street Journal: "Today this black Democrat says the new civil-rights struggle is about the quality of instruction in public schools, and that to receive a decent education African-Americans need school choice. He wants the president's help. 'We need choice like Obama has...

Teens: Oral Sex and Casual Prostitution No Biggie

Posted on June 01, 2009
ABC: "After four years researching for the documentary, Azam told 'Good Morning America' that oral sex is as common as kissing for teens and that casual prostitution -- being paid at parties to strip, give sexual favors or have sex -- is far more commonplace than once believed...

Bill O?Reilly: The Birds, the Bees, and the Cell Phones

Posted on June 01, 2009
Bill O'Reilly writes at Townhall: "A published study last December claims that 20 percent of American children had participated in some form of 'sexting,' including the extreme act of kids actually photographing themselves having sex. But instead of outrage, the reaction has been largely muted, and in some cases adults are even excusing it...

Planned Parenthood actively promoting ?LGBT Awareness Month?

Posted on June 01, 2009
Planned Parenthood is actively promoting “LGBT Awareness Month” on its website. Visit Site »

Catholic Governor wants to fund Planned Parenthood, grant same-sex couples benefits

Posted on June 01, 2009
Catholic Culture: "The Wisconsin Catholic Conference is opposing provisions in Gov. Jim Doyle?s proposed budget that would provide $5.4 million in funds to Planned Parenthood and would grant benefits to homosexual state employees the same benefits extended to spouses...

George Tiller Shooting Suspect Caught, No Connection With Pro-Life Groups

Posted on June 01, 2009
LifeNews: "As has been the case with most previous incidents of abortion-related violence, Roeder appears to have an affiliation with extremist political groups but not with the mainstream pro-life movement."

Why not take her for a test drive? Cohabitation fast facts

Posted on June 01, 2009
'No positive contribution of cohabitation to marriage has ever been found.'

Behind closed doors: How R.I. decriminalized prostitution

Posted on June 01, 2009
Providence Journal: "On May 13, the House overwhelmingly passes bill to criminalize all prostitution. Bill now pending in the Senate."

10th Circuit Rejects Valedictorian?s Challenge To Limits On Her Religious Remarks

Posted on June 01, 2009
The Religion Clause Blog: "In Corder v. Lewis Palmer School District, No. 38, (10th Cir., May 29, 2009), the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected constitutional claims brought by a high school valedictorian who delivered remarks at a high school's graduation ceremony encouraging students to accept Jesus Chris

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