Religion & Law

?Valorization of individualism? makes same-sex ?marriage? inevitable

Posted on June 01, 2009
Patrick Deneen writing at the Front Porch Republic: "[I]n their earliest instantiation marriages had nothing to do with the wishes of the individuals who composed them. They were the arrangements by families who looked to the continuity of a way of life (and, yes, family status) rather than the individual wishes of the partners...

Obama?s Supreme Court Nominee A ?Cultural Catholic,? Rarely Attends Mass

Posted on June 01, 2009
Catholic Culture: A New York Times article on Judge Sonia Sotomayor?s Catholicism portrays her as a ?cultural Catholic? who did not regularly attend Mass once she went to college, though she was later married in the Chu

Steven Aden on Prime Time America: Choose Life License Plates Litigation

Posted on June 01, 2009
ADF attorney Steven Aden appeared on Prime Time America to discuss the status of "Choose Life" license plates around the country and at the U.S. Supreme Court. The MP3 runs just over 7 minutes.

NIH Reviewing Comments on Stem Cell Research Guidelines

Posted on June 01, 2009
Christian Post: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is in the process of sorting and reviewing thousands of comments it received regarding its new guidelines on stem cell research . . . Despite the limits, staunch conservatives have urged the NIH not to issue its proposed guidelines ...

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White House: LGBT Pride Proclamation

Posted on June 01, 2009
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

Fighting for Speech on Both Fronts: Two New Policies at UCSD

Posted on June 01, 2009
The Guardian: "After over a year of criticizing the student draft, the administration finally offered its counterproposal. Despite the fanfare, what the administration proposed is ultimately a dressed-up version of what has been practiced at UCSD for decades: Price Center, Library Walk, the Geisel Library tree and the Student Center grassy hill are generally available for student demonstration with amplified sound, while the rest of the university has limited access...

NH ?gay marriage? bill heads back to legis.

Posted on June 01, 2009
Baptist Press: "The New Hampshire governor is right to recognize the threat to religious liberty posed by same-sex marriage, but he underestimates the threat by a long shot," Austin R. Nimocks, an attorney with the legal organization Alliance Defense Fund, told Baptist Press...

Study: Private Religious School Students More Likely to Have Abortion Than Pub

Posted on June 01, 2009
LifeNews: "A new study finds that women students at private, religious schools are not less likely than their counterparts at public schools to have an abortion."

?Cheney on gay marriage: ?Freedom for everyone??

Posted on June 01, 2009
AP: "I think, you know, freedom means freedom for everyone," Cheney said in a speech at the National Press Club. "I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish, any kind of arrangement they wish.

Ala.?s Ten Commandments judge running for governor

Posted on June 01, 2009
AP: "Ousted Chief Justice Roy Moore's kickoff speech focused on economics, social issues and criticism of the federal government."

Abortion doctor George Tiller is killed; suspect in custody

Posted on May 31, 2009
"Dr. George Tiller, one of the few American physicians who performed late-term abortions, was shot to death in the lobby of his church today in Wichita, Kan., according to his attorneys."

Levi?s tells stores to sell political message. What if you refused?

Posted on May 29, 2009
Tom Shaheen writes at the Pennsylvania Family Institute: "What would happen if PA would pass a 'sexual orientation' 'gender identity' anti-discrimination bill (HB 300) and a local store manager or clerk (or your teenager working a part-time job) at your favorite dept...

Dale Schowengerdt on the Jody Hice Show: Bash Back

Posted on May 29, 2009
ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt appeared on the Jody Hice Show to discuss the suit ADF has filed on behalf of a church against "Bash Back." The MP3 runs just over 14 minutes. Related ADF press release: ADF: Militant homosexual group faces federal suit, Bash Back! invaded MI church in Nov.

Will France Really Be A Muslim Country? Muslim discussion forum

Posted on May 29, 2009
The Brussels Journal: "There's a 16-page discussion at a Muslim forum called Mejliss el kalam, linked by François Desouche. To translate the entire discussion is out of the question. But here is the first page somewhat simplified.... The initial question, dated April 11, 2009, comes from ShamsTabrizi, from Somalia ...

?Compromise reached on NH gay marriage bill?

Posted on May 29, 2009
Another vote is expected on Wednesday.

Vatican displays King Henry?s annulment plea

Posted on May 29, 2009
Catholic Herald: "The document, a letter signed in 1530 by 84 peers and clergy, urged Pope Clement VII to annul the royal marriage because it had not produced a male heir, and said that with no clear succession England could be plunged into bloodshed...

?Gay marriage? advocates foster religious bigotry in anti-Mormon ad campaign

Posted on May 29, 2009
a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803573.html?hpid=topnews">Washington Post: "With the battle moving east, some advocates are shouting that fact in the streets, calculating that on an issue that eventually comes down to comfort levels, more people harbor apprehensions about Mormons than about homosexuality...

Senate President removes Senator from NH Committee for opposing marriage redefinition

Posted on May 29, 2009
Because a committee of conference vote needs to be UNANIMOUS in order for it to be brought before the House and Senate again, the Senate President then REMOVED Senator Roberge from the committee and REPLACED her with Senator Houde, who "dialed in" his vote ...

ADF to activist group: Stop threatening Maine diocese over marriage

Posted on May 29, 2009
ADF attorneys sent a letter to Empowering Spirits Foundation on behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, urging it to cease filing frivolous and factually flawed IRS complaints as a way of intimidating organizations that believe in protecting marriage.

Lodi mayor says city may have to scrap prayers

Posted on May 29, 2009
Mercury News (AP): "Lodi's mayor says the city may switch from opening council meetings with prayers to moments of silence after a complaint from a group advocating the separation of church and state."

Sonia Sotomayor ?La Raza member?

Posted on May 29, 2009
WorldNetDaily: "As President Obama's Supreme Court nominee comes under heavy fire for allegedly being a "racist," Judge Sonia Sotomayor is listed as a member of the National Council of La Raza, a group that's promoted driver's licenses for illegal aliens, amnesty programs, and no immigration law enforcement by local and state police...

Florida: ?Students denied graduation speeches: Because of prayer in school ban by ACLU?

Posted on May 29, 2009
Fox10TV.com: "Seniors at Pace High School are getting ready for their graduation, but this year the Class and School Board Presidents won't be allowed to speak . . . The students can't speak because of a consent decree signed by the Santa Rosa County School District...

Kalifornie zakázala man?elství gay?

Posted on May 29, 2009
KarieraWeb.cz: N?které státy p?ijímají své zákony, jiné ne," p?ipomn?l republikánský poradce Jordan Lorence v deníku Washington Post, ?e tehdej?í diskuse dosp?la v roce 1973 p?ed Nejvy??í soud, který rozhodl o federální legalizaci um?lého p?eru?ení t?hotenství...

Top Researchers: Evidence Points to School Voucher Effectiveness

Posted on May 29, 2009
Alliance for School Choice: "School voucher programs increase student achievement and satisfy parents, according to four top researchers who spoke out in Washington yesterday to highlight the findings of key school choice studies. Considered four of America?s foremost experts on education research, Jay Greene, Grover 'Russ' Whitehurst, Patrick Wolf, and Patrick Stewart revealed key data and perspectives yesterday from more than a dozen school choice initiatives...

Louisiana Senate Committee to Consider Pro-Life Medical Conscience Clause Bill

Posted on May 29, 2009
LifeNews: "A Louisiana state Senate committee on Thursday will consider HB 517, a conscience bill that would protect the right of all health care workers, from physicians to pharmacists to nurses, to object from participating in any health care service that violates their conscience...

US judge refuses to dismiss ?Day of Prayer? suit

Posted on May 29, 2009
AP: "A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that claims the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional."

Timeline looms as D.C. debates whether the people get to vote on marriage

Posted on May 29, 2009
"At the heart of the debate is whether same-sex marriage is a civil right that should be protected from the will of the electorate. Under District election law, the city cannot hold a referendum on a proposal that would violate the District's Human Rights Act...

Texas Bd. of Ed. Chief ousted: Did Christian beliefs cost him the post?

Posted on May 29, 2009
Houston Chronicle: "In a rare rejection of an appointment by the Texas governor, the Senate Thursday ousted Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education, with his supporters claiming the Bryan dentist was the victim of his strong religious beliefs...

Pro-life Catholic leader roots for Sotomayor

Posted on May 29, 2009
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights: "If the Republicans are smart, they would not fight this one," he told The Washington Times in an interview Thursday.

Abortion Backers Get Reassurances on Nominee

Posted on May 29, 2009
The White House scrambled yesterday to assuage worries from liberal groups about Judge Sonia Sotomayor's scant record on abortion rights, delivering strong but vague assurances . . .

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