Religion & Law

San Francisco Catholic Charities Director Contributes to Campaign to Defeat Pro-Marriage Ballot Measure

Posted on November 04, 2008
LifeSiteNews.com reports: A high-level official of the Catholic archdiocese of San Francisco made personal donations to a campaign to promote homosexual ?marriage,? it has been revealed. Brian Cahill, the Executive Director of San Francisco Catholic Charities donated US $500...

?Obama avoids same-sex marriage fight?

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Politico reports: And with the voting only two days away, some gay and lesbian activists wish Obama would do more to urge voters to kill the initiative. While Obama does not support gay marriage, he opposes both proposition 8 and any constitutional ban ...

?Baptist church in Florida again offends Muslims with message?

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Associated Baptist Press reports: “A Baptist church in Florida is once again creating tension with its Muslim neighbors over a marquee message. A sign posted outside First Conservative Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., reads, ‘God loves you, Allah hates...

Scottish Blood Transfusion authority says it is not discriminating, but recognizing behavior risks

Posted on November 04, 2008
The BBC reports: The blood transfusion service has rejected calls from gay men’s groups to lift the ban on them donating blood. It has told the Scottish Parliament petitions committee HIV is rising in gay men and donor selection is the only way to keep blood products safe...

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LA Times: ?No on Proposition 8: Debunking the myths used to promote the ban on same-sex marriage.?

Posted on November 04, 2008
The LA Times carries this editorial that begins: Clever magicians practice the art of misdirection — distracting the eyes of the audience to something attention-grabbing but irrelevant so that no one notices what the magician is really doing. Look over at that fuchsia scarf, up this sleeve, at anything besides the actual trick...

ADF strongly condemns religious bigotry of anti-Proposition 8 ad

Posted on November 04, 2008
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4737 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND STATEMENT November 4, 2008 ? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF strongly condemns religious bigotry of anti-Proposition 8 ad TV ad demonstrates extreme intolerance of California marriage opponents SACRAMENTO, Calif...

?Google caught up in row over gay marriage vote?

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Times Online reports:  Opponents of same-sex unions in California used the search engine’s advertising network to post messages on popular websites against the owner’s wishes. A number of American websites, including the widely read TechCrunch and Create Digital Music blogs, featured adverts backing Proposition 8, which would change California?s constitution to define marriage as the union [...

Neb. safe-haven cases swell to 27: Another teen abandoned

Posted on November 04, 2008
The AP reports: “Nebraska officials say a 15-year-old girl dropped off at a hospital is the 27th child left under Nebraska’s unique safe-haven law.” Visit Site » Share This

Schumer on Fox: Fairness Doctrine ?fair and balanced?

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Hill reports:  Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday defended the so-called Fairness Doctrine in an interview on Fox News, saying, ?I think we should all be fair and balanced, don?t you?? Schumer?s comments echo other Democrats? views on reviving the Fairness Doctrine, which would require radio stations to balance conservative hosts with liberal ones...

?Gay marriages in Connecticut to begin Nov. 12?

Posted on November 04, 2008
The AP reports: “Gay marriages in Connecticut can start Nov. 12. Superior Court Judge Jonathan Silbert on Monday scheduled a hearing on that date to enter the final judgment in the case that allows same-sex marriages in the state.” Visit Site » Share This

Supreme Court Justices confess they don?t understand their own First Amendment jurisprudence

Posted on November 04, 2008
Laurel Newby reports on Law.com:  The Supreme Court justices on Monday heard argument in a First Amendment case involving the authority of local governments to make payroll deductions for political activities. Discussion of whether an Idaho statute proscribing the practice should be subject to heightened constitutional scrutiny led two of the justices to seek clarification regarding [...

Bishop: Freedom of Choice Act Unjustifiable

Posted on November 04, 2008
Zenit reports: A U.S. bishop says people of good will should question a candidate’s determination to reduce abortions when he also promises to immediately sign upon taking office the Freedom of Choice Act. Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph said this in a statement last week that aimed to educate voters about a bill the next [...

Indiana: Apartment Manager- Tenant Battle Over Statue of Jesus

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Religion Clause reports: “In Muncie, Indiana, owners of an apartment complex are in a dispute with one of their tenants, Daniel Long. Long has put up a 4-foot tall statue of Jesus outside his apartment patio door . . . According to yesterday’s Muncie Star-Press, apartment manager Mike Desloover has asked Long to remove the statute, [...

Digest of 2008 Voter Guides

Posted on November 04, 2008
2008 Voter Guides

Preaching politics from pulpit endangers religion

Posted on November 04, 2008
Rabbi Donald A. Weber has this commentary on the Asbury Park Press speaking out aginst endorsements from the pulpit. He writes: According to the Alliance Defense Fund, which organized the action, “Pastors have the right to speak about biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment...

U.S. Supreme Court hears case involving FCC regulation of expletives

Posted on November 04, 2008
SCOTUS Blog reports:  ”At 10 a.m., the Court will hear argument in FCC v. Fox Television Stations (07-582), on whether the Federal Communications Commission provided adequate justification for changing its policy regarding fines for the broadcast of isolated expletives...

Bishop: Election letter was matter of principle

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports: Bishop Ronald Gainer said Monday that he wrote a letter stressing the church’s stance on abortion to the Lexington Diocese because he felt that too many Catholic politicians had misstated key Catholic teachings...

?Record number of LGBT candidates seek office?

Posted on November 04, 2008
365Gay.com reports: “From town councils to statehouses to Congress, a record number of LGBT candidates are running for office today. Nearly 90 of them have been endorsed by the Victory Fund, a gay advocacy group that helps LGBT candidates win election...

Catholics probe aid directed to ACORN

Posted on November 04, 2008
The Washington Times reports: “The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has hired forensic accounting specialists to investigate more than $1 million in church funding to voter-registration group ACORN, fearing the money may have been spent in partisan or fraudulent ways that could jeopardize the church’s tax-exempt status...

Is There Legal Support for State-Compelled HPV Vaccination Laws? Why Ethical, Moral, and Religious Opposition to These Laws May Be Jumping the Gun

Posted on November 04, 2008
In this Comment, I will establish that there is no legal support for state-mandated HPV vaccination laws because these mandates extend beyond a state's power to compel vaccination as granted by the Supreme Court in Jacobson v. Massachusetts and are in contravention of the U...

The Use and Scope of Extrinsic Evidence in Evaluating Establishment Clause Cases in Light of the Lemon Test?s Secular Purpose Requirement

Posted on November 04, 2008
I also hope to uphold the idea of a strong institutional distinction between government and religion, upholding the secular nature of government action-a secular nature which has served both the government and religious believers and organizations quite well over the history of the United States.

Frozen mice cloned - are woolly mammoths next?

Posted on November 04, 2008
"Japanese scientists have cloned mice whose bodies were frozen for as long 16 years and said on Monday it may be possible to use the technique to resurrect mammoths and other extinct species."

Geoffrey R. Stone: The World of the Framers: A Christian Nation?

Posted on November 04, 2008
This lecture is not about freedom of speech. It is, rather, about the subject of religion. It grows out of a book I am currently writing tentatively titled ?Sexing the Constitution,? which explores the intersection of sex, religion, and law from the ancient world to the present.

Standing, Justiciability, and Separation of Powers after Massachusetts and Hein

Posted on November 04, 2008
The rather modest aim of this Article is to untangle what the Supreme Court did, or did not do, with regard to standing last term.

Religious Liberties: The Role of Religion in Public Debate

Posted on November 04, 2008
Our topic today is the role of religion in public debate.

Federal judicial vacancies Obama will get to fill

Posted on November 04, 2008
40 current vacancies with 26 nominees pending; 20 known future vacancies with 4 nominees pending for them.

London rally to call for stricter lap-dancing law

Posted on November 03, 2008
The Christian Institute reports: “The Government will come under pressure to act on the issue of lap-dancing clubs tomorrow as campaigners gather at Westminster to call for stricter rules.”   Visit Site » Share This

Man shot and killed outside Tampa strip club

Posted on November 03, 2008
BayNews9.com reports: “According to reports, 26-year-old John William Larry was thrown out of the Fantasy Doll’s club after he started arguing with one of the dancers. Deputies said that, while he was in the parking lot, he got into an argument with another man, and that eventually the argument escalated into an exchange of gunfire...

Life is More than a Single-Issue. It?s THE Issue.

Posted on November 03, 2008
The Family Voice Blog of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia has this post that concludes: Look, the lack of healthcare that may or may not be rampant in the United States, the poverty that is rampant throughout the world, the religious persecution that is ongoing, wars and rumors of wars - those are incredibly important issues, [...

Scientists, Theologians Gather for Vatican Conference on Evolution

Posted on November 03, 2008
The Christian Post reports:  Pope Benedict XVI opened a five-day Vatican meeting on evolution Friday morning by affirming that the world did not emerge out of chaos but was intentionally created by “the First Being.” “In order to develop and evolve, the world must first be, and thus have come from nothing into being,? the pontiff told an audience [...

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