Religion & Law

A Movement to Break the Silence of Churches in Political Campaigns

Posted on October 03, 2008
On September 28, a heroic group of pastors challenged the ban by testing their First Amendment rights . . . But the question that begs to be answered is: has this prohibition contributed to moral decay in America?

Islamists destroy Somali church, will build mosque

Posted on October 03, 2008
The BBC reports: “The al-Shabab group took control of Kismayo in fierce fighting last month. They say they will build a mosque on the site of the colonial-era church, which has not been used for many years . . .  An al-Shabab spokesman has said they wanted to destroy the church in retaliation for the [...

Patrick J. Buchanan: Can the MARs Save McCain?

Posted on October 03, 2008
Patrick J. Buchanan has this commentary on Townhall. He writes: John McCain may have just let slip his last best chance to be president of the United States. When he flew back to Washington to address the banking crisis, McCain could have seized the hottest issue in America by taking the side of his countrymen who were [...

NY Catholic Bishops: Statement on Voting Duties

Posted on October 03, 2008
The New York Catholic Bishops have issued this statement. It indicates: We Catholics are called to look at politics as we are called to look at everything ? through the lens of our faith. While we are free to join any political party that we choose or none at all, we must be cautious when [...

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Missouri: Church and politics get a little testy

Posted on October 03, 2008
Bill McClellan reports in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: If you don’t think that tempers are getting short as the election approaches, consider that Hugh McVey did something last Sunday that he would have once considered unthinkable. The former seminarian stood up in the middle of a sermon and challenged the priest...

Maryland: Opponents of MoCo?s Transgender Law Head Back to Court

Posted on October 03, 2008
The Washington Post reports: “The lawsuit filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court this week by opponents of new transgender protections asks the court to block the law from taking effect until residents have an opportunity to vote on the measure...

ADF attorney to participate in U. of San Diego marriage debate

Posted on October 03, 2008
http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4699 ALLIANCE DEFENSE FUND MEDIA ADVISORY October 3, 2008 ? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT ADF MEDIA RELATIONS: (480) 444-0020 or www.telladf.org/pressroom ADF attorney to participate in USD same-sex ?marriage? debate ADF senior VP and allied attorney to join others in panel debate at University of San Diego WHO: ADF Senior Vice President Jeffery Ventrella and ADF-allied attorney Charles LiMandri WHAT: Panel debate [...

Parents Charged With Homicide For Relying On Faith Healing

Posted on October 03, 2008
The Religion Clause reports: “In Clackamas County, Oregon, in the second case of its kind in the county this year (see prior posting), parents have been arrested for negligent homicide for failing to seek medical treatment for their son.” Visit Site » Share This

George Washington U. Law School: 2009 Religious Freedom Moot Court Announced

Posted on October 03, 2008
George Washington U. Law School has announced the 2009 National Religious Freedom Moot Court to be held Feb. 6-7. Registration Deadline: November 7, 2008 This year’s problem will deal with issues regarding the employment decisions of religious groups in relation to state civil rights laws...

White House report: Preserving a Critical National Asset: America?s Disadvantages Students and the Crisis in Faith-based Urban Schools

Posted on October 03, 2008
The White House has issued this 176 page report.  The Introduction: On April 24, 2008, President George W. Bush convened in Washington, D.C., a broad array of education and community stakeholders to address a deeply troubling but vastly under-reported phenomenon limiting the education options available to low-income urban families: the rapid disappearance of faith-based schools in [...

NY: Federal court upholds teacher?s censorship of Jesus poster

Posted on October 03, 2008
The Religion Clause Blog reports: “In Peck v. Baldwinsville Central School District, (ND NY, Sept. 30, 2008), a New York federal district court concluded that a kindergarten teacher and a school principal did not engage in viewpoint discrimination when they displayed a student’s poster on environmental issues only after folding a picture of Jesus on [...

ADF: Montana judge?s decision is path to destruction of parental rights

Posted on October 03, 2008
The judge ruled that the former same-sex partner of Dr. Barbara Maniaci is entitled to parental rights simply because the two women lived together for a period of time.

UK: Bring back the cane in schools, say one in five teachers

Posted on October 03, 2008
"One in five teachers would like to see the cane brought back in schools to help discipline unruly children, a survey has revealed."

WSJ: Provoking the IRS, Preachers Address The Bully Pulpit

Posted on October 03, 2008
The Wall Street Journal carries this report on the Living Stones Church in Crown Point, Indiana and ADF’s Pulpit Initiative. It begins: It’s about an hour into the late service at Living Stones Church here, just after noon on Sunday in this middle-class exurb about 50 miles southeast of Chicago, and some congregants are aware that [...

President Bush?s Supreme Court Victory Lap

Posted on October 03, 2008
Tony Mauro has this post on the Blog of Legal Times. He writes: “On the same day the Supreme Court convenes for the fall term next Monday, President George W. Bush will be in Cincinnati talking about the Court. Hosted by the Federalist Society’s chapter there along with the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, Bush [...

Mutual consent divorce

Posted on October 03, 2008
Cheryl Wetzstein has this article in the Washington Times that begins: For more than 30 years, most Americans have told the General Social Survey (GSS) that they approve of divorce as a cure for a sick marriage. But they also strongly support making divorce harder to get...

Pastors Unite to Protect Marriage Hundreds of Churches Participate in Initiative to Pass Proposition 8, Supporting Traditional Marriage in California

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Christian Newswire reports: “As part of the effort to protect marriage in California, thousands of pastors and church members from across the state have joined forces to “get out the vote” on Nov. 4 - not in support of one presidential candidate over the other, but to pass Proposition 8, the Marriage Protection Act...

$6.9M raised by AZ marriage amendment proponents

Posted on October 02, 2008
The AP reports: “Figures released Thursday show the campaign in support of Proposition 102 has raised $6.9 million. That?s compared to the roughly $355,000 raised by the measure?s opponents.” http://yesformarriage.com/ Visit Site » Share This

Boy Scouts Defeat Dismissal Motion in Philadelphia Headquarters Building Dispute

Posted on October 02, 2008
Leonard Link reports: “U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter has rejected the City of Philadelphia?s motion to dismiss federal and state constitutional claims by the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which is fighting the city?s move to evict the Scouts from a city-owned building because of the BSA?s anti-gay membership [...

NY: Strip club closing challenged

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Times-Union reports: “TROY ? For the second time this year, city officials padlocked a King Street strip club, sparking another court challenge of the nuisance ordinance. Cloud 9 ? now known as Fantasies ? was closed last month for one year, the maximum penalty for violating the nuisance law, according to an order signed [...

Iran Releases Christian Converts Charged with Apostasy

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Christian Post reports: “Iran released two Christian men charged with apostasy, reported a Christian human rights group Thursday, even though the country?s parliament is currently considering a bill that would make apostasy a crime punishable by death...

Healthcare Rights of Conscience: A Hotbed of Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Action in 2008

Posted on October 02, 2008
Mailee Smith reports on the Americans United for Life Blog: Most state legislative sessions have ended for 2008, and the results in the area of rights of conscience are fairly depressing. A disturbing 60 percent of all conscience-related bills considered this year were compulsion bills...

ACLU files another challenge to Florida adoption law

Posted on October 02, 2008
UPI reports: A gay Florida man resumed his effort Wednesday to adopt two half-brothers who have been living in his foster home since 2004. Frank Martin Gill and his American Civil Liberties Union attorney are asking Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman to grant Gill the right to become the boys’ legal father, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday...

ACLU lawsuit says boy should be allowed to display hair

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Houston Chronicle reports: The ACLU filed a lawsuit today against the Needville Independent School District, arguing the district violated the law by requiring a 5-year-old Native American student to keep his braided hair tucked down the back of his shirt...

Illinois: Planned Parenthood wants $317,000 from pro-life group

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Daily Herald reports: An anti-abortion group that lost a libel lawsuit against Planned Parenthood last month now might be forced to pick up its rival’s hefty legal tab. Planned Parenthood has asked a Kane County court to award it $317,322 in legal fees and costs associated with fighting the case brought by Chicago’s Pro-Life Action League...

Conference - The Defense of the West: How to Respond to the Islamist Challenge

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Defense of the West: How to Respond to the Islamist Challenge Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM The Honorable Rick Santorum and the Ethics and Public Policy Center cordially invite you to attend Professor Roger Scruton’s lecture “The Defense of the West: How to Respond to the Islamist Challenge...

Conference: The Future of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy

Posted on October 02, 2008
The Future of U.S. International Religious Freedom Policy Friday, October 10, 2008 8:45 AM - 3:45 PM EPPC is pleased to co-sponsor the third of three symposia at Georgetown University commemorating the tenth anniversary of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Act...

Alan Sears: When Government Gets A Hold of Our Churches

Posted on October 02, 2008
They called it ?the Boston Tea Party.? . . . To [the colonists], it was the government that had gone overboard . . . that was pretty much the sentiment expressed this past Sunday in pulpits all over America . . .

CBN: ?Parental, Gay Rights Mix in Montana?

Posted on October 02, 2008
CBN reports: On Monday, District Judge Ed McLean recognized Montana resident Michele Kulstad as a legal parent to an 8-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl that her previous partner had adopted during their relationship. Kulstad was granted joint custody of the children, even though her former partner Barbara Maniaci, an ex-lesbian, paid for the adoptions and was their [...

Dale Schowengerdt on Reach FM with Janet Folger: Did pastors participating in the Pulpit Initiative break the law?

Posted on October 02, 2008
ADF Attorney Dale Schowengerdt appeared on ReachFm to discuss ADF’s Pulpit Initiative. Janet Porter formerly known as Janet Folger also appeared. The mp3 file is here and runs just over 8 minutes. Visit Site » Share This

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