Religion & Law

Christians in Arab Gulf face hurdles to worship

Posted on October 08, 2010
Reuters: "At least 3.5 million Christians of all denominations live in the Gulf Arab region, the birthplace of Islam and home to some of the most conservative Arab Muslim societies in the world. The freedom to practice Christianity -- or any religion other than Islam -- is not always a given in the Gulf and varies from country to country...

The role of faith in the Progressive movement

Posted on October 08, 2010
Center for American Progress: "There have historically been two primary strands of progressive thought concerning the proper relationship between faith and politics?one secular and the other emerging directly from religious social values . . . Progressives working within these faith traditions applied religious morality to the task of transforming American society during the industrial age away from the exploitation of workers and toward more cooperative forms of economic life...

The Catholics are attacking: Opposition to St. Peter?s Cathedral and the Ground Zero Mosque

Posted on October 08, 2010
The NY Times carries this article by Paul Vitello titled: In Fierce Opposition to a Muslim Center Echoes an Old Fight. Vitello argues that the Ground Zero Mosque situation parallels Protestant opposition to the erection of Catholic St. Peter's Cathedral in Manhattan in 1785...

MO Senate candidates differ on feds role on stem cells, marriage, concealed guns

Posted on October 08, 2010
KPLR: "Democrat Robin Carnahan and Republican Roy Blunt are taking opposite positions on variety of social issues in Missouri's U.S. Senate race."

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Do graphic pro-life posters cross a moral line?

Posted on October 08, 2010
"Within minutes of arriving on the Tory Quad, the busiest spot on campus, the students were taken away in handcuffs by Ottawa police and charged with trespassing."

West being ?out-maneuvered? by Islamic extremism, Tony Blair warns

Posted on October 08, 2010
Telegraph: "The former prime minister said that there had been a failure to challenge the 'narrative' that Islam was oppressed by the West which was fuelling extremism around the world."

UK: Nottingham hospital officials propose Gideon Bible ban

Posted on October 08, 2010
Peter Saunders: "The ban, at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, is intended to help cut levels of infectious superbugs such as MRSA. Apparently they want all bedside areas in Queen?s Medical Centre and City Hospital kept tidy and ?clutter-free? to stop disease spreading ...

Democrats hope pro-life candidate will be GOP spoiler in Illinois Senate battle

Posted on October 08, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "In Illinois voters are faced with two pro-abortion politicians slugging it out for the lead in the senate special election race. However one third party candidate is pro-life, and Democrats are hoping that his candidacy could end up having a spoiler effect on the GOP?s chances to cobble together a majority in the U...

White House ?expects? Senate to repeal DADT

Posted on October 08, 2010
The Advocate: "A White House spokesman told The Advocate Wednesday evening that administration officials 'expect the Senate to act' on repeal of 'don?t ask, don?t tell' when they return from the midterm recess for the final days of the 111th Congress...

More thoughts on the MI decision upholding individual health insurance mandates

Posted on October 08, 2010
Randy Barnett writing at The Volokh Conspiracy: "Judge Steeh?s decision yesterday dismissing the Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clause challenge to the individual mandate was certainly not welcome news to those of us who believe the mandate to be unconstitutional...

Gallagher, Wolfson debate marriage at Yale

Posted on October 07, 2010
Yale Daily News: "Evan Wolfson ?78, founder and executive director of Freedom to Marry, and Maggie Gallagher ?82, former president of the National Organization for Marriage, joined about 250 students and guests in Sudler Hall for a YPU debate titled 'Resolved: Same-Sex Couples Should be Allowed to Marry...

Breyer says Supreme Court doesn?t have pro-business slant

Posted on October 07, 2010
Bloomberg: "Justice Stephen Breyer rejected the notion that the U.S. Supreme Court has a pro-business slant and said the court doesn?t rule in favor of companies any more frequently than it has historically."

American Jewish Committee urges appellate court to rule National Day of Prayer unconstitutional

Posted on October 07, 2010
American Jewish Committee: "AJC is urging a federal appeals court to uphold a lower court ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional."

Gallup finds U.S. unemployment at 10.1% in September

Posted on October 07, 2010
Gallup: "Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 10.1% in September -- up sharply from 9.3% in August and 8.9% in July. Much of this increase came during the second half of the month -- the unemployment rate was 9...

TX: Resolution claims textbooks have anti-Christian bias

Posted on October 07, 2010
KVUE: "The State Board of Education is taking a close look at textbooks on Friday and will consider a resolution that says some textbooks favor Islam over Christianity . . . The Plano-based Liberty Institute supports the resolution. 'I would think every Texan would be against government discrimination against any religion,' said institute president Kelly Shackelford...

France?s constitutional watchdog endorses veil ban

Posted on October 07, 2010
Associated Press: "France's constitutional watchdog on Thursday endorsed a divisive law forbidding face-covering Islamic veils anywhere in public, but expressed concern about applying it in places of worship such as a mosque."

College-educated young adults more likely to marry

Posted on October 07, 2010
Associated Press: "Young adults with college degrees are now more likely to be married than those who are less educated, a reversal of longtime trends as the struggling economy pushes weddings to all-time lows." | Pew: The Reversal of the College Marriage Gap

David Axelrod, Elie Wiesel lament fanaticism

Posted on October 07, 2010
Politico: "Axelrod and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel mused on what they described as a rising tide of fanaticism and intolerance in American politics . . . Axelrod also offered an impromptu endorsement to Wiesel's suggestion that a planned Islamic Center near the World Trade Center site be replaced by an interfaith center...

Report: Islamic numbers, influence surging worldwide

Posted on October 07, 2010
WorldNetDaily: "[Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life] Study coordinator Brian Grim says that of the estimated 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, most are South Asian, largely in India and Indonesia. The second largest Muslim group comes from the Middle East...

New York Times shows it?s clueless about embryonic stem cell research

Posted on October 07, 2010
Wesley J. Smith writing at LifeNews: "I don't know what the cause is, but a NYT story seeking to motivate people to demand that the Feds pass a law allowing the NIH to fund ESCR in the wake of the Lamberth decision ruling that doing so violates current federal law, gets a lot of things wrong...

Gallup: Supreme Court starts term with 51% approval

Posted on October 07, 2010
Gallup: "The U.S. Supreme Court begins its 2010-11 term with 51% of Americans approving of the way it handles its job. This is lower than a year ago, when approval surged to 61%, but is similar to the court's ratings in 2007 and 2008."

Book Review: Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion

Posted on October 07, 2010
Christian Science Monitor: "William Brennan was probably the most liberal US Supreme Court justice in the post-World War II era. Embracing a progressive, expansive view of 'equal protection' under the law, Brennan rejected discrimination against blacks, women, gays, and the poor ...

NY: Public prayer not for Canandaigua City Council

Posted on October 07, 2010
Canandaigua Messenger Post: "Public prayers won?t be heard at City Council meetings anytime soon, as a motion to continue research on the issue was shot down at Tuesday night?s Planning Committee meeting." Via Religion Clause.

Washington Times: Radical Muslims want America ruled by sharia

Posted on October 07, 2010
Washington Times editorial: "In an interview Sunday on ABC's 'This Week,' British radical Muslim activist Anjem Choudary made clear what he and his Islamist brothers have planned for the West. 'We do believe, as Muslims, the East and the West will one day be governed by the Shariah,' he said...

Congressman wants probe of Obama?s illegal abortion push in Kenya

Posted on October 07, 2010
LifeNews: "Congressman Chris Smith was not happy about the report the inspector general of USAID issued attempting to 'whitewash' the Obama administration's improper, and potentially illegal, use of taxpayer funds promoting a new constitution in Kenya that would allow unlimited abortions...

Nev. Supreme Court: Ashjian?s name stays on ballot

Posted on October 07, 2010
Associated Press: "The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that U.S. Senate candidate Scott Ashjian's name should stay on the November election ballot despite challenges to his qualifications."

How Republicans could block healthcare reform

Posted on October 07, 2010
NewsMax: "Republicans could keep their promises to stop healthcare reform even if they cannot repeal it, simply by blocking legislation needed to pay for it, one expert argued Wednesday."

PA: Attorney general, Supreme Court justice to address Duquesne centennial events

Posted on October 07, 2010
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Two of the most prominent figures in America's legal system will visit Duquesne University next year for the 100th anniversary of its law school: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder...

What role for emotion in Snyder v. Phelps?

Posted on October 07, 2010
Lyle Denniston writing at SCOTUSblog: "When the Supreme Court meets in private Friday to discuss Snyder v. Phelps, a profound question will hang over the discussion: Should we ? and can we ? set aside our emotional reaction? If the answer, implicit or otherwise, is no, the Justices may then proceed to craft a way to write into the First Amendment a 'funeral exception' to the right to speak out in public in outrageous and hurtful ways...

Daniel Blomberg on the Mike Gallagher Show: Battling the ACLU in defense of Arkansas? measure which restricts adoptions by co-habiting couples

Posted on October 07, 2010
ADF attorney Daniel Blomberg appeared on the Mike Gallagher Show to discuss ADF's involvement in defending Arkansas' adoption law. | MP3 audio 6:11 mins

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