Religion & Law

MI: Saline school board expected to vote on non-discrimination policy

Posted on September 15, 2010
AnnArbor.com: "For the second time this week, Saline students and community members lobbied the district to change its non-discrimination policy and urged board members to set aside any moral or religious views on homosexuality. The debate centers on adding 'sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression' to the district?s non-discrimination policy...

UN: Maternal mortality declines by one-third despite no abortion legalization

Posted on September 15, 2010
LifeNews: "UN agencies and pro-abortion groups have told women and governmental bodies across the world that the only way to reduce maternal mortality is by legalizing abortions. Even though abortion has not been made legal in a slew of new nations, the UN today reports maternal mortality has declined by one-third...

Freedom from Religion Foundation contests Kentucky school bible distribution

Posted on September 15, 2010
Freedom From Religion Foundation: "The Freedom From Religion Foundation has informed the Laurel County School District in London, Ky., that it's illegal to let Gideons International distribute bibles to fifth-grade students. FFRF sent a letter Sept. 13 to school officials after receiving a complaint from one of its Kentucky members...

Pancakes or prayer? IHOP sues mission over acronym

Posted on September 15, 2010
ABC: "The International House of Pancakes is suing another IHOP, the International House of Prayer, saying the church mission shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of the restaurant chain's famous name and acronym."

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Muslim hacker destroys Florida Family Policy Council website defending Christian convert

Posted on September 15, 2010
Catholic News Agency: "A hacker has attacked the website of the Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC), a group assisting the Christian convert Rifqa Bary. The hacker said he made the attack because of the group?s thinking about 'Great Islam.' The loss of the website could have consequences for the 2010 election in Florida, the group claimed...

Indonesia: Ministry may revise decree on houses of worship

Posted on September 15, 2010
The Jakarta Post: "The Religious Affairs Ministry said Wednesday it was open to revisions of a 2006 joint ministerial decree requiring local consent on sites for house of worship, provided religious leaders agreed."

Indonesia: Bekasi church wins lawsuit to construct new house of worship

Posted on September 15, 2010
The Jakarta Post: "The Bandung Administrative Court upheld a lawsuit filed by Rev. Bonar Napitupulu of HKBP Church in Bekasi, West Java, against a decree by Bekasi Regent Sa?duddin on the construction of a new house of worship."

UK bans pregnant nun ice cream ad

Posted on September 15, 2010
CNN: "Britain's advertising watchdog has censured an Italian ice cream manufacturer over an advertisement depicting a heavily pregnant nun that appeared ahead of a papal visit to the UK."

Swiss losing their religion are more suicidal

Posted on September 15, 2010
swissinfo.ch: "Researchers at Bern and Zurich universities have found that suicide rates are lower among people with an affiliation to one of Switzerland?s recognised churches."

New Turkish constitution to be revealed after vote

Posted on September 15, 2010
Reuters: "A new draft constitution, aimed at enhancing democracy and individual rights in Turkey, will not be ready to show voters before an election next July, a senior member of the ruling AK Party said on Wednesday."

Hindus laud China for provision of religious service center at Guangzhou Asian Games

Posted on September 15, 2010
Newspost Online: "Hindus have applauded China for providing multi-religion religious service center and other facilities for religious services at the 16th Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou (China) from November 12 to 27."

Australia: Islamic and Christian schools on the rise despite decline in religion

Posted on September 15, 2010
Sydney Morning Herald: "The proportion of Australian children attending Islamic schools and schools aligned with some Christian fundamentalist denominations has increased significantly over the past decade, despite declining national religiosity over the same period...

EU: Fertility experts caution against IVF tourism

Posted on September 15, 2010
National Post: "The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS) said a survey of reproductive services showed wide disparities between laws and practice in many countries...

Alarm at big brother ?hate crime? database in Scotland

Posted on September 15, 2010
The Christian Institute: "Earlier this year Holyrood introduced legislation stipulating that people who commit 'hate crimes' against homosexuals, transsexuals, the disabled and other minorities will face tougher penalties."

Islamic extremist arrested over Indonesia church attack

Posted on September 15, 2010
AFP: "Indonesian police detained an Islamic extremist leader Wednesday over an armed assault on Christian elders which shocked moderates and raised fears for pluralism in the mainly Muslim country."

New rules slow Gulf drilling pace in shallow water

Posted on September 14, 2010
Breitbart (AP): "The drilling moratorium enacted after the BP oil spill applies only to the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Yet energy exploration in the Gulf's shallow waters has come to a virtual standstill as drillers grapple with tougher federal rules since the spill...

Polygamy in America: inside the FLDS

Posted on September 14, 2010
RFI: "American photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair won this year?s Visa d?Or prize for best feature for her report Polygamy in America, an intimate look at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) community in Eldorado, Texas...

NY: Newly expanded Planned Parenthood office opens in Albany

Posted on September 14, 2010
CBS 6: "The branch at 855 Central Ave. -- between CVS and Orange Ford, in the same building as existing tenants Mildred Elley and the Austin Beauty School -- opened Monday, September 13, UHPP officials announced."

7th Circuit allows use of mandatory state bar dues for public image campaign

Posted on September 14, 2010
Law.com: "The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the State Bar of Wisconsin didn't violate members' First Amendment rights by using mandatory dues for a public image campaign, but it also held that compulsory dues spending must be germane to the State Bar's purposes...

OH: Ordinance to limit strip clubs in Chillicothe approved

Posted on September 14, 2010
Chillicothe Gazette: "[Chillicothe] City Council approved the first of three steps aimed at curbing strip clubs in city limits Monday night, but not all council members were on board with the language of the new law. The ordinance would establish a new section of city criminal code that would set requirements for any business wishing to operate as a sexually oriented business...

?Gay agenda and Obamacare stand or fall together in the courts?

Posted on September 14, 2010
Ken Klukowski writing in The Washington Examiner: "There are those seeking to move the Republican Party away from these issues, and even trying to define conservatism as being concerned exclusively with economic and reach-of-government issues. These decisions [in Perry and Log Cabin Republicans] put the lie to that notion...

Conservative wants Maldonado to defy Schwarzenegger, appeal Prop. 8

Posted on September 14, 2010
Sacramento Bee / Capitol Alert: "With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is Asia, a conservative law professor is trying to cajole acting Gov. Abel Maldonado to appeal to defend California's same-sex marriage ban in court. John Eastman, who lost a bid in June to become the Republican nominee for attorney general, is calling on Proposition 8 supporters to 'help Abel Maldonado do the right thing...

Alan Keyes: Rush to judgment on same-sex ?marriage??

Posted on September 14, 2010
Alan Keyes: "Like Glenn Beck[, Rush Limbaugh] casually denies the damage done when a society purports to redefine marriage (that is, the institutional foundation of family life) in a way that denies the relevance of God endowed natural right . . . But, as I have pointed out before, the family is the primordial paradigm for all property rights, which is to say, all human claims to physical belongings...

French Senate votes to ban Islamic full veil in public

Posted on September 14, 2010
BBC: "France's Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public."

Craigslist to appear before House hearing on sex trafficking

Posted on September 14, 2010
The Washington Post / Post Tech: "An official from Craigslist will appear before federal lawmakers on Wednesday for a hearing on sex trafficking, following its surprising move one week ago to take down adult services ads on its classified Web site."

NH GOP seeks nominee to retain US Senate seat

Posted on September 14, 2010
Times-Union (AP): "Sensing voters' dissatisfaction with Democrats, Republicans have spent more than $9.5 million trying to retain the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg ? believing the winner of the primary will have an edge in November."

Albert Mohler: ?The war between spirituality and science is over?

Posted on September 14, 2010
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. writing at The Christian Post: "Give the strident atheism a rest, [Chris Mooney, author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future] demands, and adopt the language of spirituality. As he tells the atheists, the language of spirituality is utterly compatible with atheism, but it will not scare the public ...

?Marriage equality advocates? react to latest legal round

Posted on September 14, 2010
San Francisco Bay Times: "Supporters of same-sex marriage say the appeals court has put the matter on the fast track, which they believe helps the cause for equality . . . 'It made no sense to impose a radical change in marriage on the people of California before all appeals on their behalf are heard, so the 9th Circuit?s decision is clearly the right call,' stated pro-Prop 8 conservative Alliance Defense Fund Litigation Staff Counsel Jim Campbell...

Biden warns against O?Donnell victory in Delaware

Posted on September 14, 2010
The Hill: "Speaking at a fundraiser for Pennsylvania Democrat Joe Sestak, Biden referred to 'the woman in Delaware, my home state, who's giving a scare to Mike Castle' when expanding upon the positions taken by Tea Party-affiliated candidates."

Harry Jackson, Jr.: Same-sex ?marriage? will hurt families, society

Posted on September 14, 2010
Harry Jackson, Jr. writing at Black Christian News: "Advocates of making same-sex marriage a legally recognized right claim that this will have no impact on traditional marriage -- that it can peacefully coexist alongside traditional marriage. On the contrary, it will have profound impacts...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.