Religion & Law

National Review Online: Judge Walker?s phony facts

Posted on August 06, 2010
National Review Online Editorial: "[T]he deeper game Judge Walker is playing unfolds in those many pages of 'fact finding' that make up the large middle of his ruling. There, through highly prejudicial language that bears little relation to any fact, the judge has smuggled in his own moral sentiments ? in precisely the part of his opinion that would normally be owed a large measure of deference in the appellate courts...

Zanzibar Muslims stop church building, erect mosque

Posted on August 06, 2010
Christian Post: "On an island off the coast of East Africa where the local government limits the ability of Christians to obtain land, officials in one town have colluded with area Muslims to erect a mosque in place of a planned church building."

David French: What do Judge Walker and Justice Kennedy have in common?

Posted on August 06, 2010
"They are judicial theologians . . . "

African Union bows to pressure to back abortions to reduce maternal deaths

Posted on August 06, 2010
LifeNews: "The summit ended with Member States extending the controversial, non-binding Maputo Plan of Action (PoA) for an additional five years and expanding new initiative called the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction on Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA)...

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BBC video report: ?Western anti-abortion [Evangelical] campaigners? threat to African sex advice?

Posted on August 06, 2010
BBC: "Western-based anti-abortion campaigners are undermining efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health education in Africa, according to some international agencies."

Study: Nigerian doctors unwilling to perform abortions

Posted on August 06, 2010
LifeSiteNews: "A new study has found that only 13.4% of doctors in Nigeria would be willing to do abortions, if Nigerian abortion law were liberalized. Abortion is currently illegal in Nigeria except to save the life of the mother."

The case against public sector unions

Posted on August 06, 2010
The Case Against Public Sector Unions John O. McGinnism, Max Schanzenbach "Public employees unions have wielded huge influence to gain perquisites for themselves at the expense of the public. Early retirement, job tenure, high wages, and generous defined-benefit pension plans have gained increasing attention from commentators and voters, though many public sector perks are intentionally shrouded and confuse the public debate...

Washington ties dash hopes for political promotion

Posted on August 06, 2010
Associated Press: "Ah, the cruelty. Veteran lawmakers who toiled for years in Congress waiting for a chance at political promotion have discovered an inconvenient truth: This election year, Washington experience is a career-ender."

The Living Constitution

Posted on August 06, 2010
Adrian Vermeule reviews Keeping Faith with the Constitution by Goodwin Liu, Pamela S. Karlan, and Christopher H. Schroeder and The Living Constitution by David Strauss in The New Republic: "Justice Holmes described the Constitution as an 'organism,' and some people say that 'we have a living constitution...

David Opderbeck: Judge Walker and the conflict between definitions of ?harm? and ?sin?

Posted on August 06, 2010
David Opderbeck writing at Law, Religion, and Ethics: "The opinion surreptitiously establishes a conflict between faith and science by suggesting that a social-scientific definition of 'harm' must trump any theological concept of harm. Judge Walker, it seems to me, clearly wishes to pour out moral approbation on Christianity for employing the category of 'sin' in private sexual matters...

Halal-only menu for London primary schools sparks row

Posted on August 06, 2010
The Christian Institute: "Harrow Council in London has provoked a storm of protest after announcing plans to prefer Islamic halal-only menus in the borough?s state primary schools."

UK: Trans criminal will not go to jail: it?s too ?awkward?

Posted on August 06, 2010
The Christian Institute: "A transsexual man who harassed his neighbours for five years will not be jailed because a judge has agreed that prison would be 'awkward and dangerous' for him. Jan Krause, who lives as a woman, monitored his neighbours' movements and even erected a roof-mounted device which emitted a high-pitched whine in the direction of his neighbours' house, a court heard...

UK: Labour leadership contender criticizes Christian registrar

Posted on August 06, 2010
The Christian Institute: "A Labour leadership candidate has slammed Christian registrar Lillian Ladele ? who was bullied at work and disciplined for her religious stance on homosexual civil partnerships. Diane Abbott also told homosexual news website, pinknews...

UK: Moderate Muslim groups ?share al-Qaeda?s goal?

Posted on August 06, 2010
The Christian Institute: "Many mainstream Islamic groups who denounce violence and terrorism still want to bring Britain under Islamic control, a leaked security report warns. The report, called 'Preventing terrorism, where next for Britain?', was produced confidentially by think-tank Quilliam and given to the Government?s Office for Security and Counter Terrorism...

British muslim children in danger of ?Talibanization?

Posted on August 06, 2010
The Christian Institute: "Something must be done to stop the alarming 'Talibanisation' of young British muslims, warns the chair of the British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD) . . . Mrs Alibhai-Brown cites a number of concerning cases in which Muslim children have been brutally beaten and disciplined for participating in simple school activities such as theatre or music...

India?s Dalit Christians continue to protest discrimination

Posted on August 06, 2010
Christian Today: "A church council fighting for the rights of Dalit Christians in India has called on churches and Christian organisations to observe August 10 as 'Black Day.' It was on August 10, 1950, that a presidential Order prevented 'low-caste' Christians from enjoying the economic and educational benefits authorised by the government for those of the Hindu faith...

Australia: Schools urged to install free condom machines

Posted on August 06, 2010
ABC: "Free condom machines would be planted in high schools across the nation as part of a plan to tackle sexually-transmitted diseases and reduce the abortion rate. Family Planning Victoria (FPV) is calling on the Federal Government to fund contraception in Australia as a way of encouraging safe sex and preventing unplanned pregnancies...

Texas officials threaten to sue federal government over school funding

Posted on August 06, 2010
Houston Chronicle: "State leaders on Thursday threatened to sue the federal government over a restriction Congress is placing on $830 million in education funding for Texas . . . Texas congressional Democrats inserted an amendment they say is necessary to ensure the money goes to school children and Texas teachers...

NY: Prayers at Greece Town Board meetings OK, judge rules

Posted on August 06, 2010
Democrat and Chronicle: "U.S. District Judge Charles Siragusa ruled Thursday that the prayers at the board meeting are not unconstitutional . . . In 2008 Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the town on behalf of residents who objected to the prayers at the board meeting...

New poll: angry at US, Arabs support an Iran nuclear bomb

Posted on August 06, 2010
Christian Science Monitor: "A new poll of Arab opinion finds that for the first time a majority of the public across the region ? including a sizable minority in Saudi Arabia ? believes a nuclear-armed Iran would be a positive development in the Middle East...

Sioux City?s Bob Vander Plaats vows to unseat Iowa Supreme Court judges

Posted on August 06, 2010
KCAUTV: "Bob Vander Plaats announced Friday morning he will embark on an initiative to unseat the three Iowa Supreme Court justices up for retention this November . . . Vander Plaats has been outspoken regarding the court's decision that struck down the 1998 Defense of Marriage Act...

Sam Schulman: Judge Walker is wrong ? providing benefits is not the purpose of marriage

Posted on August 06, 2010
Sam Schulman writing at the Christian Science Monitor: "[P]roviding benefits to couples is not the whole purpose of marriage. It?s not even its primary purpose. And that?s what?s wrong with Mr. Walker?s ruling, and the arguments on both sides of Perry vs...

Baltimore law attacking pregnancy centers subject of hearing before judge

Posted on August 06, 2010
LifeNews: "A federal judge held a hearing on a lawsuit filed by the Archdiocese of Baltimore against the Maryland city yesterday over a law that attacks pregnancy centers that help women find abortion alternatives."

Senator McCain leads the charge against Defense Department bill over abortion

Posted on August 06, 2010
LifeNews: "Senator John McCain fired off the first volley in what is expected to be a fierce battle over the bill to authorize funding for the Defense Department. Because of abortion and other issues, he objected today to September consideration of the legislation...

Tariq Aziz: Obama is ?leaving Iraq to the wolves?

Posted on August 06, 2010
FindLaw (AP): "The man who once served as Saddam Hussein's leading lieutenant has appealed to the United States to extend its presence in Iraq, saying that President Barack Obama is abandoning the country, according to a British newspaper interview published Friday...

14 charged for supporting Somalia terrorist group

Posted on August 06, 2010
Associated Press: "The government announced Thursday that it has charged 14 people as participants in 'a deadly pipeline' to Somalia that routed money and fighters from the United States to the terrorist group al-Shabab."

?Irate Prop. 8 backers say gay judge not impartial?

Posted on August 06, 2010
Sacramento Bee: "After Walker issued a landmark ruling Wednesday that overturned California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage, his detractors took issue with the fact that the judge is gay."

Peter Roff: Is same-sex ?marriage? good for America?

Posted on August 06, 2010
Peter Roff writing at U.S. News & World Report: "The debate over gay marriage is, for some, a case in which government policy is being misused as a way to secure popular validation of a lifestyle to which some people, on moral grounds, strongly object ...

Italian atheists lobby against church bells

Posted on August 05, 2010
Hindustan Times: "An Italian atheist group campaigning for a quiet life called for tighter restrictions on church bells ringing in the Tuscan town of Pisa, after complaints about the noise from locals."

Mozambique study suggests prayer actually heals

Posted on August 05, 2010
AFP: "It's not just any kind of prayer, but 'proximal intercessory prayer', or PIP -- when one or more people pray for someone in that person's presence and often with physical contact -- that was found by a team of doctors, scientists and religious experts to have remarkable results in healing some patients...

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