Church & State articles from December 2003

Church & State archives from December 2003

Federal Religious Liberty Act violates constitution, says court.(In The Capital)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A federal appeals court ruled in November that a U.S. law intended to bolster the religious liberty rights of prison inmates violates the First Amendment principle of church-state separation. In a Nov. 7 decision, a three-judge panel of the...

Supreme Court declines to stop 'spirit of Satan' lawsuit.(In The Capital)
December 1, 2003... An Iowa judge will now decide if the phrase "spirit of Satan" is basis for a slander suit after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene in a dispute at a rural Iowa church. On Oct. 20, the nation's highest court rejected a petition by...

Pro-God resolutions 'spreading like wildfire' in Tennessee.(Around The States)
December 1, 2003... Resolutions that urge citizens to "recognize God as the foundation" of the nation's heritage are "spreading like wildfire" among local officials in Tennessee, according to a promoter of the movement. The resolution was written by Roger D....

Wisconsin seeks reform of school voucher law.(Around The States)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In early November, Wisconsin education officials urged lawmakers to give the state education department more power to ensure that private schools benefiting from a voucher program are doing so responsibly. State Superintendent Elizabeth...

Down for the count: Alabama 'Commandments Judge' Roy Moore loses his seat and his lawsuit.
December 1, 2003... For Judge Roy Moore, it was a devastating one-two punch. Moore, Alabama Supreme Court chief justice and a former kick-boxer, staggered back to his corner in November after two roundhouse blows against him in his Ten Commandments fight: The...

One nation indivisible? 'Under God' case at Supreme Court tests nation's commitment to church-state separation, religious pluralism.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2003... California physician Michael Newdow is well aware that he's not the most popular man in America right now. Newdow's fame--or notoriety, depending on your perspective--began after he successfully brought a lawsuit on behalf of his...

Invocation discrimination: when government officials offer sectarian prayers, a lot of Americans won't say amen.
December 1, 2003... A couple years ago in casual conversation with a friend from church, Cyndi Simpson learned that her county's governing board opened its public meetings with prayers, typically ones referring to Jesus or ending with an "amen." Simpson, a...

The Supreme Court and the pledge case: trouble on the horizon.(Editorials)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... Like it or not, the Supreme Court is going to hear a legal case challenging the use of the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance at public schools. On strictly constitutional grounds, this ought to be an easy decision. The...

Sign of the times: the religious right has arrived in Washington.(Editorials)
December 1, 2003... Anyone who thinks the Religious Right is no longer a potent force in American politics needs to take a look at the front page of the Nov. 6 New York Times. (See page 14.) There, in living color, you will find a large photograph of several...

Religious right leaders join president Bush at bill-signing ceremony.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... The Religious Right's influence with the Bush administration was on full display at a bill-signing ceremony in early November. On Nov. 5 at the Ronald Reagan building, only blocks from the White House, President George W. Bush signed a bill...

Appellate nominee Pryor pledged to defy courts, ex-gov says in affidavit.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... Former Alabama Gov. Forrest H. "Fob" James has released an affidavit asserting that William Pryor agreed to help him defy the federal courts in a dispute over governmental display of the Ten Commandments. The James document, issued Oct....

Georgia can't fund 'faith-based' job bias, says lawsuit settlement.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... Government officials in Georgia have agreed to stop funding sectarian organizations that discriminate on religious grounds when hiring staff, in a bid to settle a lawsuit involving public aid to a Methodist foster care agency. Under the...

Controversial general stays in Pentagon post during investigation.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin will remain in his high-level government post while his controversial remarks about religion and foreign policy are being investigated, Bush administration officials have decided. Boykin came under fire...

Texas ed. board rejects religious right attempt to alter science texts.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... The Texas State Board of Education voted 11-4 to approve a series of biology textbooks in early November, rejecting arguments by Religious Right groups that the books were not suitable for use in state schools because of their favorable...

Bush promotes 'faith-based' initiative at Texas mega-church.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... Despite congressional inaction on his "faith-based" initiative, President George W. Bush continues to promote tax aid to religious social services in appearances around the country. Most recently, Bush spoke at a predominantly black...

Ed Schempp, plaintiff in 1963 school prayer case, dies at age 95.(People & Events)(Obituary)
December 1, 2003... Edward L. Schempp, a long-time activist for church-state separation who played a key role in a crucial 1963 case striking down coercive religious activity in public schools, died Nov. 8 at age 95. In the early 1960s, Schempp and his son...

Intelligent-design prof. under fire at Baylor's church-state institute.(People & Events)
December 1, 2003... Descendants of the man who founded a center for church-state studies at Baylor University are angry that a proponent of the neo-creationist "intelligent design" theory is teaching at the institute and serving as its associate director. ...

One nation under the constitution: why the court should rule against 'under God' in the pledge.(Viewpoint)
December 1, 2003... In early September, my 5-year-old daughter came home from school and showed us how she had learned to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Although she was just beginning her second week of kinder-garten, she demonstrated how she knew all the...

Koran's display at police department raises concerns.(AU Bulletin)
December 1, 2003... Prominent display of a Koran in a New York City police station has provoked concerns about the constitutional separation of religion and government. The police headquarters in Queens installed the Koran atop a glass-encased pedestal in its...

Minnesota allows religious school to open charter.(AU Bulletin)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A publicly funded charter high school will open on the grounds of a Roman Catholic church in Minneapolis next year, despite concerns about church-state separation. Last month, the Minnesota Education Department approved a charter...

Wyoming city votes to move religious display.(AU Bulletin)
December 1, 2003... A Wyoming city council has voted to move a Ten Commandments display from a public park after a virulently anti-gay religious group sought to have a monument celebrating the murder of a gay college student erected nearby. In late October,...

Afghan constitution declares Islam official religion.(Around The World)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A proposed constitution for Afghanistan declares that the country is "an Islamic Republic" and that "the religion of Afghanistan is the sacred religion of Islam." The draft, released Nov. 3, contains no provision separating mosque and...

My debate at Regent U.: 'Clash of the Titans' (and their action figures).(Perspective)
December 1, 2003... Who wouldn't be excited by this opportunity? Television preacher Pat Robertson invited me to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of his Regent University. He wanted me to take part in a debate labeled "Clash of the Titans," a near apocalyptic...