Church & State articles from December 2006

Church & State archives from December 2006

Abstinence programs may target adults, says Bush admin.(IN THE CAPITAL)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... In another effort to please its Religious Right constituency, the Bush administration has announced new guidelines allowing federally funded abstinence-education campaigns to target adults. In late October, USA Today reported that the...

'Christian nation' video removed from Calif. city channel.(AROUND THE STATES)('WallBuilders')(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A city government in California has dropped television broadcasts of videos produced by a Religious Right outfit that claims the First Amendment does not call for a separation of church and state. In October, El Cajon City Manager Kathi...

Air Force Academy case will be appealed.(AROUND THE STATES)(Mikey Weinstein's case of civil rights)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A federal judge has tossed aside a lawsuit charging the Air Force Academy with allowing cadets to be evangelized by staff and superiors, but plaintiffs in the case say the action will be appealed. U.S. District Judge James A. Parker...

Michigan school board flunks 'intelligent design'.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Michigan State Board of Education has taken a stand for sound science education by ensuring that "intelligent design" may not be taught in the state's biology courses. The state school board voted 8-0 in early October to block...

Loss of faith: ex-White House staffer David Kuo's book exposes the many sins of the Bush 'faith-based' initiative.
December 1, 2006... When former White House faith-based office staffer David Kuo wrote a tell-all book recounting how the Bush administration used the "faith-based" initiative to shill for votes among religious conservatives, he might have thought he was doing...

Right-wing meltdown: Religious Right church politicking scheme fails, as many of the movement's allies go down to defeat in the election.
December 1, 2006... As he surveyed the wreckage of the 2006 midterm election, Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins struggled to put a good face on what had by all accounts been a disastrous night for the Religious Right. Several Religious...

Pentacle quest: Americans United brings legal action to halt discrimination against Wiccans by veterans administration.(Roberta Stewart's case against U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for memorial plaque)
December 1, 2006... When U.S. soldier Sgt. Patrick Stewart died in combat in Afghanistan, it was a life-shattering experience for his wife Roberta and the Stewart family. When the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) then refused to honor her husband with...

Election reflection: what now for the church-state wall?(Editorial)
December 1, 2006... It was gratifying to see the American people reject church-based electioneering Nov. 7. Efforts by the Religious Right to build church-based political machines to elect favored candidates fared quite badly on Election Day. The defeats of...

O'Connor's law: church-state separation has served us well.(Sandra Day O'Connor )
December 1, 2006... Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has always been plain spoken. A few weeks ago, she offered some blunt words about the relationship between religion and government. "I do think we're lucky in this country," she said. "We...

Bush appears on Robertson's '700 Club' in pre-election bid.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(George W. Bush)(Pat Robertson)
December 1, 2006... Desperate to shore up Religious Right voters in advance of the elections, President George W. Bush granted what was described as an "exclusive" interview with TV preacher Pat Robertson's "700 Club" Nov. 1. Bush sat down for a chat in the...

Colorado charter law funds religious schools, says Denver newspaper.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
December 1, 2006... An investigation by the Denver Post has uncovered several examples of tax funds flowing to religious schools through Colorado's charter school law. The newspaper reported that Hope Co-Op Online Learning Academy, a charter school approved...

Plaintiff in cross case dies, but challenge in Calif. will go on.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Philip K. Paulson)
December 1, 2006... Philip K. Paulson, a Vietnam veteran who led a spirited 17-year legal battle to remove a towering cross from government land in San Diego, died Oct. 25 at age 59. Paulson, whose case generated significant controversy and even congressional...

Romney appeal for Mormon Church help raises tax questions.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Mitt Romney)
December 1, 2006... Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is laying the groundwork for a run at the White House in 2008, and already one aspect of his campaign has sparked controversy: his aggressive outreach to officials with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day...

Justice Dept. drops 'single-faith' prison plan after AU complaint.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United)
December 1, 2006... The U.S. Justice Department has cancelled a proposal for "single-faith" prison programs in the wake of an Americans United complaint that the scheme was unconstitutional. Earlier this year, the Justice Department said it was seeking prison...

AU files complaints with IRS about illegal church electioneering.(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Editorial)
December 1, 2006... In the run-up to the election, Americans United filed seven complaints with the Internal Revenue Service dealing with improper church electioneering. Through Project Fair Play, AU educates churches about federal tax law provisions...

New tax law brings new ways to donate to AU, other non-profits.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Pension Protection Act of 2006)(Americans United )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Earlier this year, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 became law. This is good news for many Americans United donors--and for the non-profit organizations they support. Starting immediately, donors older than 70 and one-half years of age...

Calif. school cancels plans for transcendental meditation.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A California public school has dumped plans for a meditation class for students amid concerns from parents that it would be promoting religion. Terra Linda High School in San Rafael was preparing to offer students instruction on...

Quebec orders religious schools to teach sex ed.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Some evangelical Christian schools in a Canadian province are facing closure for failing to teach sex education and evolution. Quebec's ministry of education announced in late October that a number of evangelical schools are in violation of...

Why we need separation: exhibit A.(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... Thank you for printing the "Viewpoint" by Gary B. Christenot, the evangelical Christian whose experience at a high school football game invocation in Hawaii so clearly illustrates the need to keep church and state separate. ("Why I'm Against...

How the rest of us feel.(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... The October 2006 Viewpoint by Gary Christenot ("Why I'm Against Pre-Game Prayers") is a typical example--from my experience--of Christian arrogance and ignorance. Many Christians automatically assume that everybody is Christian and are then...

Corrupting the church.(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... As a subscriber to Church & State, I have read many letters and articles by commentators, all bearing on this basic point: when the church gets entangled with the state, it is the church that suffers--and is likely to become corrupted as a...

Show me the (faith-based) money!(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... As a citizen and taxpayer, I deserve to know how many "faith-based" dollars are going to which religious groups and for what. The money should not just disappear into a black hole, because it could be used for other purposes such as political...

Falling from grace: partisan prophets plummeted at the polls.(PERSPECTIVE)
December 1, 2006... Just over six weeks ago, the Rev. Jerry Falwell told a group of pastors at a breakfast in Washington, D.C., that they should have no worries about a Democratic takeover of Congress. Falwell assured the crowd that the Republicans would remain in...