Church & State articles from February 2006

Church & State archives from February 2006

Supreme Court skips Parochial School aid case.(IN THE CAPITAL)(American Jewish Congress v. Corporation for National Services)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to intervene in a controversy over a federally funded program that supports teachers at religious schools. In early January, the justices refused without comment to review American Jewish Congress v....

Muslims meet with FBI over monitoring.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Federal Bureau of Investigation )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... High-ranking officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation have sought to address concerns from American Muslims over the agency's secret monitoring program of Islamic groups. In December, U.S. News & World Report disclosed the...

Justice Dept. backs church college aid in Colorado.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Bush administration is helping an evangelical Christian university in Colorado fight for state funding. In December, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief on behalf of Colorado Christian University in its lawsuit challenging the...

Illinois Gov. promises $1 million to burned church.(AROUND THE STATES)(Rod Blagojevich)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has proposed spending $1 million in public funds to help restore a Chicago church that was destroyed by fire. Blagojevich defended his proposal against complaints that it would violate the separation of church...

Victory in Dover! Federal Court unmasks the Genesis of 'intelligent design'--and the lies that helped bring it into Pennsylvania public schools.
February 1, 2006... Hours after a federal judge in Pennsylvania struck down a school board policy mandating instruction about "intelligent design" in a public school science class, parent Tammy Kitzmiller faced a bank of microphones to address the media. As...

The 'intelligent design' decision: America's Newspapers Speak Out: newspapers across America commented on U.S District Court Judge John E. Jones' ruling in the Dover, Pa., 'intelligent design' controversy. Here are excerpts from some of those editorials.(Pennsylvania)(Excerpt)
February 1, 2006... ID: Religious At Its Core Advocates of intelligent design don't talk about God, and they use scientific-sounding language. But Judge Jones's opinion, all 139 pages of it, makes abundantly clear that intelligent design--which posits that...

California schemin': an El Tejon soccer coach tried to smuggle creationism into her 'philosophy' classroom, but alert local parents blew the whistle.(Sharon Lemburg, Frazier Mountain High School)
February 1, 2006... California resident Kenneth Hurst was shocked when his children brought home a document describing some new course offerings at Frazier Mountain High School in Lebec. Among the listings was a course called "Philosophy of Intelligent...

Middle East offensive: TV preacher Pat Robertson draws worldwide scorn for comments on ailing Israeli Prime Minister.(Ariel Sharon )
February 1, 2006... Pat Robertson has done it again. Despite gaffe after gaffe that have yanked the TV preacher into religious and political controversy, Robertson keeps venturing into rhetorical excess. His latest excursion drew national and international...

Unintelligent debate: time to leave behind the ID Twilight Zone.(intelligent design)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Always on shaky ground scientifically, advocates of the intelligent-design movement officially entered the Twilight Zone after a federal court ruled against them in Dover, Pa. It looks like they'll be taking up permanent residence there. ...

Dr. Foy Valentine: a strong advocate for freedom and justice.(Editorial)(Obituary)
February 1, 2006... Longtime Americans United activist Dr. Foy Valentine died Jan. 7 at a Dallas hospital after suffering a severe heart attack. He was 82. Dr. Valentine was one of those rare individuals who dedicated his entire life to defending the rights of...

Religious right, Santorum sing praises of Alito at Phila. Church rally.(Rick Santorum, Philadelphia, Samuel Alito )
February 1, 2006... Religious Right groups sponsored a nationally televised rally Jan. 8 to press for the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito Jr., insisting his vote on the high court will help reverse judicial decisions upholding church-state...

Alito testimony on church-state relations fails to persuade experts.(Samuel A. Alito)
February 1, 2006... The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Judge Samuel A. Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court wrapped up Jan. 12, with little new light shed on the conservative jurist's views on church-state relations. Alito's track record on the...

Minister says group blessed chairs before Alito confirmation hearings.(Samuel A. Alito, Rev. Rob Schenck)
February 1, 2006... A trio of Religious Right activists was so concerned about Judge Samuel A. Alito's confirmation hearings that they slipped into the hearing room hours before the event got under way and blessed all of the chairs with holy oil. The Rev. Rob...

Florida High Court strikes down state's school voucher plan.(eduction vouchers)
February 1, 2006... Florida's Supreme Court struck down the state's voucher program Jan. 5, declaring the scheme a violation of state constitutional provisions. The Florida high court, voting 5-2, struck down the state's "Opportunity Scholarship Program,"...

Governors advocate teaching 'intelligent design' in public school science classes.(Kentucky, Texas, Florida)
February 1, 2006... The governors of Kentucky, Texas and Florida have recently advocated teaching "intelligent design" in public schools. Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher first raised the issuing during a state-of-the-commonwealth address Jan. 9. "What is...

Indiana legislators resist court ruling on chamber prayers.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... State legislators in Indiana are angrily vowing to challenge a federal court ruling striking down the practice of sectarian prayers before the state House of Representatives. The ruckus began in November, when U.S. District Judge David F....

Bush announces support for separation of church and state--in Iraqi Constitution.(George W. Bush)
February 1, 2006... Since his inauguration in 2001, President George W. Bush has sought to undermine the separation of church and state at every turn, promoting "faith-based" initiatives, advocating religious-school vouchers and lauding the teaching of intelligent...

Relief workers accused of seeking converts in Muslim Indonesia.(Samaritan's Purse, Christian organization)
February 1, 2006... Fundamentalist Christian relief workers who traveled to Indonesia to help rebuild the country after the devastating 2004 tsunami have been accused of inflaming interfaith tensions in the region by secretly targeting Muslims for conversion. ...

Texas District adopts fundamentalist bible curriculum.(Ector County Independent School District)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A Texas public school district has garnered nationwide attention for adopting a controversial and constitutionally suspect course on the Bible. In late December, the board of trustees for the Ector County Independent School District voted...

Oregon archbishop resists church property ruling.(John Vlazny)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A Roman Catholic archbishop in Oregon says he will resist a federal bankruptcy court ruling that may subject church property to sale. In late December, Bankruptcy Judge Elizabeth Perris held that Catholic diocesan property, including...

Taliban influence grows in Afghanistan.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A human rights group reports that the Taliban is regaining influence in Afghanistan. In late December, Human Rights Watch released a report on the resurgence of sorts of the Taliban, which before the American invasion in late 2001 ruled...

Church's political role debated in Philippines.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Top politicians in the Philippines have criticized an effort by the Catholic bishops to have greater control over legislation. House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles rebuffed a call from Archbishop Fernando Capalla for an official forum...

Class dismissed!: How the AU team tackled ID in California.(Americans United for Separation of Church and State, intelligent design)
February 1, 2006... Legal victories generally take many years to achieve, but on rare occasions they come swiftly. Court decisions are often based on important, but technical, matters that seem far removed from the daily interests of most people, but sometimes...