Church & State articles from February 2008

Church & State archives from February 2008

Rep. Jones plans new push for church electioneering.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Rep. Walter Jones)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A North Carolina congressman has announced plans to again try to alter federal tax law to allow church endorsement of candidates. U.S. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) told Cybercast News Service in January that the Internal Revenue Code's ban on...

AU Protests proselytism at South Carolina schools.(AROUND THE STATES)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged two South Carolina public school districts to stop a Baptist ministry from performing foot-washing rituals on students as part of a shoe giveaway. After receiving complaints...

Texas moment-of-silence law upheld by federal court.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A federal court has upheld a moment-of-silence law in Texas against a First Amendment challenge. In early January, U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn found the measure constitutional despite the action of state lawmakers who in 2003...

Bible handout at Mo. school struck down.(AROUND THE STATES)(Missouri)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A federal judge has again ruled against a Gideons Bible distribution at a Missouri public school. Since 2005, the Board of Directors of South Iron R-1 School District has fought to continue to allow Gideons International representatives to...

Presidential candidates are professing their faith--and plundering the pews--in an unprecedented altar call for votes.(CAMPAIGN 2008: THE JESUS FACTOR)
February 1, 2008... Although no one realized it at the time, a defining moment of modern American politics occurred on Dec. 13, 1999. Six Republican hopefuls met for a debate that evening at the Des Moines Civic Center. During the event, moderator John Bachman of...

'First freedom first' offers 10 church-state questions to ask the candidates.(PRESIDENTIAL POP QUIZ)
February 1, 2008... This year's crop of presidential hopefuls has talked about where they go to church, how they interpret the Bible, what they pray for and other spiritual matters. But where do they stand on crucial religious freedom issues like "faithbased"...

One woman's fight: how an Illinois mom took a stand against coercive religion in public schools--and made church-state history.
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the fall of 1943, Vashti McCollum was working to juggle college, a marriage and three young boys' lives. The Champaign, Ill., morn was taken aback one day when her oldest son, Jim, asked her to sign a permission...

60 years of controversy: what the Supreme Court has ruled on religion in public schools--and why.
February 1, 2008... The U.S. Supreme Court has been grappling with the role of religion in public education for six decades now. At the risk of oversimplifying, the high court has tended to strike down programs of schoolsponsored or coercive religious activity...

Back-door politicking by tax-exempt croups roises red flags.(EDITORIALS)
February 1, 2008... The Internal Revenue Service has stepped up its warnings to tax-exempt houses of worship to stay out of partisan politics. Yet it seems some people still aren't getting that message--or have chosen to ignore it. The Texas Freedom Network...

McCollum at sixty: Illinois decision paved the way for individual freedom.(EDITORIALS)
February 1, 2008... The proper role of religion in public education has long vexed Americans. In a country of increasing diversity, how can we best ensure that young people from many faiths and none are educated without sectarian strife? One way we do that is...

Pat Robertson declines election prediction for fear of Rooney Razz.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
February 1, 2008... TV preacher Pat Robertson says God told him who's going to win the 2008 presidential election--but he won't say because he's afraid "60 Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney will make fun of him. Speaking on his "700 Club" Jan. 2, Robertson...

Ex-Utah governor sought to bring Mormon ideas into government.(Mike Leavitt)
February 1, 2008... Former Utah governor Mike Leavitt held meetings with his advisers in 1996 to plot ways to bring "just and holy" principles from the Book of Mormon into government, the Salt Lake Tribune reported recently. The sessions took place in the...

Ga. reconstructionist pleads guilty to perjury in sex-scandal lawsuit.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Earl Paulk Jr.)
February 1, 2008... A Georgia minister tied to the radical Christian Reconstructionist movement has admitted he lied under oath about a sexual relationship he had with his brother's wife. Earl Paulk Jr., formerly pastor of Chapel Hill Harvester Church in...

'In God We Trust' moved to more prominent spot on presidential dollars.
February 1, 2008... Responding to complaints from the Religious Right, Congress has passed legislation mandating that the phrase "In God We Trust" be moved from the edge to the back or front of the new presidential dollar coins. President George W. Bush...

Science academy urges public schools to omit creationism.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
February 1, 2008... The nation's most prestigious scientific organization has issued a new booklet reminding teachers, parents and students of the importance of learning about evolution, stating forthrightly that creationism is a religious view that should not be...

Senator's inquiry into 'prosperity' preachers gets mixed results.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Charles E. Grassley )
February 1, 2008... U.S. Sen. Charles E. Grassley's request for information from six large ministries that preach the "prosperity gospel" has produced mixed results: Two have turned over information, two have asked for more time and two say they won't comply. ...

Few churches accept public funds, survey finds, but bush crusade coes on.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
February 1, 2008... A new survey indicates that while most houses of worship in the United States provide social services, only a few are seeking government grants to fund them. The study, "American Congregations and Social Service Programs," was released by...

Constitutional caveat: Jesus is his savior, but he doesn't want to read it from the back of a patrol car.(VIEWPOINT)(M. Reza Salami)(Reprint)
February 1, 2008... Just so you know, says M. Reza Salami, the North Carolina A&T University professor who challenged the appropriateness of a "Jesus" sign in a sheriff deputy's patrol car, he likes Christmas. And he voted twice for George W. Bush, even...

N.D. teacher suspended for 'letter from hell'.(AU BULLETIN)(North Dakota)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A teacher at a North Dakota public school has been disciplined for showing eighth-graders a fundamentalist Christian video. The Bismarck School Board and Superintendent Paul Johnson issued a letter of reprimand and suspended without pay a...

Muslim footbaths create legal issue, says AU.(AU BULLETIN)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Officials at the University of Michigan at Dearborn should drop plans to install special foot-washing stations for Muslim students, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged. In a letter to university officials,...

Kentucky ministers lose occupational tax exemption.(AU BULLETIN)
February 1, 2008... Under pressure from a lawsuit and new state legislation, officials in a Kentucky county have agreed to stop extending an occupational tax break to ministers. Boone County Judge Executive Gary Moore said in December that clergy would lose...

Muslim clergy in Afghanistan seek missionary ban.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A group of fundamentalist Muslims has warned of dire consequences if the government of Afghanistan does not bar the work of foreign missionary groups. The Islamic Council sent a letter to President Hamid Karzai urging him to prevent...

Thou shalt not mix religion and politics: my sunday sermon at the 'church of the presidents'.(PERSPECTIVE)
February 1, 2008... For just a brief moment, I felt like the president of the United States giving a press conference. After all, as I looked out at the crowd I was preparing to address, there in the first row sat Helen Thomas! Helen is the pioneering woman...