Church & State articles from February 2009

Church & State archives from February 2009

Religious diversity in Congress rises, says survey.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Religious diversity in Congress has increased, keeping in line with the nation's general population, according to a survey by the Pew Forum. The survey shows that U.S. senators and representatives from the 111th Congress, just sworn into...

U.S. Supreme Court declines Va. council prayer case.(IN THE CAPITAL)
February 1, 2009... The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 12 declined to intervene in a case that upholds a city council's policy of requiring any prayers before government meetings be nondenominational. The Fredericksburg, Va., city council, in enforcing this...

Bush healthcare rules spark controversy.(IN THE CAPITAL)(George W. Bush)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Bush administration, in its last days, issued new regulations that critics say put religious views ahead of healthcare needs. The controversial regulations, which will cost more than $44 million to implement, were sought by conservative...

Texas science proposal omits creationism.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... A draft curriculum proposal for Texas's public school science standards leaves out creationist code language, pleasing scientists and watchdog groups, including Americans United. The debate over the standards has been ongoing for several...

Capitol crime: religious right spreads lies about new Congressional Visitor Center.
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For years, visitors to the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., had to take their chances with the weather. The demands of security and the press of tourists meant that visitors eager to see the Capitol might...

Cross purposes: in a bid to keep religious symbols on public land, anti-separationist forces have declared the Christian cross to be secular.(Cover story)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fifty-five years ago, a 43-foot Latin cross was dedicated to "Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" during a religious ceremony on a hill in San Diego. Unveiled on Easter Sunday, the towering emblem serves as a site...

State board of education.(Cartoon)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN THE INTEREST OF SCIENCE, SOMEONE SHOULD RIGOROUSLY TEST AND STUDY HOW MERELY MENTIONING THE "E WORD" CAUSES SOME BOARD MEMBERS TO DEVOLVE! [c] 2007 FLORIDA TODAY caglecartoons.com

Plate full of hate?: South Carolina rally unleashes intolerance.(Editorial)
February 1, 2009... Americans United's legal action against South Carolina's "Christian" license plate has brought out the worst in some people. At a Jan. 6 rally at the People's Baptist Church in the town of Greet, more than 400 people gathered to protest a...

Federal court refuses to block prayers at Obama Presidential inauguration.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Barack Obama)
February 1, 2009... Ruling days before the inauguration of President Barack Obama, a federal court refused to block prayers and the use of the phrase "so help me, God" during the swearing-in ceremony. The case was brought by Michael Newdow, an atheist activist...

Obama transition team deliberates future of 'faith-based' initiative.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Barack Obama)
February 1, 2009... Staffers with the transition team of President Barack Obama have been meeting with various religious and public policy organizations as they hash out the future of the "faith-based" initiative. Obama has already stated that the office will...

Religious Right groups intervene in election of GOP chairman.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
February 1, 2009... In the wake of a disastrous election night in November, officials and members of the Republican Party considered hiring a new leader--and Religious Right groups were in the thick of the action. The party's poor showing at the polls left...

Military does not have to compensate retiree for religious work, says court.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
February 1, 2009... A federal appeals court has ruled that a military retiree has no constitutional right to be compensated by the federal government for work he did as a youth pastor, in a case an Americans United attorney helped argue. The 6th U.S. Circuit...

Overturn Prop. 8 vote, AU and other groups advise Calif. high court.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United asks California Supreme Court to nullify Proposition 8)
February 1, 2009... Americans United has joined a legal brief asking the California Supreme Court to nullify Proposition 8, a November ballot measure engineered by the Religious Right that banned same-sex marriage in the state. The friend-of-the-court brief,...

New Louisiana guidelines may invite creationist ideas into public school classes.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
February 1, 2009... A state education board in Louisiana has approved guidelines that critics say open the door to the teaching of creationism and "intelligent design" (ID) in science classes. Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted...

California Supreme Court rules on property rights.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Breakaway congregations do not have property rights over church buildings, according to a California Supreme Court ruling. The case involved three Southern California churches, St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long...

States move close to Constitutional Convention call.(AROUND THE STATES)(Virginia)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Virginia may be added to the list of states calling for a Constitutional Convention, an event critics say would open the door for a rewrite of the Constitution and put civil liberties at risk. Virginia Sen. Emmett Hanger said he intends to...

Church grants blocked in Louisiana.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... A federal judge's 2007 decision barring payment of taxpayer-funded grants to two Louisiana churches has led to a settlement agreement between the American Civil Liberties Union and the state. The ACLU's Louisiana chapter dropped its suit...

Iraq fails to protect religious minorities, says report.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Iraqi government needs to take more action to protect religious minorities, according to a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. A majority of the commissioners designated Iraq as a "country of particular...

In your face(book)!: using social networks to spread AU's mission.(PERSPECTIVE)
February 1, 2009... Barack Obama--our newly inaugurated president if you have not been following the news--has 3,714,051 friends. I have 131 friends. How do I know this with such precision? I learned it from Facebook. Facebook is a social networking site on...