Church & State articles from January 2002

Church & State archives from January 2002

Supreme Court skips Florida graduation prayer case. (In The Capital).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take a case dealing with a North Florida school district that allows seniors to elect a classmate to give a prayer or other "message" at graduation ceremonies. On Dec. 10, the justices without comment...

Mormon Missionaries don't count, high court rules. (In The Capital).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Officials with the U.S. Census Bureau acted lawfully when they refused to count Mormon missionaries living abroad as part of the population of Utah, the courts have ruled. On Nov. 26, the Supreme Court affirmed an appeals court decision...

Controversial NLRB hopeful J. Robert Brame withdraws name from consideration. (In The Capital).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Controversial attorney J. Robert Brame III has asked the White House to withdraw his name from consideration for a slot on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Brame became a contentious choice because of his high-ranking positions...

Creche crusaders lose battle of Lexington Green. (Around The States).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A Massachusetts town may limit creches and other displays on public property, a federal appeals court has ruled. The U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Nov. 29 that Lexington's policy of barring any unattended displays on...

Robertson resigns!(Pat Robertson resigns from the Christian Coalition)
January 1, 2002... A decade after creating a Religious Right political machine, TV preacher Pat Robertson walks away from the Christian Coalition TV preacher Pat Robertson, who created a Religious Right political machine with the Christian Coalition...

Guerillas and bodybags and sharks -- oh my! A short history of Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition.
January 1, 2002... `Nonpartisan' Christian Coalition Formed Robertson announces formation of the Christian Coalition, saying the non-partisan group will work to train Christians to shape government policy and "make government and the media responsive to our...

Monsters, Inc.(Pat Robertson, Charles Taylor)
January 1, 2002... TV preacher Pat Robertson and liberian dictator Charles Taylor are going for the gold together. TV preacher Pat Robertson says he's ending his relationship with the Christian Coalition to "focus on those things that will bring forth the...

Priority mail: why President Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists is still being read by Americans after 200 years. (Cover Story).
January 1, 2002... On New Year's Day, 1802, Baptist minister John Leland arrived at the White House with a present for President Thomas Jefferson. It was a "mammoth cheese," weighing more than 1,200 pounds and accompanied by a placard proclaiming: "The...

The Danbury Baptists' letter and President Jefferson's response. (Special Delivery).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Danbury (Conn.) Baptist Association wrote to Thomas Jefferson to outline its members' concerns about religious liberty on Oct. 7, 1801. Jefferson replied on New Year's Day, 1802, in a famous response that asserts the importance of the "wall...

Is America finally rid of Robertson? (Editorials).(Pat Robertson)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2002... Put away the champagne. TV preacher Pat Robertson's recent announcement that he is cutting his ties to the Christian Coalition is significant, but no one should think it spells the end of the Religious Right in America. Robertson founded...

2002: Bills In Congress to watch out for. (Editorials).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 1, 2002... When Congress returns from its recess this month, lawmakers are expected to pick up where they left off: considering dangerous legislation that undermines church-state separation. President George W. Bush's "faith-based initiative" will...

Bush administration, pro-voucher groups Bombard High Court with briefs in Ohio case. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Bush administration and an array of allied religious and political groups have filed legal briefs with the Supreme Court, asking the justices to uphold voucher aid to religious schools. The administration brief, filed last month in a...

Federal Appeals Court overturns Louisiana school prayer law. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A Louisiana law requiring public schools to set aside time each day for spoken prayer by students and teachers violates the constitutional separation of church and state, a federal appeals court ruled Dec. 11. In a 3-0 ruling, the U.S. 5th...

Official prayer service may lead nation `back to God,' says DeLay. (People & Events).(Rep Tom DeLay)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) hopes that a "National Day of Reconciliation" prayer service held at the U.S. Capitol Dec. 4 will give Congress an opportunity to "lead the nation back to God." Appearing on TV preacher Pat...

Bush promotes divisive `faith-based initiative'. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... President George W. Bush continues to press the Senate to pass his controversial "faith-based initiative," indicating that the proposal will become a strong legislative priority for the White House this year. Appearing at a town hall...

Mayor banishes Satan from Florida town. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Residents of Inglis, Fla., can sleep easier at night: By official proclamation of the mayor, Satan is officially banished from the community. Mayor Carolyn Risher wrote the proclamation Halloween night. It reads in part, "Be it known from...

FRC launches attack comparing Daschle to Saddam Hussein. (People & Events).(Sen Tom Daschle)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A political action committee affiliated with the Family Research Council (FRC) has placed ads in South Dakota newspapers comparing Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The ad, sponsored by American...

`Take back our land,' Alabama's Judge Moore urges Christian rally. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The United States was founded to be a Christian nation, and it's time Christians "take back our land," Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore told a crowd of 3,000 supporters in Chattanooga, Tenn., recently. Speaking at a Dec. 2...

Religious Right joins Muslims, other faiths at `Family Congress'. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Religious Right organizations in the United States are continuing their drive to link arms with fundamentalist Muslims and other faith groups to advocate internationally for "pro-family" positions on education, reproductive rights, population...

Confidence-breaking clergy can't be sued, N.Y. court finds. (AU Bulletin).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Two New York rabbis who revealed personal information about a congregant cannot be held financially responsible for breaking confidence, according to the state's high court. In a unanimous ruling Nov. 27, the judges concluded in Lightman v....

Groups appeal decision upholding `faith-based' bias. (AU Bulletin).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Two civil liberties groups plan to appeal a federal district court decision allowing a publicly funded Baptist youth agency to discriminate in hiring on religious grounds. In October 1998, the Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children (KBHC)...

Pakistan closes hundreds of Islamist schools. (Around the World).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The Pakistani government is closing down hundreds of Muslim seminaries that provide military training to their young students. In December, the Ministry for Religious Affairs told reporters that the government had ordered all four...

Robertson's adieu: is the Religious Right really dead this time? (Perspective).(Pat Robertson)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... My first television appearance with the Rev. Pat Robertson in almost seven years occurred the morning after Robertson officially announced he was resigning as president of the Christian Coalition. The religious broadcaster had unexpectedly...