Church & State articles from January 2005

Church & State archives from January 2005

Americans worry about political influence of religion.(In The Capital)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Americans are increasingly concerned over religion's involvement with politics, according to a recent public opinion poll. A USA Today/CNN/Gallup survey found that 48 percent of respondents believe religion has too much influence on...

Abstinence education misleads students, report finds.(In The Capital)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A congressional report says the federal government's abstinence-only programs include bogus health information. The report, issued by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), concludes that abstinence-only programs contain "false, misleading or...

Charter schools don't meet standards, says DOE study.(In The Capital)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A U.S. Department of Education (DOE) study shows charter schools lagging behind public schools in meeting state performance standards. "In five case-study states, charter schools are less likely to meet state performance standards than...

'Intelligent design' challenged in Pa. public school.(Around The States)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Americans Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania are challenging in federal court the promotion of "intelligent design" in public school classrooms. In October, Pennsylvania's...

Power play: resurgent religious right ready to push theocratic agenda in upcoming congress.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... The day after the Nov. 2 election, Bob Jones III, president of Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., felt moved to write to President George W. Bush. Jones, a Christian fundamentalist whose school earned notoriety in the 1980s for...

Faith-based frenzy: religious right wish list for Congress includes church funding, court stripping, a federal marriage amendment and more.
January 1, 2005... In the wake of November's elections, James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, is convinced that America is clamoring for a "faith-based" initiative now more than ever. President George W....

Mission impossible: U.S. Constitution does not allow government to give 'faith-based' funding to catholic churches in California, says Americans United lawsuit.
January 1, 2005... On Feb. 28, 1811, President James Madison vetoed a bill granting a parcel of land in the Mississippi territory to a Baptist church. In a message to the House of Representatives, Madison, considered the Father of the Constitution, said the...

Declaration deceit: the truth about the ADF's attack on public schools.(Editorials)(Editorial)
January 1, 2005... On first hearing, the stories coming out of Cupertino, Calif., last month certainly sounded outrageous. A public school teacher named Stephen Williams says he was told to stop teaching about the Declaration of Independence in his...

Defending the wall: on church, state and the 109th Congress.(Editorials)
January 1, 2005... Religious Right organizations have big plans for the new Congress. Still peddling the myth that "values voters" re-elected President George W. Bush (despite much evidence to the contrary), Religious Right leaders are demanding quick action...

Top Republicans send greetings to Moon at D.C. event.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... Former U.S. senator Robert Dole (R-Kan.) spoke at a recent gathering sponsored by followers of controversial Korean evangelist Sun Myung Moon in Washington, D.C. Former President George H.W. Bush sent videotaped remarks to the Dec. 13...

Permit commandments displays, Bush lawyers tell Supreme Court.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... Attorneys with the Bush administration are urging the Supreme Court to permit government-sponsored displays of the Ten Commandments. In a legal brief filed in December, U.S. Justice Department lawyer Paul Clement argued that Commandments...

Scalia escalates attacks on church-state separation at New York conference.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... America's Founding Fathers did not use the phrase "separation of church and state" and intended for religion to always play a role in government, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told a New York City audience in late November. Speaking...

Shiites close ranks in advance of Iraqi national elections.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... Hoping to magnify their political impact, members of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority have backed a slate of candidates for the upcoming national elections and are issuing statements calling voting a "religious and national duty." Iraqis will...

Evangelistic Tracts to flood Pentagon.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... The American Tract Society has developed a closer relationship with the Pentagon, and according to the Religion News Service, has plans to supply its chaplains' office with hundreds of thousands of evangelistic pamphlets in the next year. ...

School voucher battle expected to erupt in Texas legislature.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... Frustrated voucher proponents in Texas are exploring new avenues to bring taxpayer support for private religious education to the Lone Star State. For years, voucher bills have been introduced in the state legislature, but none have...

Calif. teacher's claims about declaration ban are dubious, says AU.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... A California public school teacher's claim that he has been denied the right to teach about the Declaration of Independence in the classroom because it contains a reference to the "Creator" is dubious, says Americans United. Lawyers at...

All in the family: former Christian Coalition official sues group.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... The Christian Coalition's former human resources director and legislative consultant is suing the organization, claiming it has cheated him out of more than $123,000 in back pay. Tracy E. Ammons says he was promised $6,000 a month for his...

Government minister in Italy seeks to form European religious right.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... An Italian government official who was denied a slot as a European Union commissioner after he made comments critical of gays is launching a new Religious Right-style organization. Recto Buttiglione was nominated to be EU Commissioner for...

Child-molesting priests often get special treatment, investigation shows.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... A year-long investigation by The Dallas Morning News shows that Roman Catholic priests accused of child molestation are often given special treatment by law enforcement officials, and in some cases foreign-born clerics have been allowed to flee...

Progressive faith leaders regroup, look to future.(People & Events)
January 1, 2005... Religious leaders who mounted an unsuccessful bid to resurrect progressive values in the 2004 elections say they refuse to yield the "moral high ground" to conservative Christians who helped President Bush win a second term. According to...

AmeriCorps program shouldn't promote religion, AU argues.(Around The States)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged a federal appeals court to rule against a publicly funded AmeriCorps program that allows teachers to offer religious instruction at sectarian schools. The AmeriCorps program...

Bills let pharmacists refuse birth control prescriptions.(Around The States)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... A growing number of states are considering laws that allow pharmacists to deny birth control prescriptions based on their religious objections. In early November, USA Today reported that several states are moving to permit pharmacists who...

Sen. Santorum benefits from charter school aid.(Around The States)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) removed his five children from an online charter school in Pennsylvania after questions were raised about taxpayer support of their tuition. In mid November, a Penn Hills School Board member called on Santorum to...

Vatican warns United Nations of 'Christianophobia'.(Around The World)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2005... In its ongoing campaign to become more involved in politics, the Vatican has urged the United Nations to recognize something called "Christianophobia." In early December, The Daily Telegraph of London reported that Archbishop Giovanni...

Spirit of St. Louis: Missouri AU chapter celebrates its 50th.(Perspective)(Column)
January 1, 2005... It is nice to know that some Americans United chapters are eligible to receive their AARP cards in the mail, just as I did a few years ago. This includes the one in St. Louis, Mo., which recently celebrated over a half century of activity. ...