Church & State articles from January 2009

Church & State archives from January 2009

Court skips Mich. public school candy cane case.(IN THE CAPITAL)(United States Supreme Court )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to intervene in a case dealing with the distribution of religious messages by a Michigan public school student. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Curry v. Hensinger that the school acted...

Atheists sue over Kentucky God mandate.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A Kentucky statute that declares the state's reliance on "Almighty God" for protection against security threats has been challenged by an atheist group. The 2006 state law creating the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security listed its...

Tax-exempt status for televangelist's jet denied.(AROUND THE STATES)(Kenneth Copeland)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A $3.6 million jet owned by Texas television preacher Kenneth Copeland has been denied tax-exempt status by county officials, opening up a possible investigation into the ministry's expenses. The application to receive the exemption...

Texas school board member assails public ed. in book.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A member of the Texas Board of Education is under fire for publishing a book that attacks public education as "tyrannical" and a threat to "devout, Bible-believing Christians." In One Nation Under God, Cynthia Dunbar, a Republican from...

No license to discriminate! Federal court blocks issuance of South Carolina's 'Christian' license plate in AU-sponsored lawsuit.(Cover story)
January 1, 2009... During the past few months, Dr. Tom Summers has spent much of his free time advocating against South Carolina's government-endorsed "Christian" license plate. It hasn't been an easy task, considering the popularity of the plates in some...

Church, state and president Obama: with '9 in '09' project, Americans United presses new administration to repair Bush damage to church-state wall.
January 1, 2009... On July 1, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, then the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee for president, traveled to Zanesville, Ohio, to give a major speech on "faith-based" initiatives. Many advocates of church-state separation were on the edge...

Candorville.(Cartoon)
January 1, 2009... REVEREND WILFRED, THE OBAMA PEOPLE CAME TO SEE ME LAST NIGHT. THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW PASTOR AND ASKED ME ABOUT YOU. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DID YOU TELL THEM I'M A PATRIOT WHO'S NEVER SAID A BAD WORD ABOUT AMERICA? SORT OF. ...

Obama and the religious right: hardliners are blasting the new administration, but some evangelicals want dialogue.
January 1, 2009... Religious Right organizations attacked Barack Obama without stop during the campaign and haven't let up since Nov. 4--but not all evangelicals are hostile to the new president. Some evangelical leaders, in fact, met with Obama during the...

The court and the cross: scholar examines religious right attempt to remake the Supreme Court.(Interview)
January 1, 2009... Frederick Lane is an author and professional lecturer on civil liberties issues. His recent book, The Court and the Cross: The Religious Right's Crusade to Reshape the Supreme Court, examines efforts by fundamentalist Christian political groups...

President Barack Obama and church-state separation: an opportunity for change.(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... How will President Barack Obama interpret the separation of church and state? A clue can perhaps be found in a speech he delivered on June 28, 2006, at a Call to Renewal conference. Obama was not a declared candidate for president at...

Arizona school voucher scheme violates state constitution, Americans United advises court.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged the Arizona Supreme Court to strike down two voucher programs that direct tax dollars into religious and other private schools, asserting that they run afoul of the state...

Vatican officials can be sued over molestation scandal, federal appeals court rules.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... A recent decision by a U.S. appeals court opens the door to lawsuits against the Vatican over Roman Catholic priests who have committed sexual abuse. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in November that the Vatican can be held...

Atheist holiday sign stolen during winter solstice battle in Washington state.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... A sign erected by an atheist group at the Legislative Building in Olympia, Wash., was stolen and tossed into a ditch as a nasty ruckus broke out over the display of religious symbols and signs at the state capital. The sign had been put up...

Religious right's role in GOP questioned after November electoral defeats.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... The poor performance of the Republican Party in November's election has led several pundits and commentators to engage in soul searching, with some asserting that it's time to end the party's close ties to the Religious Right. Conservative...

Minnesota church battles IRS audit over politicking and questionable expenditures.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... A Minnesota church is locked in a battle with the Internal Revenue Service over allegations of improper expenditures--a spat that grew out of complaints over partisan politicking. The IRS has requested financial records and notes from board...

Catholic priests tell Obama voters they must confess their 'sin' before communion.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... Stories have come to light since the election of Roman Catholic priests telling congregants who voted for Barack Obama that they need to go to confession before they can receive Communion. In Greenville, S.C., the Rev. Jay Scott Newman of...

AU, Barney the dinosaur urge Texas school board to support sound science.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State )
January 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Americans United for Separation of Church and State has joined with activists in Texas in an effort to urge the state Board of Education to adopt sound science standards. The battle over science education has...

Dobson's Focus on the Family lays off staff in wake of Calif. marriage fight.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(James C. Dobson)
January 1, 2009... Focus on the Family (FOF) pulled out all the stops to defeat same-sex marriage in California and won--but the move may have come at a high price: The group has announced it is cutting more than 200 staff positions. FOF Chairman James C....

California high court will review Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... Religious Right organizations scored an upset victory in November when California voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages--but now their win may be in jeopardy. The California Supreme Court has agreed...

Evangelical lobbyist loses job after radio comments in favor of same-sex unions.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
January 1, 2009... The Rev. Richard Cizik, the longtime lobbyist for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in Washington, D.C., lost his job last month after he told a radio interviewer he supports civil unions for same-sex couples. During a Dec. 2...

Correction.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2009... A story about religious proselytism at a Connecticut contract postal unit in the December Church & State incorrectly stated that the National Legal Foundation (NLF) is sponsoring the case. NLF did file an amicus brief in the matter, but the...

Illicit license: why four clergy and other religious croups challenged South Carolina's sectarian car tags.(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2009... A parishioner recently told me, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm proud that my minister is involved in a lawsuit." I have to say that I am proud, too, to join two other ministers, a rabbi and a Hindu organization in a lawsuit against the...

La. parish repeals ordinance banning fortunetelling.(AROUND THE STATES)(Louisiana)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A Louisiana parish has repealed an ordinance prohibiting fortunetelling and soothsaying after a federal judge found the ban unconstitutional. Wiccan minister Cliff Eakin's business sued Livingston Parish (the Louisiana term for county)...

N.J. moves to ban elections on religious holidays.(AROUND THE STATES)(New Jersey)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Both houses of the New Jersey legislature have voted to pass a bill that would stop elections from being held on religious holidays. The legislation allows the secretary of state to change the date of regular municipal elections and also...

Ohio zoo ends ties with creationist museum.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... The Cincinnati Zoo cut ties with a nearby creationist museum in Petersburg, Ky., after scientists and others protested a promotional deal between the two institutions. The zoo and the Creation Museum discounted prices to anyone who bought...

Court removes crucifix from Spanish school.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... A public school in northern Spain must remove crucifixes from its walls, a Spanish judge ordered recently. A parent and a local secular association requested the removal of the crucifixes from Macias Picavea School in 2005. Judge Alejandro...

My profession of faith: 'I Believe' government should hot endorse religion.(PERSPECTIVE)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2009... Perhaps the most frustrating argument I hear against the separation of church and state boils down to this: We need the government to "recognize" the value of religion--usually this means Christianity--in our city, county, state or nation. It's...