Church & State articles from July 2005

Church & State archives from July 2005

Americans oppose religious influence on government.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The majority of Americans oppose clergy influence on the government, according to a new public opinion poll. The AP/Ipsos survey, conducted in 10 countries in May, found that 61 percent of Americans are against attempts by religious leaders...

'Faith-based' battle over Head Start brewing.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An Ohio congressman is pushing a provision that would allow religiously affiliated Head Start programs to hire and fire on the basis of religious belief. U.S. Rep. John Boehner argues that a controversial element of the Bush...

AU warns Kentucky judge about worship sentences.(Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Michael Caperton )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A Kentucky judge's practice of offering drug and alcohol offenders the option to attend worship services instead of jail or rehab has drawn a complaint from Americans United. In late May, the Associated Press reported that Laurel County...

School graduation at Fla. church allowed, but case proceeds.(AROUND THE STATES)
July 1, 2005... A federal judge allowed several Florida public high schools to conduct graduation ceremonies in a church, but did not slam the door on a legal challenge brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. In early May,...

Religious right roundup: Texas governor holds bill signing at Fort Worth church school in bid to corral evangelical voters.
July 1, 2005... The Rev. Rod Parsley doesn't much like gay people. The very thought that gays might some day win the legal right to marry makes him apoplectic. During a recent speech, Parsley unleashed a stinging series of attacks on gays, telling a crowd...

Decalogue divide: in a bitter split, the Supreme Court strikes down one commandments display, while upholding another.
July 1, 2005... In the wee hours of June 27, police patrolling the Supreme Court a curious sight: A crowd of gathered outside, lining up in front of a public entrance in the hope of getting a seat inside the next day. Some were clutching sleeping bags. It...

Conscience clause: Supreme Court unanimously upholds federal religious liberty law in Ohio prison case.(Mitzi Hamilton)
July 1, 2005... When Mitzi Hamilton, a low-level offender, entered Virginia corrections officials' custody in 2003 she made what she thought was a simple request--a kosher diet to adhere to the dictates of her Jewish faith. Hamilton, 36, was sentenced to...

Roger Williams: soul man: how an eccentric 17th-century preacher helped bring religious liberty to America.(Interview)
July 1, 2005... Edwin S. Gaustad is a professor of history and religious studies emeritus at the University of California, Riverside. He is an expert on Roger Williams, the 17th-century religious liberty pioneer and founder of Rhode Island. Gaustad is the...

Of commandments and the constitution: thou shalt respect diversity.(Ten Commandments display in public buildings)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... All things considered, June 27 was not a bad day at the Supreme Court for church-state separation and American diversity. The justices handed down two closely watched cases dealing with government promotion of the Ten Commandments. By a 5-4...

Parsley's no sage: avoid pulpit politics.(Rod Parsley's political actions)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... An emerging figure on the Religious Right stage has unveiled a new--and especially nefarious--scheme for mixing religion and politics. Pastor Rod Parsley, a kind of Jerry Falwell wannabe from Ohio, is organizing pastors ostensibly around...

Air Force issues report on religious bias at Academy, pledges fix.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
July 1, 2005... Responding to complaints raised by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the U.S. Air Force issued a report in June on the religious climate at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Americans United welcomed the document...

After compromise, extremist judges win seats on U.S. courts.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
July 1, 2005... Two federal court nominees who have criticized church-state separation were confirmed for lifetime seats on the federal appeals courts in June. The Senate voted 56-43 June 7 to approve the nomination of Janice Rogers Brown to the U.S....

School voucher schemes fail in South Carolina, Texas, other states.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
July 1, 2005... Proponents of voucher subsidies for religious and other private schools are regrouping after a series of high-profile losses in the state legislatures. Religious school aid advocates were perhaps most stung by the defeat of a bill in Texas...

Americans United opposes anti-evolution stickers in Georgia school case.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
July 1, 2005... Americans United has asked a federal appeals court to reject a religiously motivated move to undercut the teaching of evolution in Cobb County, Ga., public schools. In a friend-of-the-court brief filed in Cobb County School District v....

Show me the money!: pastor says he'll trade support for cash.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Luis Cortes, presidential bid)
July 1, 2005... Pennsylvania pastor Luis Cortes supported Ralph Nader's presidential bid in 2000. But these days he's dramatically shifted political allegiances and backed George W. Bush last year. What made the difference? Apparently, it was generous...

Dobson group amasses war chest of $9 million in just six months.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
July 1, 2005... Focus on the Family founder James Dobson's political group, Focus on the Family Action, raised nearly $9 million in its first six months of existence, public records show. Dobson founded the group as a 501(c)(4) organization in April of...

Family Research Council opposes vaccine that could stop spread of HPV.(papillomavirus infections)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A spokeswoman for the Family Research Council (FRC) says young women should have to deal with the consequences of a rapidly spreading sexually transmitted disease rather then rely on a new vaccine. The FRC's Bridget Maher said her group...

'In God We Trust' sign upheld by federal appeals court.(violation of religious rights)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A federal appeals court has turned away a First Amendment challenge to an "In God We Trust" display at a government building in North Carolina. Two attorneys filed a federal lawsuit in 2003 against the Davidson County Board of...

Tulsa Zoo's creation plan sparks controversy.(AROUND THE STATES)
July 1, 2005... A Religious Right activist has pressured the Tulsa, Okla., Zoo into planning an exhibit showing the biblical story of creation. Dan Hicks complained that the zoo advances some religions but not Christianity. He cited a depiction of Ganesha,...

Indiana judge limits Wiccan parents' rights.(AROUND THE STATES)(Thomas E. Jones Jr. and his ex-wife Tammie U. Bristol)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... An Indiana judge's order that a recently divorced couple must keep their son away from their practice of Wicca has spurred a lawsuit and national press attention. The Indianapolis Star reported in late May that Marion County Superior Court...

Spain faces battle over Catholic Church funding.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Religious and political leaders in Spain are wrangling over suggestions that the government may seek a reduction in state subsidies to the Catholic Church. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar told a Spanish newspaper that the...

Commandments clash: parsing a split decision at the Supreme Court.(Ten Commandments display in public buildings)
July 1, 2005... I know it wasn't a circus because there were no elephants or acrobats. The scene outside the Supreme Court on June 27, however, was as colorful and chaotic as any I have ever seen there. I was at the court to respond to the expected...