Church & State articles from June 2002

Church & State archives from June 2002

U.S. subsidy of Muslim textbooks sparks complaint. (In the Capital).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A plan by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to use public funds to produce religious texts for schools in Afghanistan has sparked criticism from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. In January, the...

Falwell wins right to incorporate Virginia church. (Around the States).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A federal court in Virginia has ruled that a centuries-old state law forbidding church incorporation is unconstitutional. In a lawsuit brought by TV preacher Jerry Falwell in November 2001, the evangelist's Thomas Road Baptist Church...

Baptist evangelists arrested on Utah plaza. (Around the States).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Two Baptists were arrested in April for handing out religious leaflets on Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City, a thoroughfare that used to be public but was sold to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) three years ago. ...

Utah congressman wants to sell Wyo. land to Mormons. (Around the States).(Rep James V. Hansen)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A member of the U.S. House of Representatives who belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) is working to sell hundreds of acres of federal land in Wyoming to his church, a move that has sparked controversy with...

Keeping up with the Jones bill: Americans United's Lynn urges House panel to reject church electioneering.(Walter B. Jones; Barry W. Lynn)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Rev. Lawrence W. Wright, pastor of New Mount Olive Baptist Church in Wilmington, Del., may end up spending the next several years on probation or even in prison if he's found guilty of a crime that shocked many in his congregation:...

Weekend warriors: house leader Tom DeLay's `biblical' agenda draws amens from worldview weekend activists who are seeking `Christian dominion' in America.
June 1, 2002... For U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, the answer to all of life's thorny questions and vexing moral dilemmas can be found only by embracing his fundamentalist version of Christianity. "Ladies and gentlemen," the Texas Republican and House of...

Texas toast: criticism of Texas A&M and Baylor lands Rep. Tom DeLay in the hot seat.
June 1, 2002... House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) had some surprising advice recently for parents of children looking for a good college in Texas: Don't consider Texas A&M or Baylor. DeLay was asked for his thoughts about Texas colleges after he...

Prayer, piety and politics: how the National Day of Prayer became a Religious Right platform for opposing church-state separation.
June 1, 2002... Shirley Dobson, chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, wanted her audience of over 300 to clearly understand why they had assembled in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., May 2. "If you've come today to this...

Rep, Tom DeLay and his `biblical worldview': what about the constitution? (Editorials).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay is entitled to his religious beliefs. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, DeLay is free to believe in 20 gods or no god. His personal beliefs about religion neither pick anyone's pocket nor break anyone's leg. But lately...

Government-supported Ten Commandments? One pastor says, `no!'.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... "So why do I support the ruling that the Ten Commandments must be removed from the courthouse wall? The answer is simple. Separation of church and state is the only way to guarantee religious liberty. Religious persecution is a worldwide and...

Religious Right more powerful in state GOP affiliates, study says. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A new survey of Republican Party state affiliates shows that the Religious Right is an increasingly powerful force at the grassroots level. The study appears in the February edition of Campaigns & Elections magazine. It was conducted by...

Robertson race horses scratched after critics charge hypocrisy. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... TV preacher and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson has agreed to end his involvement in horse racing after a barrage of negative reaction to a New York Times report about his fondness for the sport. Robertson owns several...

Bush challenges Senate to pass `faith-based' legislative package. (People & Events).(Pres George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans are continuing pressure on the Senate to secure passage of the "faith-based" initiative before the November elections. Speaking at the First African Methodist Episcopal Renaissance...

FOF's Dobson calls on parents to leave public schools. (People & Events).(Focus on the Family; James C. Dobson)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Radio broadcaster and "Christian psychologist" James C. Dobson, founder of the large and influential Religious Right group Focus on the Family, recently called on parents to pull their children out of public schools. The move was seen as...

Ky. representative uses `faith-based' funding to win votes, critics say. (People & Events).(Rep Anne M. Northup)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... U.S. Rep. Anne M. Northup (R-Ky.) has created a non-profit organization to steer federal money to religious groups in order to shore up her political strength in the African-American community, critics have charged. The non-profit,...

Ten Commandments display struck down in Elkhart, Ind. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A plan to retain a Ten Commandments monument in Elkhart, Ind., by surrounding it with historical documents has been rejected by a federal court. U.S. District Judge Allen Sharp said the proposal would still violate the Constitution. Ruling...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2002... In our story "All In The Family" (May 2002 Church & State, page 5), a quote by Karl Rove was inaccurately reported. Rove said, "[Bush] believes marriage is between a man and woman period."

Churches and partisan politics: recipe for division. (Viewpoint).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Imagine this: Your church's finance committee chair presents the annual budget to your congregation next October. Nineteen percent of the budget is lumped into a new line item called "political action." In response to questions about the item...

Report finds little help for poor in Arizona tax credit. (AU Bulletin).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A new report examining Arizona's controversial private school tax-credit program concludes the system does little to benefit the state's poorest families, who were supposed to be the main beneficiaries of the law. A study published in...

Florida court rules churches not immune to lawsuits. (AU Bulletin).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The First Amendment does not protect houses of worship from lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, Florida's Supreme Court has ruled. On March 14, the state's highest court said lawsuits filed against a Roman Catholic priest in South Florida could...

California city honors Church-State Separation. (AU Bulletin).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Acting on a suggestion from Americans United chapter activists in California, Mayor Francisco Alonso of Monterey Park proclaimed April as State/Church Separation Month. On April 3, as part of the decree, Monterey Park's mayor and city...

Opus Dei helped back failed coup in Venezuela. (Around The World).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Opus Dei, a secretive and ultra-conservative Roman Catholic group that operates internationally, is reported to have played a role in the failed coup aimed at Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez. The New Republic reported in May that many of...

The price to pay for politicking. (Letters).
June 1, 2002... With respect to H.R. 2357 ("The Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act"), which would allow religious institutions to devote up to 20 percent of their budgets to overt political activity, I say fine! Require all churches and...

No to Pulpit Politics. (Letters).
June 1, 2002... Your legal analysis in "Politicizing the Pulpit" (April Church & State) is very insightful. Rep. Walter Jones is clearly off base, as he does not respect political diversity among church members. Religious Right leaders have a cavalier...

Post the ten amendments, not Ten Commandments. (Letters).
June 1, 2002... Do we need to be reminded that the Ten Commandments of the Bible are special guidelines for some of the people but not all of the people in our country? Why, then, would a select portion of our citizenry push to exhibit in public places their...

Why Ten Commandments? (Letters).
June 1, 2002... A lawyer once asked, "Sir, which is the most important command in the laws of Moses?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is...

Ambassador to the Vatican: breaching the church-state wall. (Letters).
June 1, 2002... How does the United States, our diverse democracy, justify the deployment of an American ambassador to the Vatican? This is a gross abrogation of church-state separation that relegates all other religions to lesser status. (Why don't we send...

TV Preachers, Elmer Gantry and U.S. tax law: my day in Congress. (Perspective).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The House Ways and Means Committee meets in just about the nicest hearing room on Capitol Hill. I'd never testified in this lavish venue before my recent appearance to discuss what is very wrong about two bills that would allow churches to...