Church & State articles from June 2007

Church & State archives from June 2007

Bush, Dobson tout prayer at White House.(IN THE CAPITAL)(George Bush and Shirley Dobson)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... In an event that showcased the administration's close ties to the Religious Right, President George W. Bush used this year's National Day of Prayer observance to reaffirm his advocacy of religion. Speaking May 3 in the East Room of the...

Moral Majority founder Falwell dies at 73.(AROUND THE STATES)(Jerry Falwell)(Obituary)
June 1, 2007... Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority and one of the key architects of the rise of the Religious Right, died May 15 at age 73. -Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and chancellor of Liberty University, was tapped by...

Teachers don't have right to preach, says court.(AROUND THE STATESf)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... A public high school teacher in Virginia does not have a First Amendment right to promote his personal religious views in the classroom, a federal appeals court has ruled. In early May, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of...

Connecticut Post Office religious display fails in court.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... A post office run by a church in Connecticut cannot push religion on its customers, a federal district court has ruled. In 2003, Bertram Cooper complained about religious messages at a Manchester post office run by Sincerely Yours, Inc., an...

Pentacle quest success! Bush administration approves Wiccan symbol for use on memorial markers of fallen service personnel.
June 1, 2007... War widow Roberta Stewart is a fighter. When Stewart's husband, Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, was killed in action over Afghanistan on Sept. 25, 2005, after his Chinook helicopter was shot down, Stewart had to deal with her shock and grief. One...

Back to the future? Religious Right activists at 'assembly 2007' seek to roll back church-state relations 400 years and make America a Christian nation.
June 1, 2007... In late April of 1607, three ships of English adventurers landed at Cape Henry in what is now Virginia in search of fame and fortune. Although their primary motivation was gold, not God, they erected a wooden cross, and Anglican priest Robert...

Battling bias: effort to inject religions discrimination into head start fails in House of Representatives.
June 1, 2007... As the House of Representatives prepared to deliberate reauthorizing Head Start this spring, the Bush administration wasted no time weighing in on a burning question: Should participants in the publicly funded program be permitted to engage in...

Head start victory: U.S. House was right to reject discrimination.(EDITORIALS)
June 1, 2007... The May 2 vote in the House of Representatives against religious discrimination in Head Start programs is encouraging. It may signal that Congress is no longer willing to sign off on claims that faith-based groups have the fight to accept tax...

Return to sender: Lou Sheldon's sleazy fund-raising mail.(EDITORIALS)
June 1, 2007... One of the most appalling things about the Religious Right is the way its leaders constantly lecture the country on the need for "traditional values" and "morals"-and then proceed to engage in all manner of sleazy activities. Consider the...

Abortion decision sparks debate over justices' religious affiliations.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2007... An April 18 Supreme Court ruling approving a federal ban on a rarely used form of abortion has sparked discussion about what role the justices' religious beliefs might have played in the decision. The high court ruled 5-4 to let stand a ban...

Florida TV preacher closes religious right lobbying office.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2007... A Religious Right pressure group founded by TV preacher D. James Kennedy announced abruptly in April that it would close its doors. The Center for Reclaiming America, based in Fort Lauderdale, laid off staff members and ceased operations....

Journalist Moyers blasts religion-based politics in magazine interview.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Bill Moyers)(Interview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Popular PBS journalist Bill Moyers is no fan of religion-based politics. Asked about the intersection of religion and politics during a recent interview with The Christian Century, Moyers responded, "Whose religion? Christian? Muslim? Jew?...

Religious right groups uncertain about which GOP hopeful to support.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2007... Religious Right activists and the organizations they represent remain unhappy with the current flock of Republican presidential hopefuls, and some are gravitating toward former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, who has yet to announce his candidacy. ...

Gingrich says liberals and lack of religion sparked Va. tech killings.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Newt Gingrich)
June 1, 2007... Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has an unusual take on the tragic murder of 32 people at Virginia Tech: He says liberals and godless public education are to blame. Gingrich, who is considering running for the presidency in 2008,...

Federal study says 'abstinence only' sex ed. is ineffective.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2007... It's an article of faith among the Religious Right that the only way to decrease sexual activity among teenagers is through programs that preach abstinence until marriage. Critics have long suspected that such "abstinence-only" programs...

Bush promotes vouchers at Catholic breakfast in nation's capital.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(George W. Bush)
June 1, 2007... President George W. Bush has assured leaders of the Roman Catholic Church that he supports vouchers and will push for private school aid in Congress this year. During the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast April 13 in Washington, D.C.,...

Federal appeals court decision bars Texas courthouse Bible display.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2007... A federal appeals court in April handed Americans United a major victory in a legal battle over a religious display at a Texas courthouse. By an 11-5 vote, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting as a full panel, ruled that a legal...

House rebuffs claims of Religious Right in hate-crimes vote.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2007... Spurning protests by Religious Right groups, the House of Representatives on May 3 passed legislation extending hatecrimes protections to people victimized because of their sexual orientation. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes...

N.J. high school student wins concessions in bout over preaching teacher.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(New Jersey)
June 1, 2007... The family of a New Jersey high school student who blew the whistle on a teacher who proselytized in class has agreed to an out-of-court settlement with education officials. Matthew LaClair, a 17-year-old junior at Kearny High School in...

Jesuit college isn't religious, can get tax aid, Missouri high court rules.(AU BULLETIN)
June 1, 2007... The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that public support of a university with religious ties does not violate the state constitution. The court turned away a challenge to tax assistance for Saint Louis University's construction of a new...

Utah cities must allow Commandments alternative.(AU BULLETIN)(Summum)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... If local governments in Utah allow displays of the Ten Commandments, displays from other faiths cannot be denied, a federal appeals court has held. In mid-April, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued two rulings in favor of a...

Protestants, Catholics share power in Northern Ireland.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Bitter religious enemies in Northern Ireland have entered into a historic power-sharing agreement in a region that has seen decades of deadly sectarian strife. In early May, the Rev. Ian Paisley, head of the predominantly Protestant...

Teach the Bible objectively.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... The point of your editorial, "Constitutional Literacy: Why American Schools Don't Need Bible Classes" (May Church & State), is that Bible classes as proposed cannot be taught in American schools without starting another culture war over whose...

Study world religions.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... As a member of Americans United, and a non-believer, I am certainly opposed to Bible classes in public schools ("Bible Classes In Public Schools: Undermining America's Secular Common Ground," Viewpoint, May Church & State). However, I do think...

Appalling 'faith-based' discrimination.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... The April issue of Church & State provided significant information on a recent court case in which the Salvation Army was sued for dismissing workers on the grounds of religion, even though public funds paid the salaries of these workers...

Chief Justice Roberts' wrong take.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2007... It is bad enough that the Justice Department opposes the right of American citizens to challenge the Bush administration's diversion of public funds to support religious groups ("Bush Administration Urges High Court To Limit Church-State...

Of myths and men: reflections on the Jerry Falwell era.(PERSPECTIVE)
June 1, 2007... Jerry Falwell was declared dead at 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15. Bulletins about the gravity of his condition had abounded on news Web sites as soon as reports surfaced that he had been found unconscious in his office earlier in the morning....