Church & State articles from June 2008

Church & State archives from June 2008

House panel mulls D.C. voucher extension.(IN THE CAPITAL)(District of Columbia)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Americans United and a coalition of educational and civil liberties groups have urged Congress not to renew a controversial school voucher program that operates in Washington, D.C. The $15 million program, which pays for tuition at...

AU challenges school-sponsored prayer in Florida.(AROUND THE STATES)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Attorneys with Americans United have advised a Florida public school to stop allowing a principal and other staffers to pray with students. AU, acting after receiving complaints from community residents, asserts that Principal Mike Rio and...

Jewish students harassed about bible giveaway In Texas.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Several Jewish students at a public school in Piano, Texas, say they have been pressured by classmates to pick up copies of the New Testament and taunted when they declined. The fuss started after the Gideons International, an evangelical...

Birmingham Mayor holds 'sackcloth and ashes' service.(AROUND THE STATES)(Larry Langford)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Distressed by a rising crime rate and other problems, Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford lit on an unusual solution in April: a prayer service featuring sackcloth and ashes. Comparing himself to the king of Nineveh in the Book of Jonah,...

Federal appeals court blows the whistle on New Jersey football coach's prayer play.(OFFSIDE, OUT OF BOUNDS And UNCONSTITUTIONAL)(Marcus Borden)
June 1, 2008... For football coach Marcus Borden of East Brunswick High School in New Jersey, organizing, sponsoring and participating in prayers with players, cheerleaders and other students seemed the natural thing to do. Others felt differently. A few...

Jeb Bush and his cronies have provoked a church-state showdown in Florida with national ramifications.(Storm Clouds Over The SUNSHINE STATE)
June 1, 2008... Dade County, Fla., is home to almost 200 religious schools. According to the Florida Department of Education's data from the 2006-2007 school year, an array of denominations and faith perspectives is represented. Forty-five schools are...

President Bush urges repeal of state constitutional provisions barring aid to religious schools.(A NEW LOW AT THE WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT)(George W. Bush )
June 1, 2008... President George W. Bush has some advice for state legislators: If your state constitution has provisions barfing taxpayer support of religious schools and other ministries, they ought to be removed. In an April 24 appeal at the White House...

Religious Right groups want pastors to 'cross the line' on church politicking--and spark a court showdown.(Pulpit Perfidy)
June 1, 2008... For years, Religious Right groups have complained about the federal tax law that forbids houses of worship and other tax-exempt groups to intervene in political campaigns by endorsing or opposing candidates. Several organizations pushed...

New book offers an inside look at the Dover 'intelligent design' trial.(The DEVIL In Dover)(Lauri Lebo )(Interview)
June 1, 2008... Lauri Lebo is a former reporter for the York, Pa., Daily Record. In that capacity, she covered the controversy over "intelligent design" (ID) in Dover, Pa., including the legal challenge brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and...

Pernicious pulpit politicking: religious leaders should reject ADF's reckless gambit.(Alliance Defense Fund)(Editorial)
June 1, 2008... Religious Right activists often claim to be big fans of law and order--so surely they would reject any call to knowingly violate the laws of the country, right? Wrong. Consider the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the largest Religious Right...

'Academic freedom' bills open classroom door to creationism.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Religious Right activists in Florida failed to pass "academic freedom" legislation intended to promote "intelligent design" creationism in public school science classes. On April 23, the Florida Senate voted 21-17 in favor of a bill to...

Viewers expel Ben Stein's creationist documentary from nation's multiplexes.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2008... Despite a massive push from the Religious Right, a pro-creationist documentary that was released in theaters nationwide in April was a critical flop and a box-office failure. "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," hosted by actor Ben Stein,...

Evangelical coalition issues manifesto calling for less politics, more religion.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
June 1, 2008... Evangelical leaders banded together last month to issue a statement calling for an end to the politicization of religion. "We are not uncritical of unrestrained voluntarism and rampant individualism," the signers say, "but we utterly...

IRS reminds churches of tax-law prohibition on partisan politicking.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Internal Revenue Service)
June 1, 2008... The Internal Revenue Service has once again warned houses of worship that federal tax law bans partisan politicking. An April 17 IRS press release reiterates that the tax agency will continue its campaign to educate churches and other...

Bush salutes the Dobsons, pushes role of religion at White House prayer event.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(George W. Bush, James and Shirley Dobson )
June 1, 2008... President George W. Bush hosted Religious Right leader James Dobson at a White House event marking the National Day of Prayer May 1. At an East Room ceremony attended by cabinet officers as well as members of the House of Representatives...

N.J. student speaks out against biased textbook that pushes prayer myths.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(New Jersey, Matthew LaClair)
June 1, 2008... A New Jersey high school student is speaking out against a civics textbook that inaccurately portrays the state of the law regarding prayer in public schools. Matthew LaClair, a high school senior in Kearny, N.J., has criticized the book...

Americans United joins array of religious croups in opposing church aid.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State )
June 1, 2008... Americans United for Separation of Church and State has joined a coalition of religious and civil liberties groups to urge a federal appeals court to strike down the use of public funds to repair Detroit houses of worship. In a...

Lessons from Lauren: what I learned at Americans United.(VIEWPOINT)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
June 1, 2008... May 2 was my last day at Americans United. Before I go off to law school, I want to reflect on the many valuable lessons I've learned in my three years as a communications assistant here. 1) People aren't afraid to tell you to go to hell,...

Illinois legislator apologizes for attack on atheist.(AROUND THE STATES)(Monique Davis, Rob Sherman)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... A member of the Illinois House of Representatives has apologized for attacking an atheist political activist and telling him he had no tight to testify at the statehouse. Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) lost her cool during an April 2...

Ohio public school teacher accused of proselytizing.(AROUND THE STATES)(John Freshwater)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... An eighth-grade public school science teacher in Mount Vernon, Ohio, is under fire over allegations that he has been proselytizing in class. Teacher John Freshwater's actions have divided youngsters in the school, creating what some...

England finally abolishes centuries-old blasphemy law.(AROUND THE WORLD)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Blasphemy is no longer a criminal offense in England, thanks to legislation approved last month. The provision repealing the centuries-old blasphemy law was part of a large measure overhauling a number of issues dealing with criminal...

International intrigue: the religious right's bad medicine for public health.(PERSPECTIVE)
June 1, 2008... I don't claim to be an expert on international church-state relations. Americans United occasionally looks at religious liberty issues abroad, but frankly, there is enough work on these shores to keep us busy. Sometimes, however, we find...