Church & State articles from March 2002

Church & State archives from March 2002

Supreme Court hears arguments in Ohio voucher case. (In The Capital).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Cleveland's private school voucher program diverts "massive amounts" of tax money to religious schools and should be declared unconstitutional, an attorney for Ohio parents and taxpayers told the Supreme Court Feb. 20. The justices heard...

Bill to post Commandments in Congress introduced. (In The Capital).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... While the national debate over public endorsement of the Ten Commandments in public schools and courthouses rages on, one member of Congress has decided he'd like to see the Decalogue in his own official work environment. Rep. Brian Kerns...

Georgia prayer breakfast must be private, says court. (Around The States).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A federal court has ruled that a Georgia town's prayer breakfast can continue, so long as there was no official sponsorship by the local government. On Jan. 7, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash ruled that East Point, Ga., can proceed with...

Florida town's Satan ban won't draw lawsuit. (Around The States).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Though the mayor of Inglis, Fla., raised some eyebrows by officially banishing Satan from her community, it appears a lawsuit will not be forthcoming. Inglis Mayor Carolyn Risher wrote a proclamation Halloween night, reading in part, "Be...

Faith-based fracas: Lieberman hails compromise with Bush as the Lord's work, but critics still won't say amen.(Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment bill)
March 1, 2002... For Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), a compromise "faith-based" proposal he has negotiated with President George W. Bush is as much about theology as politics. "I remember when we stood together last year over in Anacostia on the day you...

Witch hunt: why the religious right is crusading to exorcise Harry Potter books from public schools and libraries.
March 1, 2002... Robert Fichthorn had decided to take a stand. Fichthorn, captain of the Penryn, Pa., "fire police," a volunteer body that provides traffic control services during fires, auto accidents and civic events, declared in late January that his...

Alabama's Mullah Moore: enforcing religious law?(Roy Moore, chief justice of Alabama Supreme Court)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... Most judges would agree that the ultimate source of U.S. law is the Constitution, our nation's governing document. Roy Moore, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, has a different idea. To him, rights and responsibilities are encoded...

Bush, Lieberman and the faith-based fight: stumbling into round two.(CARE Act, S. 1924)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... Like a villain in a bad horror movie, President George W. Bush's beleaguered "faith-based initiative" refuses to go away. Every time it looks like the plan has finally succumbed to the criticism of its many opponents, it comes back. In...

Bush budget includes nearly $4 billion for religious school aid. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... President George W. Bush's recently released 2003 budget includes nearly $4 billion to pay for a "tax credit" for tuition at religious and other private schools. Congress rejected a Bush voucher proposal last year, and now opponents of the...

Religious broadcasters remove director who opposed politicking. (People & Events).(Wayne Pederson)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The new president of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) quickly lost his job by daring to question the organization's involvement in far-right politics. Wayne Pederson, former executive vice president of Northwestern Radio in...

Ashcroft statement on Islam shows intolerance, says Americans united. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has been criticized for comments suggesting that Islam falls short when compared to Christianity. Ashcroft made the controversial remarks during an interview with syndicated columnist Cal Thomas in...

Robertson says `day of judgment' due soon for United States. (People & Events).(Pat Robertson)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The United States will soon experience a "day of judgment" from God so severe that the country won't come through it intact, TV preacher Pat Robertson has warned. Speaking on his "700 Club" program Jan. 2, Robertson said he had spent time...

Va. Senate panel kills proposal to allow posting of Ten Commandments. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A bill that would have encouraged public schools in the state of Virginia to post the Ten Commandments died after the state Senate Education and Health Committee voted it down 9-6 Feb. 14. The measure had passed the Virginia House of...

Va. Legislators approve `In God We Trust' courtroom postings. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Legislators in Virginia have approved legislation requiring state courtrooms to post "In God We Trust" signs, but the measure may never take effect due to the state's budget crisis. The bill, which overwhelmingly passed the House of...

School prayer forces launch grassroots push for Istook amendment. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to put officially sanctioned religious worship back in public schools are trying to launch a grassroots movement aimed at convincing local governments to endorse the school prayer drive. The...

Reed planned to recruit `pro-family' forces to help Enron, memo says. (People & Events).(Ralph Reed)
March 1, 2002... Former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed promised to mobilize religious groups and "pro-family" activists around the issue of electricity deregulation to help the Enron Corp., The Washington Post reported last month. Reed, now an...

Calif. officials raid charter school linked to terrorist network. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Law enforcement officials in California have raided an Islamic charter school suspected of having ties to a terrorist organization and carted off 60 computers and 100 boxes of documents. The GateWay Academy, a so-called "public charter...

Keep religion out of science class, AU advises Ohio officials. (People & Events).(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Attorneys with Americans United have warned education officials in Ohio not to introduce religious dogma into science classes. Ohio has become the latest battleground in the ongoing dispute over the teaching of evolution. Church-state...

Roman Catholic Church pays $110 million to abuse victims in Ireland. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has agreed to a one-time payout of $110 million to victims who suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse at "faith-based" schools, in exchange for immunity from future lawsuits. The agreement,...

Fox's O'Reilly seems skeptical of church politicking bill. (People & Events).(commentator Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Channel)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Popular Fox News Channel commentator Bill O'Reilly has admitted to being "a little worried" over legislation pending in Congress that would allow houses of worship to engage in partisan politicking. O'Reilly, host of "The O'Reilly Factor,"...

Tennessee County's Bible classes shut down. (AU Bulletin).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Bible classes in a Tennessee public school are unconstitutional and must stop immediately, according to a federal court. On Feb. 8, U.S. District Judge Allen Edgar ruled that Rhea County's practice of offering 30-minute Bible lessons to 800...

Florida considers proposal on majority-rule school prayer. (AU Bulletin).(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Two lawmakers in the Florida legislature are proposing that majority-rule school prayer become part of official public school events. State Sen. Charlie Clary (R-Destin) and State Rep. Greg Evers (R-Baker) are co-sponsoring a bill that...

Mealtime prayers ruled unconstitutional at VMI. (AU Bulletin).(Virginia Military Institute )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A federal judge has ruled that pre-dinner prayers at the Virginia Military Institute are an unconstitutional violation of church-state separation. On Jan. 24, U.S. District Judge Norman Moon struck down the school's religious exercise, at...

Pope tells Catholic lawyers not to do divorce cases. (Around The World).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Pope John Paul II has called on Roman Catholic attorneys and judges not to be involved professionally with divorce cases. In a Jan. 28 speech to a church tribunal at the Vatican, the pope said, "We cannot surrender to the divorce mentality....

Don't forget John Leland. (Letters).
March 1, 2002... I was pleased to see mention of John Leland in Rob Boston's article, "Priority Mail: Why President Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists is Still Being Read By Americans After 200 Years" (January Church & State). It was disappointing,...

Mullah Tim. (Letters).
March 1, 2002... Reading February's article about Tim LaHaye ("Left Behind: Author Tim LaHaye Wants Church-State Separation Left Behind") was as interesting as it was worrisome. What came to mind was his uncanny similarity in many respects to the Taliban, and I...

Vouchers: time for a `Tea Party'? (Letters).
March 1, 2002... Regarding the matter of proposed use of governmental funds to provide financial support for religious schools: perhaps it's time we began to think in terms of the Boston Tea Party. The citizens of our early colonies rose up to physically take...

A double standard view of women. (Letters).
March 1, 2002... I was appalled by the event disclosed in Ellen Goodman's commentary (November Church & State). At a meeting of a group of educators who were discussing how to go about teaching students in the aftermath of Sept. 11, a Muslim man spoke about his...

Voucher vendetta: a heated debate at the high court. (Perspective).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Wednesday, February 20, 2002, could turn out to be a momentous day for the history of separation of church and state. It was the day when the constitutionality of the Cleveland voucher program -- now with 99 percent of voucher recipients in...