Church & State articles from March 2006

Church & State archives from March 2006

Alito is 'answer to prayer,' says religious right.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Samuel Alito appointed as judge of United States. Supreme Court)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Religious Right leaders are celebrating the confirmation of Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court. Religious Right activist William J. Murray issued a Feb. 3 statement boasting about his group's presence at the White House ceremony...

New house leader favors 'faith-based' aid.(IN THE CAPITAL)(John Boehner appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The U.S. House of Representatives has turned to a staunch backer of "faith-based" funding as its new majority leader. In early February, the House voted 122-109, to name U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) majority leader. Former House Majority...

AU wins showdown over Calif. mission funding.(AROUND THE STATES)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(California)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Americans United for Separation of Church and State has withdrawn its legal challenge to a federal law that proposed spending millions in tax dollars for restoration and repair of California's Catholic missions because no money was ever...

Philadelphia can't seize house to build church school.(AROUND THE STATES)
March 1, 2006... A state appeals court in Pennsylvania has ruled that a city agency violated the separation of church and state when it seized a woman's property for a religious organization looking to build a school in a run-down neighborhood. In early...

Buckeye backlash: Ohio clergy ask IRS to derail religious right's church-based political machine.(Eric Williams)
March 1, 2006... The more he heard and read about the involvement of two central Ohio pastors in the state's 2006 political campaigns, the more the Rev. Eric Williams, pastor of a Columbus church, became concerned over meddling by influential religious leaders...

Wheel of misfortune: religious right leaders are praying that the Jack Abramoff casino-lobbying scandal won't make them big-time losers.
March 1, 2006... The spread of legalized gambling has Religious Right honcho James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family in a veritable tizzy. "If the nation's politicians don't fix this national disaster, then the oceans of gambling money with which Jack...

'That Godless Court'? An interview with church-state scholar Ron Flowers.(Ronald B. Flowers' "That Godless Court?: Supreme Court Decisions on Church-State Relationships")(Interview)
March 1, 2006... Ronald B. Flowers is the John F. Weatherly Emeritus Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and a former member of the Americans United Board of Trustees. A second edition of his book, That Godless Court?: Supreme...

The Religious Right and race: skeletons in the 'family' closet.(Family Research Council's President Tony Perkins)(Editorial)
March 1, 2006... Like a lot of Religious Right leaders, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins often attempts to link the goals of his organization to the civil rights movement. Commenting on the recent death of Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr....

After-Christmas tale: Dodgeville stands up to Religious Right bullies.
March 1, 2006... Christmas was three months ago, but we're still seeing fallout from a phony Religious Right campaign to convince Americans that the holiday was under attack by advocates of church-state separation. The latest footnote is worthy of...

Religious Broadcasters drop Robertson as dinner speaker.(National Religious Broadcasters, Pat Robertson)
March 1, 2006... The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) dropped TV preacher Pat Robertson as closing banquet speaker at its annual convention last month after the volatile televangelist made controversial statements about God punishing Israeli Prime Minister...

'Faith Czar' attacks church-state separation in Vatican speech.(James Towey)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, traveled to the Vatican in January where he unleashed a stinging attack on defenders of the separation of church and state. Towey blasted critics of...

Sun Myung Moon gets 'faith-based' grant to promote King holiday.(Martin Luther King)
March 1, 2006... The Bush administration has turned to an unusual source to promote the idea of public service as a way to honor the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King: the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. The Corporation for National and...

Ohio Education Board reverses course on promoting 'intelligent-design' creationism.
March 1, 2006... The Ohio Board of Education Feb. 14 voted 11-4 to remove "intelligent design" from state science standards, heading off for now threatened legal action by Americans United. Attorneys with Americans United have repeatedly urged the board to...

Alabama and Georgia debate adding Bible classes to public schools.
March 1, 2006... Lawmakers in Alabama and Georgia are pushing bills that would encourage public schools to offer courses about the study of the Bible and its influence. In Alabama, the Education Committee of the House of Representatives voted 7-5 in late...

Religious Right scuttles group's plan to address global warming.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
March 1, 2006... Officials at the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) have just learned a hard lesson: It's not easy being green when Dr. James Dobson doesn't want you to be. In 2004, NAE leaders approved a policy statement on civic responsibility,...

Political sermons cause Ginsburg to skip annual 'Red Mass'.(Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
March 1, 2006... Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg no longer attends the "Red Mass"--a Roman Catholic service for members of the legal profession in Washington--because she doesn't want to be lectured by bishops on the evils of legal abortion. ...

Air Force retreats from religious guidelines after Religious Right push.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
March 1, 2006... Under withering assault from Religious Right organizations, the Air Force has retreated from its plans to introduce tough new guidelines dealing with proselytism and sponsorship of religious activity. Last year, the Air Force issued a...

Ohio school drops daily prayer after newspaper inquiry.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A public school district in Ohio has agreed to stop daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer over the public-address system after a newspaper questioned the legality of the practice. Officials at Mineral Ridge High School were in clear...

Religious Right pushes for health care opt-out measures in states.
March 1, 2006... Spurred by the Religions Right, legislators in several stales are considering bills that would shield health care workers from taking part in any procedure that violates their religions beliefs, measures critics say would give fundamentalists...

Wisc. school district fights Liberty Counsel distortions.(Dodgeville School District )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A public school district in Wisconsin is seeking an apology from a Religious Right legal group that spread inaccurate information about the district to buttress claims of a "war on Christmas." In January, the Dodgeville School District sent...

Mass. house rejects church reporting bill.(Massachusetts House )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Massachusetts lawmakers have scuttled a bill seeking to make houses of worship disclose more financial information. In late January, the Massachusetts House voted 147-3 to defeat a measure that would have required religious organizations to...

Nebraska prayer sparks legislative debate.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A guest pastor's prayer before Nebraska's unicameral legislature that included comments blasting legal abortion and evolution drew rebukes from several lawmakers. Pastor Tom Swartley angered some state lawmakers when his Jan. 24 morning...

Norway should separate church, state, says panel.(AROUND THE WORLD)
March 1, 2006... Norway's Constitution should be changed to sever the official ties between the monarchy and the Lutheran Church, a government-sponsored commission has recommended. Norway's 1814 Constitution states that its values are derived from the...

Public school bible classes: a disservice to religion?(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... I read the article on the Bible Literacy Project with great interest ("The Bible Literacy Project: Chuck Stetson's Trojan Horse?" January Church & State). I have two children and have sent each of them at one time or another to Vacation...

Intelligent design and schools: a 'real world' solution.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... I'd like to offer my recommendation about how to approach the teaching of "intelligent design" in our schools. I believe that this topic is best approached by discussing "Naturalism" and "Supernaturalism" and where each should be taught. I...

Let parents teach religion.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... Let's call a spade a spade. "Intelligent design" is nothing more, nor less, than a religious doctrine. It supposes that the true story of the creation of the universe is recounted in the Bible. It takes a leap of faith to rely on a higher...

Fighting for freedom: AU activists bridge the generation gap.(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
March 1, 2006... A funny thing happened to me on the way to the synagogue: I was on my way to a presentation at Richmond's Or Atid Synagogue early one recent Sunday afternoon when, about 25 miles from home, I realized that I had made two fashion-related...