Church & State articles from May 2006

Church & State archives from May 2006

Electioneering ban protects church integrity, says IRS chief.(Mark Everson, Internal Revenue Service)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... At a March 14 National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C., Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Mark Everson said the federal tax law ban on electioneering by churches is essential to "protect their integrity." Less than a month...

Senate schedules marriage amendment vote for June.(IN THE CAPITAL)
May 1, 2006... A proposed federal marriage amendment is apparently headed for a floor vote in the U.S. Senate in June. Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) recently announced that the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment" will be brought forward...

Georgia lawmakers defeat religion-funding effort.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Georgia legislature has again thwarted an effort to strip the state constitution of its church-state separation provisions. Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) tried again to win enough votes for a constitutional amendment that would allow public...

Missouri sentences convicts to transcendental meditation.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... A few of Missouri's judges are using Transcendental Meditation (TM) as a sentencing tool. Judge David Mason of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri in March sentenced a woman who pleaded guilty to numerous charges of violations of...

Fright plan: Texas preacher scares up a 'War on Christians' in bid to turn out 'Values Voters' for the GOP in The 2006 elections.(Fright PLAN)
May 1, 2006... The Rev. Rick Scarborough is on a mission to save evangelical Christians from what he claims is a cabal of left-wing forces bent on oppressing their values and ruining America. At a Washington, D.C., gathering in late March sponsored by his...

Breaking the Opus Dei code: the secretive Catholic group's name means 'Work Of God,' but in Washington, D.C., that divine task has a decidedly political bent.(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... From the outside, the non-descript bookstore at 15th and K Streets in the heart of Washington, D.C., looks like any other shop selling religious literature and goods. A small sign in the window reads "Catholic Information Center." Visitors...

The Religious Right's 'war on Christians': fictional fracas.(Editorial)
May 1, 2006... The Religious Right's much-heralded complaints of a "war on Christmas" last year attracted so much media attention that leading far-right fundamentalists have decided to milk it all year long. Claims of a "war on Christmas" have now evolved...

Bush touts political agenda at Catholic prayer breakfast.(George W. Bush)
May 1, 2006... In an event that seamlessly merged religion with politics, President George W. Bush used the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast to promote his views on abortion, immigration and other topics. Speaking to a Washington, D.C., crowd of 1,600,...

Congressional leaders meet with religious right to plot strategy.
May 1, 2006... Religious Right activists and their congressional allies are huddling in Washington, D.C., to figure out how to ensure a large Election Day turnout of the so-called "values voters." In late March, several Religious Right leaders met with...

Religious right mourns Rep. DeLay's decision to leave congress.(Tom DeLay)
May 1, 2006... Religious Right heavyweights are rallying around former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, despite the ethical whirlwind that prodded him to abandon his re-election bid. In the face of criminal indictments revolving around one of his political...

Georgia Legislature tells education dept. to plan bible classes.
May 1, 2006... The Georgia legislature has approved a bill requiring the state board of education to develop a curriculum for two public school classes about the Bible. Senate Bill 79 orders the school board to prepare electives in the History and...

House GOP leader says 'faith-based' initiative has 'gone political'.(Mark Souder, Grand Old Party)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... In a startling admission, a leading House Republican has admitted that the Bush administration's "faith-based" initiative has "gone political." U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) told The Washington Post that federal grants have gone to the...

Supreme Court Justice Scalia's rude gesture sparks debate in Boston.(Antonin Scalia)
May 1, 2006... Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia found himself the subject of some unwanted media attention in late March after he made a crude gesture in response to a reporter's question while leaving a religious service in Boston. Scalia was...

Arizona Sen. McCain works to mend his fences with Falwell.(John McCain )
May 1, 2006... In an apparent effort to repair a damaged relationship with Religious Right leaders, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is reaching out to TV preacher Jerry Falwell. In an early March appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," McCain distanced...

Once-mighty Christian Coalition's money woes continue to mount.
May 1, 2006... Once the most powerful Religious Right organization in America, the Christian Coalition is continuing its rapid downward spiral into irrelevance. The organization, founded by TV preacher Pat Robertson in the wake of his failed 1988...

Arkansas Gov. Huckabee says too many are 'spiritually disconnected'.(Mike Huckabee )
May 1, 2006... Addressing a large Religious Right gathering in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas claimed that too many Americans are spiritually lacking. A keynote speaker at TV preacher D. James Kennedy's two-day "Reclaiming America...

Hindu foundations challenge history texts in California.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Treatment of Hinduism in California textbooks has led to months of debate. In early March, the California Board of Education rejected demands by Hindu foundations that sought to make close to 500 changes to nine textbooks the state school...

Md. funding for church gathering sparks controversy.(Maryland)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... A debate about church-state separation erupted among Maryland lawmakers over Gov. Robert Ehrlich's proposal to grant $150,000 for a religious conference. Democratic representatives objected to the proposal on church-state grounds, among...

Pizza magnate backs off Catholic town plan.(Thomas S. Monaghan, Domino's Pizza)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The founder of Domino's Pizza has backpedaled on plans regarding the Catholic university and town he is helping to create in Florida. Last year, Thomas S. Monaghan said that the town of Ave Maria and Ave Maria University would be a bastion...

Kentucky legislature is too religious, Jewish groups say.(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Kentucky lawmakers have sparked complaints from the state's Jewish leaders over repeated bills and other acts that promote religion. In early March, the Kentucky General Assembly gave final approval to HB 277, a measure that allows...

Afghan Christian convert narrowly escapes death penalty.(Abdul Rahman )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... After pressure from Western nations, a court in Afghanistan has released a citizen it was prosecuting for converting to Christianity. Abdul Rahman had recently returned to Afghanistan to seek custody of his daughters when relatives reported...

Abramoff and the religious right.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... The "Wheel Of Misfortune" article by Rob Boston (March Church & State) was first rate. Jack Abramoff certainly caused an upheaval of truth, reality and exposure. Maybe someone should give him a medal for exposing the corruption of our day. ...

Playing by the tax rules.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... I have just read the April issue of Church & State and feel somewhat uneasy by the tone and emphasis of your article "Render Unto Caesar..." about I.R.S. Commissioner Mark Everson's warning to non-profit organizations regarding electioneering....

Good planning in Norway.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... A Norwegian government-sponsored commission has recommended that the centuries-old connection between the Lutheran Church and the state should be severed ("Norway Should Separate Church, State. Says Panel," AU Bulletin, March 2006 issue). ...

Who owns parish real estate?(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2006... In Oregon, where the Roman Catholic archdiocese is in bankruptcy and its assets subject to seizure, the archdiocese claims that parish church buildings and land are the property of the individual parishes, and therefore cannot be seized from...

Passing the right's torch: who's in line to succeed Pat, Jerry and Dr. Jim?(Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Dr. James Dobson)
May 1, 2006... News media outlets have been doing pieces lately on the longevity of top-tier TV preachers and Religious Right figures. "CBS Sunday Morning" had a lengthy profile of the Rev. Pat Robertson, showing him riding a horse (as you may recall, he used...