Church & State articles from May 2008

Church & State archives from May 2008

Supreme Court accepts Utah's 'Seven Aphorisms' case.(in the Capital)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new case dealing with the display of religious symbols on public property. The legal tussle comes from Utah, where members of a small religious group called Summum are seeking the right to display...

Don't display courthouse cross, AU tells W. Va. County.(around the States)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Local government officials in Mineral County, W. Va., agreed not to display a large cross on the lawn of the courthouse after receiving a letter from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The officials had originally agreed...

California court reconsiders home schooling.(around the States)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A California court has agreed to reconsider a decision curbing home schooling that has angered many Religious Right activists. The Second District Court of Appeal ruled earlier this year that there is no constitutional right to engage in...

Oregon parents indicted in faith-healing death.(around the States)(Carl Brent and Raylene Worthington of Followers of Christ Church)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A grand jury in Clackamas County, Ore., has indicted an Oregon City couple who relied on faith healing to deal with their 15-month-old daughter's respiratory ailment. Ava Worthington died at home March 2 of pneumonia and a blood infection....

Nationwide 'First Freedom First' theater simulcast brings together celebrities, citizen activists to promote church-state separation.(Two Thumbs Up!)(Cover story)
May 1, 2008... Ellen Brown, president of Americans United's San Diego chapter, wasn't sure what to expect as she pulled into the parking lot of Mira Mesa Stadium I8 Theaters the evening of March 26. Brown wouldn't be taking in an action flick or a romantic...

Celebrate separation!(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Among those at tile First Freedom First program taping in Washington, D.C., were (clockwise from upper left) actors Wendie Malick and Dan Lauria, singer-songwriter Catie Curtis, author Susan Jacoby, singe-satirist...

Church-state champions discuss personal bottles to defend individual rights.(UNCOMMON COURAGE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The First Freedom First simulcast, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Separation of Church and State... But Were Afraid to Ask," wasn't all just music, laughs and entertainment. The nationwide broadcast, viewed in 37 theaters...

Church-state champions.(First Freedom First)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Citizen activists at the First Freedom First taping included (clockwise from upper left) Roberta Stewart, Dr. Susan Wicklund, David Antoon and his son Ryan Antoon, program host Peter Coyote with Bryan Rehm, Christie...

Researcher's new book exposes Korean Evangelist's ties the religious right and his extraordinary political power in America.(BAD MOON RISING)(John Gorenfeld, Bad Moon Rising: How Reverend Moon Created The Washington Times, Seduced the Religious Right, and Built an American Kingdom )(Interview)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Journalist and researcher John Gorenfeld has studied the political influence of the Rev. Sun yung Moon's Unification Church for years. In his new book, Bad Moon Rising: How Reverend Moon Created The Washington Times,...

When it comes to decisions about prayer, the majority doesn't rule, Texas lawsuit settlement declares.(Graduation AFFIRMATION)(Round Rock Independent School District)
May 1, 2008... Imagine you are standing in a polling booth on Election Day. You're about to cast your ballot when you see this proposal: "All city events and meetings shall open with prayer." How odd, you think, because you're sure the separation of church...

Constitutional crisis in the states: church-state separation provisions under fire.(EDITORIALS)
May 1, 2008... About three-fourths of the states have constitutions explicitly banning tax aid to religious schools and other sectarian institutions. These "no-aid" provisions are a huge obstacle to those who seek public support for private religious...

Prison fellowship flip-flop: Colson brigade now says they don't want tax money!(EDITORIALS)(Prison Fellowship Ministrie)
May 1, 2008... Americans United battled tax funding of a fundamentalist Christian program in an Iowa prison for five years, winning rulings from two federal courts declaring public support for the sectarian approach unconstitutional. The case came to an...

Bush defends war, attacks 'Fairness Doctrine' before religious broadcasters.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(President George W. Bush, National Religious Broadcasters)
May 1, 2008... Perhaps eager for a friendly audience, President George W. Bush addressed the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) in March, where he pledged to keep the airwaves open for religious programming and vowed to press on with the war in Iraq. ...

IRS should investigate Calif. ministry for political endorsement, says AU.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Internal Revenue Service, Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
May 1, 2008... Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged the Internal Revenue Service to investigate a California-based ministry whose leader issued a press release endorsing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In a Feb. 4...

Georgia minister agrees to cooperate with Senator's information request.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Bishop Eddie Long, Charles E. Grassley )
May 1, 2008... Another mega-ministry preacher has agreed to cooperate with a U.S. senator's request for information about finances. Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., has indicated that lie will send financial...

McCain works to mend fences with religious right at CNP gathering.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(John McCain, Council for National Policy )
May 1, 2008... Presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain is working to boost his standing with the Religious Right, meeting with top leaders in New Orleans recently. McCain addressed the Council for National Policy (CNP) March 7 at the...

Florida Tax Commission urges repeal of strict church-state provisions.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Taxation and Budget Reform Commission)
May 1, 2008... Members of Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission voted to give initial approval to a ballot proposal that would erase the state constitution's strict church-state separation provisions. The move is seen as an effort to win legal...

Washington Commandments display can stay, federal appeals court rules.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A Ten Commandments monument on public property in Everett, Wash., does not violate the Constitution and may stay where it is, a federal appeals court ruled March 26. Americans United brought the case on behalf of local resident Jesse Card....

Pharmacists' religion doesn't trump public interest, AU tells Court of Appeals.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A Washington State Board of Pharmacy regulation that requires pharmacies to dispense all medications in a timely manner does not trample on religious freedom and should be upheld, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told a...

VA centers must remain neutral on religion, AU tells officials.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Department of Veterans Affairs )(Americans United for Separation of Church and State )
May 1, 2008... The Department of Veterans Affairs has the right to require chapels at VA medical centers to be open to all faiths, Americans United for Separation of Church and State recently advised federal officials. The issue surfaced in North Carolina...

New creationist strategy claims to champion 'academic freedom'.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
May 1, 2008... Advocates of teaching creationism in public school science classes are back with a new strategy: legislation that claims to support "academic freedom." The tactic has surfaced recently in Louisiana and Florida. In Louisiana, a bill has...

Kentucky Constitution bars tax aid to Baptist University, state court rules.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
May 1, 2008... A state court in Kentucky has ruled that an $11 million appropriation to a Baptist university violates the state constitution. In striking down the tax aid, Franklin County Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden ruled "there is no question that the...

Homosexuality surpasses terrorism as U.S. threat, Oklahoma lawmaker says.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Sally Kern )
May 1, 2008... A state legislator in Oklahoma has sparked controversy with her insistence that the United States was founded to be a Christian nation and for asserting that gay people are more dangerous than terrorists. State Rep. Sally Kern sparked out...

Texas school district agrees to drop bible course.(around the States)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A Texas school district bad dropped a controversial Bible curriculum in order to settle a lawsuit. The Ector County Independent School District in 2005 adopted a curriculum produced by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public...

Saudi king seeks monotheistic front against atheism.(around the World)(King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has called on representatives of the world's monotheistic religions to meet to discuss ways to shore up faith in the face of what he says is declining family values and rising non-belief. The king, whose...

Ontario official suggests ending Lord's Prayer recitation.(around the World)(Dalton McGuinty )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has recommended that daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the provincial legislature be dropped. "The members of the Ontario Legislature reflect the diversity of Ontario--be it Christian, Jewish, Hindu,...

Court strikes down N.J. coach's religious activity.(LATE-BREAKING NEWS!)(New Jersey public school football coach Marcus Borden)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... As this issue of Church & State was going to press, a federal appeals court ruled that a New Jersey public school football coach does not have a constitutional right to engage in religions activity with students. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court...

That's entertainment!: bringing home the Bacon (brothers) and others for six degrees of separation.(PERSPECTIVE)(Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Separation of Church and State ... But Were Afraid to Ask)
May 1, 2008... When I left the rehearsal for our recent movie "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Separation of Church and State... But Were Afraid to Ask," I was consumed by the thought that this was the most interesting collection of people in one...