Church & State articles from November 2005

Church & State archives from November 2005

High Court skips Bible-based death penalty case.(capital punishment, jurors violates constitutional rights)(Company Profile)
November 1, 2005... The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a Colorado court ruling that invalidated a convict's death sentence because jurors consulted the Bible. Earlier this year, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in People v. Harlan that jurors...

Justice Department sides with Vatican in abuse case.(IN THE CAPITAL)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Bush administration has asked a federal judge in Texas to drop a lawsuit accusing Pope Benedict XVI of trying to cover up sexual abuse charges. The Associated Press reported in late September that the U.S. Justice Department had...

'Faith-based' job bias upheld in New York.(New York Civil Liberties Union sues Salvation Army )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... A federal judge in New York has ruled that the Salvation Army can discriminate in hiring in federally funded social service programs it runs. On Oct. 4, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein dismissed a portion of a lawsuit filed by the New...

Christian 'Teen Ranch' loses funding fight in Michigan.(AROUND THE STATES)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Michigan state officials were correct to end funding of an evangelical Christian organization that offers religious programs for juvenile delinquents, a federal judge has ruled. In 2003, the Michigan Family Independence Agency, which places...

Biohazard: 'intelligent design' poses threat to science education and church-state separation, say parents and experts at Pennsylvania trial.
November 1, 2005... Pennsylvania science teacher Bryan Rehm began to suspect there might be problems afoot after a school board member summoned him and other faculty to a special meeting to watch a video. Titled "Icons of Evolution," the video attacked the...

Who did in Harriet Miers: opposition from Religious Right far right leaders fells Bush High Court nominee.(George W. Bush)
November 1, 2005... Harriet Miers, President George W. Bush's second pick for the Supreme Court, was already withering under great skepticism and criticism from the far right when an Oct. 26 Washington Post report sparked further shock waves. The front-page...

After the hurricanes: government should not subsidize proselytism.(Federal Emergency Management Administration to reimburse religious groups )(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... In the wake of the recent back-to-back Gulf Coast hurricanes, Americans showed their generosity by donating millions to help those displaced by the storms. Religious groups were among those lending a hand, and many did commendable work. ...

Bush, Roberts join flock at 'Red Mass'.(George W. Bush, John G. Roberts Jr.)
November 1, 2005... President George W. Bush and newly confirmed Chief Justice John G. Roberts joined a slew of other government officials at Washington, D.C.'s annual "Red Mass" Oct. 2. The Catholic mass, named for the red vestments worn by the officiating...

Once-formidable Christian Coalition now in retreat.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
November 1, 2005... Once the nation's most powerful Religious Right group, the Christian Coalition has fallen on hard times, dogged by a dwindling budget, reduced staff and aggressive creditors seeking payment of unpaid bills. Founded by TV preacher Pat...

Americans United marches in Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg backyard.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Rev. Jerry Falwell and Americans United have tangled frequently over the years, and now AU is taking the fight to the Religious Right leader's own doorstep. The recently formed Lynchburg, Va., chapter of Americans United is on the...

Bush 'God talk' rumors about Iraq war spark controversy and debate.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(George W. Bush)
November 1, 2005... Did President George W. Bush invade Iraq because God told him to? The story first began knocking around cyberspace and has now broken into the national print media. As the allegations go, Bush was meeting with Palestinian officials in June...

Ohio pastor launches $30-million campaign for nation's 'restoration'.(Rod Parsley)
November 1, 2005... Up-and-coming Religious Right activist Rod Parsley has announced the kickoff of a new organization that will use Ohio as a laboratory to perfect a scheme to saturate America with fundamentalist Christian values. Standing on the steps of...

Vatican rep. compares U.S. to repressive Communist governments.(Archbishop J. Michael Miller blasted education policy)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The United States' refusal to offer subsidies to private religious education puts the country in the same league with repressive Communist nations, a Vatican official said recently. Archbishop J. Michael Miller, secretary of the Vatican...

Air Force backs down on policy allowing chaplains to evangelize.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
November 1, 2005... The U.S. Air Force says it will drop a policy that allowed chaplains to proselytize service members with no religion, in an effort to settle a lawsuit brought by an Americans United member. Mikey Weinstein, an Albuquerque attorney and...

A bridge too far?: Rev. Moon calls for billions to connect Alaska with Russia.(PEOPLE & EVENTS; Sun Myung Moon )
November 1, 2005... Controversial Korean evangelist Sun Myung Moon has unveiled plans for a far-fetched scheme to bring the world closer together by building a 51-mile bridge/tunnel over the Bering Strait to connect Russia and the United States. "Some may...

'Ten Commandments Judge' Moore kicks off run for Ala. governor.(PEOPLE & EVENTS; Roy Moore)
November 1, 2005... Alabama's "Ten Commandments Judge" Roy Moore has made it official: He will run for governor in 2006. The announcement is the latest twist in a long-running saga over Moore, a great favorite of the Religious Right who insists that religion...

'Lucky Louie' Sheldon, other Religious Right leaders pushed gambling.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
November 1, 2005... The Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, a California-based Religious Right activist who claims to be opposed to the spread of legalized gambling, helped scuttle an anti-gambling measure five years ago after receiving a check from a gambling company, The...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2005... The October issue of Church & State featured the wrong volume number on its cover. The correct number should be Volume 58, No. 9. We regret the error.

Removal of school's religious pictures sparks Ill. conflict.(AROUND THE STATES)
November 1, 2005... An Illinois pastor is working to force a public school to replace religious pictures that officials had removed to comply with constitutional mandates. In mid July, Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter to...

Tennessee town considers Sunday park closing.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Two city officials in Tennessee have suggested closing a public park on Sunday for religious reasons. Alderman Darrell Leftwich of White House, Tenn., asked the city administrator to draft an ordinance barring sporting events on Sunday...

Canadian province bars use of Islamic law.(Ontario)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The premier of Ontario, Canada, has announced that Islamic precepts will not be allowed in family law arbitration. On Sept. 11, Premier Dalton McGuinty told Canadian Press, "There will be no Shariah law in Ontario. There will be no...

Questioning Istook's amendment.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... I have a few questions regarding U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook's proposed Religious Freedom Amendment ("Decalogue Divide," July/August Church & State). As you know, it claims "to secure the people's right to acknowledge God...." Would public...

Beware the slippery slope.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... More years ago than I wish to recall, I worked closely with Glenn Archer, then executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, on a number of issues, primarily blue laws and education. At that time I was executive...

The on-going debate over evolution.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... During the entire six decades of my adult life, I have listened to the debates over creation and evolution. Now the terminology has been changed to "intelligent design," which is Christian creation redefined. My studies indicate that there...

Unintelligent design?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... It occurs to me that we have evolved from fighting with fists and rocks, to swords and spears, to guns and bombs and Agent Orange and finally to nuclear warfare. The latter not only kills our enemies, but also destroys our home, Planet Earth....

How I became an 'irritant to the status quo'.(PERSPECTIVE)
November 1, 2005... What's better than being labeled a national "irritant" by your foes? Being recognized as one by your friends! I had this honor recently when I was privileged to receive the Robert O. Cooper Peace and Justice Fellowship Award at Southern...