Church & State articles from October 2002

Church & State archives from October 2002

Key house ally says Bush seeks faith-based conversions. (In The Capital).(Representative Mark Souder)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In an unusually candid discussion about President George W. Bush's "faith-based" initiative, Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) acknowledged widespread concern over charitable choice and the president's desire to help "overtly Christian organizations."...

House GOP cancels vote on education tax-credit bill. (In The Capital).
October 1, 2002... Faced with unyielding opposition from Democrats and opponents of public aid to religious and other private schools, Republicans in the House of Representatives cancelled a vote on a controversial measure to expand federal tax credits to parents...

Council prayers can't be sectarian, California court rules. (Around The States).(Burbank City Council)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A California appeals court has ruled that Christian prayers offered at the beginning of city council meetings in Burbank are unconstitutional. In a unanimous ruling issued on Sept. 9, the 2nd District Court of Appeals concluded that...

Satanic service in Kentucky prison sparks controversy. (Around The States).(Green River Correctional Complex)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A satanic worship service at a Kentucky prison has prompted the state's Department of Corrections to consider a new statewide policy on inmate religious exercises. In August, two inmates at the Green River Correctional Complex, a...

Faith-based flimflam: how the White House is diverting public funds and personnel to woo African-American voters and help Republican candidates.
October 1, 2002... Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R) is seeking re-election in her West Virginia congressional district this year, and she knows winning a second term in the House of Representatives won't be easy. In 2000, Capito eked out a narrow, 5,000-vote...

Bush presses forward on religion funding without congressional approval. (Faith-Based Foray).(George W. Bush)
October 1, 2002... Robert Polito is a man with a mission. Polito, director of the faith-based office at Bush's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently told the Associated Press that he and other Bush administration officials are moving full steam...

Pork at the Pulpit: the dangers of politicizing the faith-based initiative.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In a strongly worded editorial titled "Pork At The Pulpit," The Christian Science Monitor on September 18 blasted efforts by the Bush administration to use the faith-based initiative to win votes among African Americans. An excerpt...

Along came Jones: despite religious opposition, church electioneering bill moves toward floor vote in the house.(Walter B. Jones)
October 1, 2002... When U.S. Senate candidate Erskine Bowles won the endorsement of 11 prominent black ministers in North Carolina, he couldn't wait to spread the news. In an Aug. 30 press release, Bowles' campaign trumpeted the development, noting that the...

Wolf in sheep's clothing? Appeals court nominee Michael McConnell is a nice guy, but critics say he has an extremist agenda on civil liberties.
October 1, 2002... Shortly before the November 2000 presidential election, University of Utah College of Law professor Michael W. McConnell surveyed the legal landscape in America and was alarmed by what he saw. The U.S. Supreme Court, McConnell wrote in the...

The McConnell nomination: who's the real extremist? (Editorials).
October 1, 2002... U.S. Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh is angry because several national groups, Americans United among them, have opposed the nomination of University of Utah law professor Michael McConnell to the federal 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. ...

`Faith-based' schemes and partisan politics: a dangerous combination. (Editorials).(Editorial)
October 1, 2002... To hear President George W. Bush tell it, the "faith-based" initiative launched last year is about helping Americans in need of assistance. In repeated speeches since unveiling the controversial plan in January 2001, Bush has said his...

Child advocacy head in Fla. under fire for religious right ties. (People & Events).(Jerry Regier)
October 1, 2002... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is under fire for appointing a Religious Right activist as head of a state child welfare agency even though the man is accused of backing harsh physical punishment of children and male supremacy in marriage. ...

Poll shows support for government monitoring of religion. (People & Events).
October 1, 2002... The ongoing war on terrorism has apparently taken a toll on the First Amendment. A new poll shows that nearly half of Americans surveyed believe the First Amendment goes too far in protecting rights, and increasing numbers believe the...

Religious right groups join forces to select Texas textbooks. (People & Events).
October 1, 2002... Americans United activists in Texas are battling a coalition of Religious Right groups that has formed to pore over potential social studies textbooks with the aim of forcing the state to reject those that don't promote right-wing views. ...

Ala. religious leaders oppose Judge Moore's commandments display. (People & Events).(Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore)
October 1, 2002... A diverse array of state and national religious leaders has come out in opposition to Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore's display of the Ten Commandments at the state's highest court. In a legal brief filed Aug. 21 in the U.S....

Ga. county considers policy to allow teaching creationism. (People & Events).(Cobb County, Georgia)
October 1, 2002... Members of the Cobb County, Ga., School Board are considering a policy that would allow science teachers to offer instruction in "intelligent design" and "scientific creationism" in class. The county, just north of Atlanta, has been the...

Fla. christian coalition leader arrested in ballot signature scam. (People & Events).(Anthony Verdugo)
October 1, 2002... The head of the Miami-Dade County Christian Coalition was arrested Aug. 16, charged with fraudulently obtaining a signature on a petition to overturn the county's gay rights law. Anthony Verdugo, 40, and two others were arrested by the...

`Re-discovered' Jefferson letter shows support for religious liberty. (People & Events).
October 1, 2002... A recently re-discovered 201-year-old letter from Thomas Jefferson underscores the third president's strong support for religious liberty. The missive, dated July 2, 1801, was sent to the Delaware Baptist Association; it was written in...

New York bishops seek aid for religious schools. (People & Events).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... New York's Roman Catholic bishops have issued a pastoral statement demanding taxpayer subsidies for tuition and other needs for the 800 religious academies run by the church. Facing financial difficulties that have led many ministry schools...

Yoga class sparks trouble in Colorado public school. (People & Events).(Aspen Elementary School)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A Colorado elementary school is embroiled in a controversy over whether yoga is a religion and whether the school can legally include the exercise program as part of the school's activities. The Aspen Elementary School had intended to...

Religious activists seek to censor library books in Texas. (AU Bulletin).(Montgomery County, Texas public libraries)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... A popular children's sex-education book may soon be banned from Houston-area libraries. In August, officials in Montgomery County, Texas, voted to ban It's Perfectly Normal, a best-selling children's book about human sexuality that has...

Chicago revises 9-11 ceremony after AU protest. (AU Bulletin).(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... An official ceremony in Chicago to commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which was originally announced as a government-sponsored religious service, was altered after concerns were raised by Americans United for...

Iran president seeks limits on clergy power. (Around The World).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In theocratic Iran, Muslim clerics maintain strict control over most of the powers of government. That, however, may change if Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has his way. Khatami was elected president twice on a platform promising...

A right to discriminate?: Not with my tax dollars. (Perspective).(debate over government funding of religious charities)
October 1, 2002... The Lynchburg News & Advance started the story this way: "A pastor and a government official sit at a table. One thinks the government should allow faith-based organizations to apply for social service federal grants and use religious beliefs...