Church & State articles from October 2008

Church & State archives from October 2008

Evangelical activist heads 'faith-based' Office.(in the Capital)(Jedd Medefind )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... The Bush administration has named an evangelical Christian author and activist as the new director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. In late August, Jedd Medefind replaced Jay Hein, who resigned to take...

Christian Science church fights landmark limits.(in the Capital)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A Christian Science congregation has filed a lawsuit against the Washington, D.C., government for preventing the church from tearing down its own building. The city declared the 37-year-old Third Church of Christ, Scientist, to be a...

Stop Bible giveaway at school, AU tells court.(around the States)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A Missouri public school must stop distributing Bibles to fifth-graders, Americans United has told a federal appellate court. For more than 30 years, South Iron R-1 School District permitted Gideons International to distribute Bibles during...

Louisiana Governor lifts 'faith-based' bias ban.(around the States)(Bobby Jindal )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has refused to renew an expiring executive order that protects against "faith-based" hiring discrimination. An executive order issued by former Gov. Kathleen Blanco added "sexual orientation" to a list of...

Curses, foiled again! Florida Supreme Court derails Jeb Bush plot to repeal church-state separation and promote religious school vouchers.
October 1, 2008... Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said it was "heart-breaking." But public school advocates and supporters of civil fights and civil liberties in Florida and around the country were ecstatic. In a sweeping defeat for Bush and the school voucher...

Inside the Values Voter Summit: Religious Right activists serve up rancid rhetoric, partisan posturing and even a racist waffle mix at 'pro-family' confab.(Cover story)
October 1, 2008... Religious Right activist Gary Bauer surveyed the crowd of more than 2,000 activists gathered at the Hilton Washington Sept. 13 for the annual "Values Voter Summit" and made a shocking announcement. "We have found in recent years at events...

Answering The Call: Evangelist Lou Engle rallies evangelical youth on behalf of the religious right.
October 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pieces of bright red tape with the word "LIFE" covered their mouths as young Americans rocked back and forth, swaying their arms in the air to loud Christian music while they listened to the raspy voice of their...

The Religious Right top ten: right-wing religious forces have money, influence and power--and they're seeking more.
October 1, 2008... For the past two years, numerous media pundits have been all abuzz over the so-called "death" of the Religious Right. There is one problem, however: Someone forgot to tell the Religious Right. A recent Americans United study of the finances...

Of pews, pulpits and partisanship: electioneering threatens unity of churches.(Editorial)
October 1, 2008... A recent poll showed that Americans are becoming increasingly wary of intervention in politics by religious groups. Two-thirds told the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that religious leaders should not instruct congregants on whom to vote...

Ohio clergy call for IRS action against Religious Right pulpit politicking project.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Alliance Defense Fund, Internal Revenue Service)
October 1, 2008... A group of Ohio clergy is calling on the Internal Revenue Service to take action against a Religious Right legal group that has urged pastors to violate federal tax law by endorsing or opposing candidates from the pulpit. The Alliance...

Americans United unveils new Web site focused on churches and politics.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State )
October 1, 2008... Responding to a growing Religious Right drive to politicize houses of worship, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has unveiled a new Web site that addresses the issue of church-based politicking. The site,...

Conservatives wary of church-based politicking, new opinion poll shows.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A solid majority of Americans believes houses of worship should stay out of partisan politics--a view that is increasingly being adopted by conservatives, a new poll shows. The poll, conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life,...

Ministry drops federal 'faith-based' grant after Americans United protest.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Americans United for Separation of Church and State)
October 1, 2008... A fundamentalist Christian group that claims to help young people overcome drug and alcohol addiction through Bible study and prayer has given up a federal grant after Americans United for Separation of Church and State protested the funding....

'First Freedom First' effort urges candidates to support religious liberty.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... First Freedom First, a project sponsored jointly by Americans United and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, sent letters to six presidential candidates in August, urging support for five religious liberty principles. The letter noted that...

Archbishop says Catholic officials and justices should push church positions.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)(Charles J. Chaput )
October 1, 2008... Denver's Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles J. Chaput says he is "tired of people telling religious folks to be quiet in the public square because of constitutional questions of separation of church and state." The archbishop, author of...

Theocrat Randall Terry seeks to get back into the national spotlight.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
October 1, 2008... Randall Terry, a once prominent anti-abortion activist, is trying to work his way back into the national spotlight. Terry made a name for himself and his group, Operation Rescue, in the 1980s and into the '90s by leading raucous protests at...

Pro-choice Catholics release in-depth report on right-wing group.(PEOPLE & EVENTS)
October 1, 2008... The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights uses media manipulation and exaggerated claims of anti-Catholicism to advance a far-right political agenda, according to a new study of the group. The 25-page report says the organization...

Ban on picketing at funerals upheld by appeals court.(around the States)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A federal appeals court has upheld an Ohio law that limits picketing at funerals, preventing an anti-gay church from protesting at military funerals. Westboro Baptist Church, a militantly anti-gay Kansas congregation, argued in its appeal...

N.J. school concerts may skip religious songs.(around the States)(New Jersey )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A New Jersey public school district does not have to include religious songs during its holiday concerts, a federal court has ruled for the second time. Michael Stratechuk, a father of two children in the district, filed the lawsuit...

Catholic hospital in Illinois may lose tax exemption.(around the States)(Covenant Medical Center )(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... An "uncharitable" Catholic hospital may lose its tax break for failing to provide enough free services. A state appellate court said the hospital's charity care was less than 1 percent of its revenue and not enough to justify a tax...

UN religion resolution sparks controversy.(around the World)(Brief article)
October 1, 2008... A United Nations resolution that protects against defamatory statements about Islam and other religions has sparked international debate. The resolution, called "Combating Defamation of Religion," has been approved annually by the world...

Of leprechauns and religious liberty: church-state conflict looms large on the Emerald Isle.(PERSPECTIVE)
October 1, 2008... I guess my recent trip to Ireland wasn't very conventional. First, I didn't hear a single rendition of "Danny Boy." Second, although I saw two spectacular rainbows, neither appeared to be connected to a leprechaun, much less a pot of gold....