religious freedom

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Could we have imagined 50 years ago that marriage would be under all-out assault, and that we would be in a pitched battle to defend an institution so ancient, so fundamental, and so obvious? Would we have imagined it even 30 years ago? Yet that is where we find ourselves…but defenders of marriage are not without powerful allies. Read more »

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed all claims against Shirley Dobson, the wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, in a lawsuit challenging the National Day of Prayer. Shirley Dobson is chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force and was among the names listed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation in a lawsuit filed in October 2008. Read more »

A Christian legal group announced Saturday its intention to sue a Florida county school district in an attempt to restore the rights of faculty to pray. The decree bars school officials from “promoting, advancing, endorsing, participating in, or causing Prayers” and from “orally express[ing] personal religious beliefs to students during or in conjunction with instructional time or a School Event.” Read more »

HB 1144, a bill to advance the legitimization of homosexual behavior in South Dakota, was tabled by an 8-4 vote in the House Health and Human Services Committee today. Read more »

A British Airways check-in worker who refused to hide her cross necklace at work has lost her case against the airline in London’s Court of Appeals but will likely take it up to the Supreme Court. Read more »

President Obama’s faith advisory council recently voted to require churches that receive federal funds to establish separate non-profit corporations as a “necessary means of achieving church-state separation.” Read more »

Controversy over a morning prayer meeting at a high school in Georgetown, S.C., was settled this week as district officials offered a compromise. Students at Georgetown High School will be allowed to form their own prayer club as long as it is open to any student and is sponsored by a faculty member. Read more »

The 31st anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution was marred Thursday by protests and criticism of religious abuse. Civilians took to the streets to demonstrate against the current hard-line government led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The pro-reform demonstrators were headed towards Tehran square, where Ahmadinejad was to give a speech, but were blocked by security forces. Read more »

A new Earth-centered worship area at the Air Force Academy has generated wide attention and discussion over religious freedom and political correctness. While officers say the site for pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers is in congruence with their duty to defend freedom for all Americans, including the freedom to practice religion, one Baptist pastor condemned it as idolatry. Read more »

Religion is being removed from public life in Britain under the guise of tolerance, the Archbishop of York has warned. “This is symptomatic of a trend which has intensified in Britain over the past fifty years in the name of tolerance. That is, an attempt to remove religion from public life,” he pointed out. Read more »

Four Christians on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging the recently enacted Hate Crimes Prevention Act, arguing that it seeks to criminalize deeply held religious beliefs that are in opposition to homosexuality. The new law, the lawsuit contends, “is an effort to eradicate religious beliefs opposing the homosexual agenda from the marketplace of ideas by demonizing, vilifying, and criminalizing such beliefs as a matter of federal law and policy.” Read more »

Some Christians in Britain say their prayers have been answered after the House of Lords on Monday defeated changes to a law that would have required church groups to hire homosexuals or others whose manner of life is inconsistent with their teaching. Peers voted 216 to 178 in favor of Lady O’Cathain’s amendment to retain an exemption for religious groups to equality employment laws. Read more »

The best of the best from Dakota Voice last week, including: Boston Globe Calls Massachusetts Race–8 Hours in Advance; EEOC Nominee Believes Religious Belief Should Not Be Tolerated; President Obama Declares Religious Freedom Day; When Chris Matthews Makes Sense; The Other Side of Global Warming Hysteria; Hitler Furious About Scott Brown Win;and more! Read more »

Two prominent leaders of the separation of church and state debate recently argued whether it is “alarming” that a self-described para-church ministry has received millions in government funds for its drug treatment program. Teen Challenge, an evangelical Christian recovery program, is at the center of a “church and state” debate. Read more »

Chai Feldblum, President Obama’s nominee for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, not only believes “sexual liberty” trumps religious freedom, she believes religious beliefs that run counter to politically correct dogma should not be tolerated. Read more »

President Obama proclaimed Jan. 16 as Religious Freedom Day in the United States in commemoration of a statute passed by America’s forefathers that declared freedom of religion as a natural right of all humanity. Read more »

Religious and legal experts who usually find themselves on opposite sides of the religious expression in public square debate issued an unprecedented consensus statement this week that details what the current law says about religion in public life. Read more »

Christian leaders are urging Americans to celebrate and promote religious liberty on Religious Freedom Sunday. Amid widespread policies on school campuses that discriminate against students’ beliefs, the national observance on Jan. 10 is intended to educate congregations about the religious liberties students have. Read more »

Nothing makes the left lose its collective noodle like an open proclamation of Christian faith. You don’t see it when Muslims proselytize in government schools; the ACLU doesn’t sue when Wiccans share their witchy ways; militant “gay” activists don’t picket Buddhist temples with bullhorns while inhabitants grasp at Zen. No, there’s something about Christianity that just drives ‘em nuts. Always has. Always will. Read more »

A Christian home-visit teacher in the United Kingdom was suspended by her company after she offered to pray for one of her sick students. Her employer told her that her offer of prayer could be seen as “bullying.” Read more »

An order to remove angels and stars from Christmas trees in all government buildings in one California county has been rescinded following the uproar that ensued over the decision. Acting County Administrator Chris Thomas in Sonoma County informed the heads of all 26 county departments to disregard his previous order, which was made in response to the complaint of a disabled atheist veteran. Read more »