Religion & Law

Matt Sharp on ?The Source? with Paul Anderson: Gandhi ok, but not Christianity in high school brick campaign

Posted on February 03, 2011
ADF attorney Matt Sharp appeared on The Source with Paul Anderson to discuss this: Not just another brick in the walkway: Calif. high school forbids Christian pavers | MP3 18:47 mins

Talkback for Feb. 3

Posted on February 03, 2011
Aiken Standard: For those that say there is no separation of church and state and that it's not in the Constitution, then you're in for a big surprise. The senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, has been quoted as saying, "It makes no sense to tax churches and to limit their ability to provide their services, and it does damage to the constitutional separation between church and state...

YouTube May Censor Planned Parenthood Sex Trafficking Expose?

Posted on February 03, 2011
LifeNews: "The popular video sharing web site YouTube is threatening to censor a new video that exposes how a Planned Parenthood center in New jersey aided and assisted actors in an undercover investigation with sexual trafficking of minors."

Sweden: Social services snatch 2 girls from music class: ?Psychological? issues claimed while mother levels child trafficking accusation

Posted on February 03, 2011
World Net Daily: "Social-services workers in Sweden without warning have taken two children from their mother in a move described by an analyst as legal even if there is no evidence of problem . . .The HSLDA is working with the Alliance Defense Fund on a case before the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of the family...

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Slavery is returning to the United States

Posted on February 03, 2011
Rebecca Burgoyne writes for theCalifornia Family Council: "The United States is one of the top three destinations for traffickers who import 15,000-17,000 men, women, and children annually, mostly for forced prostitution and domestic labor."

Chaplains predicted to resist ?gay?-ban repeal: Opponents demanding hearings from House Republicans

Posted on February 03, 2011
Brian Fitzpatrick writes at WorldNetDaily: Though they may be involved in implementing DADT repeal training, and their ministries will be directly affected, the chaplains still have no idea what the training will consist of, said Alliance Defense Fund attorney Daniel Blomberg...

Chatsworth Kid Told His Talent Show Number too Full of Jesus

Posted on February 03, 2011
LAIST: The National Alliance Defense Fund, who are Christian attorneys who work on cases regarding religious freedom, are on the case, and are speaking on behalf of the boy whose identity is not being released. "The courts have time and time again established that Christian students cannot be discriminated against for wanting to express their religious beliefs at schools," says attorney Matt Sharp.

Censorship lifted: Fifth-grader will be allowed to perform song mentioning Jesus at LA-area school

Posted on February 03, 2011
California Catholic Daily: Christian students shouldn?t be censored at public elementary schools because district officials think that religious speech may be offensive, which isn?t justified by the Constitution? said ADF Senior Counsel David Cortman...

OK: Pro-lifers defend ultrasound provision

Posted on February 03, 2011
One News Now: An Oklahoma court is allowing the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) and the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life project to intervene in an Oklahoma case . . . "The intervention is on behalf of American Victims of Abortion, which includes women who have had abortions and who can testify about the devastating consequences of undergoing the procedure without knowing what it really entails," explains Steven H...

PA: Ellwood City Nativity gains support from Christian group

Posted on February 03, 2011
Times Online: "A Christian advocacy organization has contacted Ellwood City officials with the possibility that it might support efforts to fight a possible lawsuit opposing the annual Nativity display in front of the municipal building. Borough Manager Dom Viccari said he had exchanged information with attorneys from the Alliance Defense Fund...

ObamaCare and the Bench ? Why Federal Judges Matter More Now than Ever

Posted on February 03, 2011
Lee Habeeb writes at Townhall: "For anyone who doesn?t think that judges don?t matter, I beg you to read Judge Roger Vinson?s remarkable opinion in Florida v. Health and Human Services. His writing was clear, the legal reasoning astounding, and if upheld by the US Supreme Court, could go down in history as one of America?s most important legal decisions...

Unions to Taxpayers: ?Where?s the Cash?

Posted on February 03, 2011
Kyle Olson writes at Townhall: "One of the most disturbing results of an adult-focused public education system is the constant focus on money. There is an insatiable thirst on the part of Big Labor to constantly increase spending on public education, because the teachers? unions are mostly concerned with their pensions, paychecks and the union coffers...

Pakistani Court Imposes Death Sentence For Blasphemy Against Companions of the Prophet Muhammad

Posted on February 03, 2011
Religion Clause Blog: "One India News reports that in Pakistan's Punjab province yesterday, a court has invoked the country's controversial blasphemy law to impose a death sentence on Muhammad Rafiq for committing blasphemy against the companions of the Prophet Muhammad...

Philly faith healing couple sentenced over child?s death, judge says child welfare trumps religious freedom

Posted on February 03, 2011
AP via KC Star: "The welfare of the child is more important than the religious freedom of the parents," Temin said.

Kyrgyzstan: Prayer Row Pits Civil Society against Parliament

Posted on February 03, 2011
EurasiaNet.org: "A seemingly innocuous suggestion to allocate time and space for Kyrgyz MPs to observe Islam?s traditional Friday prayers has produced a furor with implications for mosque-state separation. Opponents say the measure threatens to erode the concept of secularism enshrined in Kyrgyzstan?s constitution...

Second Video Shows Planned Parenthood-Sex Trafficking Coverup

Posted on February 03, 2011
LifeNews: "A second videotape has been released showing a Planned Parenthood abortion business covering up an alleged sex trafficking ring. The first tape showed staffers in New Jersey engaged in the coverup and this one features a clinic in Virginia...

Culhane: Will we see more straight civil unions?

Posted on February 03, 2011
Law Professor John Culhane writes at 365Gay.com: "The list of states willing to grant same-sex couples the full benefits of marriage grew by one on Monday, when Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed that state?s civil union law. The law looks quite similar to measures enacted in several other states, except for this one, crucial difference: Opposite-sex couples are also permitted to enter into civil unions ...

Census estimates show big gains for US minorities

Posted on February 03, 2011
AP: "U.S. racial minorities accounted for roughly 85 percent of the nation's population growth over the last decade - one of the largest shares ever - with Hispanics accounting for much of the gain in many of the states picking up new House seats."

States of Resistance: Governors are fleeing ObamaCare after the Florida ruling

Posted on February 03, 2011
"After federal Judge Roger Vinson struck down on Monday the entire statute in a suit brought by 26 states, some states are already suspending any efforts to comply with its regulations and mandates."

Pakistani judge orders American held 8 more days

Posted on February 03, 2011
AP: "A court on Thursday ordered the detention of an American official suspected in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis extended by at least eight days, in defiance of U.S. demands the man be released immediately."

Massachusetts Catholics fight to reinstate Defense of Marriage Act

Posted on February 03, 2011
CNA: "The U.S. Bishops and the Massachusetts Catholic Conference have joined a list of 17 religious groups moving to appeal the state's rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act last year."

Undercover ?Sex Work? Videos Fuel Congressional Campaign Against Planned Parenthood

Posted on February 03, 2011
Fox News: "The recent release of an undercover video exposing duplicity and potential criminality by an employee of Planned Parenthood is an outrage," Pence said. "The time to deny any and all funding to Planned Parenthood is now."

City manufactures restrictive zoning district specifically to stop growth of Minn. church

Posted on February 03, 2011
ADF attorneys file suit against city of Medina for targeting church, preventing it from expanding on its own property

Missouri sexually oriented business owners to appeal decision on new restrictions

Posted on February 03, 2011
KC Star: "A lawsuit challenging new restrictions on adult businesses in Missouri was thrown out last week, but club and bookstore owners will appeal, their attorney said Thursday."

Abortion Provider Understated Abortion Numbers by Thousands, Delaware highest rate in nation

Posted on February 03, 2011
Businesswire.com: "Planned Parenthood?s Guttmacher Institute has disclosed that a Delaware abortion provider has admitted to greatly underreporting the number of abortions it performs each year?including in statistics that it provided to Delaware?s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)...

Virginia House passes prayer amendment

Posted on February 03, 2011
ABP: The amendment, adopted 61-33 in the Republican-dominated House, says that ?the people?s right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage and traditions on public property, including public schools, shall not be infringed; however, the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions, including public school divisions, shall not compose school prayers, nor require any person to join in prayer or other religious activity...

Chinese Christians aim to evangelize Muslim world

Posted on February 03, 2011
Julia Duin writes at the Washington Post: "For decades now they've had plans to evangelize the Muslim world that lies along the old Silk Road route. This could be one of the most ambitious missionary enterprises in 2,000 years of Christianity. No national church has amazed the world as much as that of the Chinese...

Arkansas House Cmte Kills Bill Removing Obamacare Abortion Funding

Posted on February 03, 2011
LifeNews: "But the House Public Health Welfare and Labor Committee tabled the bill after Rep. Jeff Wardlaw, a Democrat, attached an amendment to the bill on an 11-8 vote that would allow abortion funding in cases of rape and incest."

New chief justice says California Supreme Court will decide soon on entering Proposition 8 fray

Posted on February 03, 2011
LA Times: "Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Wednesday that the California Supreme Court may decide 'as soon as next week' whether to weigh in on the federal Proposition 8 appeal and expressed hope that a Southern California Latino would be chosen to succeed departing Justice Carlos R...

State Health Department to Probe Abortion Center in Video

Posted on February 03, 2011
LifeNews: "The New Jersey state health department will investigate a shady abortion business a Planned Parenthood official mentioned in an investigative video showing staff at Perth Amboy Planned Parenthood aiding sex traffickers."

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