Religion & Law

Prop. 8 opponents ask California high court to reject federal court?s request for ruling

Posted on January 26, 2011
Los Angeles Times: "An attorney for same-sex couples hoping to overturn Proposition 8 in federal court urged the California Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject a request that it rule on whether initiative sponsors have authority to defend ballot measures...

Study reveals increased need for marriage support from churches

Posted on January 26, 2011
All News Wire: "A largely anticipated in-depth study about the relationship between marriage and faith was recently released by the California Healthy Marriages Coalition. This report entitled In The Pews and the Public Square is the first of it?s kind to be released to the public...

Episcopal Church leader: Polygamy is sort of OK in Africa

Posted on January 26, 2011
Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, is interviewed in the Houston Chronicle. Here is an excerpt: "In the 1980s, the Anglican community started to wrestle with the issue of polygamy in Africa. Polygamy is not an issue here, except in very small pockets of Utah and Arizona, and the church has taken a very different position...

MD: Same-sex ?marriage? could pass legislature, but referendum likely awaits

Posted on January 26, 2011
"Still, even if the bill passes, it's likely that opponents would get the necessary 53,650 signatures required to put the issue to a voter referendum, which so far has proved to be the kiss of death for marriage equality in other states."

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Americans United opposes Speaker?s plan to give funding to D.C. religious schools

Posted on January 26, 2011
Americans United for Separation of Church and State: "House Speaker John Boehner?s plan to subsidize religious schools in the District of Columbia would undercut civil rights and civil liberties and add to the federal budget deficit, while failing to improve education, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State...

U.S. could exit GM within a year

Posted on January 26, 2011
Wall Street Journal (full text via Google News): "The U.S. Treasury could sell its remaining stake in General Motors Co. within the next year, an Obama administration official said Wednesday, signaling a much shorter time frame than the auto maker initially expected...

All abortion clinics are houses of horror

Posted on January 26, 2011
OA Online: "I bring this up because I find it odd that some pro-abortion folks seem to be appalled by this. It is hypocritical to support killing babies by one procedure and be appalled by another. Why is cutting the spinal cord of a baby any different than dismembering the same baby in the uterus and then sucking it out in pieces? Or, for that matter, partially delivering the baby before stabbing it to death?"

UK: Second same sex couple sues B&B owners

Posted on January 26, 2011
Daily Mail: "A gay couple are suing a Christian bed and breakfast owner after she told them it was 'against her convictions' for them to share a bed, it emerged yesterday. Michael Black, 63, and John Morgan, 58, are claiming sexual discrimination after being turned away from Swiss B&B in Cookham, Berkshire, last March...

Judge denies divorce to same-sex Nebraska City couple

Posted on January 26, 2011
Nebraska City News-Press: "District Judge Randall Rehmeier Tuesday denied a divorce to a same-sex Nebraska City couple that was married in 2003 in Vermont. The judge said the Nebraska Constitution provides that 'only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska...

Scottish Catholic bishop criticizes Cameron over legal attacks on Christians

Posted on January 26, 2011
Iona Institute: "A Scottish Catholic bishop has criticised Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured) for surrounding himself with religiously illiterate, secularist advisers. The Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Devine, said the coalition's attitude was a continuation of that of previous Labour Government, which forced people to act against their conscience or face punishment from the state...

IA: Vander Plaats makes stop in Indianola

Posted on January 26, 2011
Des Moines Register: "Conservative activist and former gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats spoke to a group of county residents last week about galvanizing conservative momentum, encouraging the four remaining state Supreme Court justices to resign, and recommending political leaders begin impeachment proceedings if the justices don?t resign...

Iraq toys with polygamy as solution for war widows

Posted on January 26, 2011
BBC: "Years of conflict in Iraq have left the country with more than one million war widows and a shortage of young unmarried men - pressures that may be bringing about the return of polygamy."

Pro-life leaders to call for state and federal inspections of all abortion clinics

Posted on January 26, 2011
ChristianNewsWire: "Groups also to demand Congressional hearings on the safety of the abortion industry and it's failure to protect women. With the recent revelations and murder charges against Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell and the barbaric practices at his clinic, the myth of abortions being "Safe and Rare" has now been shattered...

National Black Pro-Life Union and Black Pro-Life Movement: Sharpton is wrong ? Santorum is right

Posted on January 26, 2011
ChristianNewsWire: "'Al Sharpton, for the sake of Al Sharpton, railed against Rick Santorum for calling attention to the horrific impact abortion is having on the black community,' said Rev. Dr. Johnny Hunter of Life Education and Resource Network. 'It is inconceivable that blacks today continue in that same spirit of division as we saw on the Hannity Show,' he said...

Rubio is on the March for Life

Posted on January 26, 2011
American Thinker: "Barack Obama responded to the 2011 March for Life in Washington DC by recommitting to protecting the right to choose, while Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) called abortion what it is: 'Tragic.'"

Chicago: Charter school friends, foes headed for CPS showdown

Posted on January 26, 2011
Chicago Tribune: "Hundreds of charter school supporters and detractors are expected to attend a Chicago Public Schools board meeting Wednesday, hoping to influence a vote on whether to open more of the independently run public schools."

UK: Tory MPs criticize expensive and ?pointless? equality laws

Posted on January 25, 2011
The Christian Institute: "Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, has said that the equality laws are 'ludicrous and pointless' and Dominic Raab, MP for Esher and Walton, has described them as 'divisive'. Their remarks come as the Government has admitted that the overall cost of implementing the legislation over the next year will be £100 million...

Pro-life generation gives hope

Posted on January 25, 2011
OneNewsNow: "As the Students for Life of America (SFLA) conference set a record in attendance, [Jordan Lorence] of the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) reports that what 'struck' him was that 'even after 38 years of Roe v. Wade, a pro-abortion media, many college faculty members being pro-abortion [and] the legal system [being] pro-abortion, they have not closed the deal with the next generation of Americans...

Court puts Rahm Emanuel back on ballot, agrees to hear case

Posted on January 25, 2011
USA Today: "The Illinois Supreme Court, which has issued a stay to keep Rahm Emanuel on the Chicago mayoral ballot, now says it will hear his challenge of an appeals court ruling denying him a spot, The Associated Press reports."

Ohio State University might change policy that allows students? religious clubs to exclude certain people

Posted on January 25, 2011
WOSU: "A U.S. Supreme Court ruling this past summer may have implications for some student organizations at Ohio State University. As WOSU's Sam Hendren reports, officials are trying to decide if religious clubs should continue to be able to exclude certain students...

Denmark: Lars Hedegaard awaits verdict for telling the truth about Muslim immigration

Posted on January 25, 2011
International Free Press Society: "The Judge heard both sides and has deferred judgment until January 31st, 2011. In the meantime, we will continue to post expressions of support for Lars Hedegaard?s right to freedom of speech. We wish to once again thank all those who have written so eloquently and passionately on the subject of his trial...

Study: Sons of divorce fare worse than daughters

Posted on January 25, 2011
New York Times: "A new study reports that men whose parents divorced before they were 18 are two to three times as likely to seriously consider taking their own lives than men whose parents were not divorced by that age. Women whose parents divorced by age 18 were not affected as significantly...

?Gays need more protection,? says UN chief

Posted on January 25, 2011
Malaysia Sun: "Gays and lesbians need more support to protect their rights, even if homosexuality raises cultural issues in some parts of the world, the UN chief said Tuesday." | Full text of the Secretary-General's remarks.

VA: ?Democratic lawmakers back protections for gays?

Posted on January 25, 2011
Richmond Times-Dispatch: "Democratic lawmakers Tuesday announced support for bills that would make it illegal in Virginia to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the state workforce and Virginia National Guard."

Md. lawmakers to outline marriage redefinition bill

Posted on January 25, 2011
NECN: "Maryland's Senate and House majority leaders are holding a news conference to talk about their proposed Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act to recognize same-sex couples."

IL: Dist. 181 scales back emphasis on religion in revised policy

Posted on January 25, 2011
Trib Local / Hinsdale: "Following more than an hour of discussion, the Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 school board voted 6 to 1 to place a revised version of its current school calendar policy on public display at Monday night?s business meeting...

Wyoming legislation targets Islamic, international law

Posted on January 25, 2011
Billings Gazette: "Wyoming judges wouldn't be allowed to consider Islamic law or international law when making rulings, under a proposed state constitutional amendment introduced this week."

MO: Bill would give parents stipend for education of their children

Posted on January 25, 2011
St. Louis Review: "A bill filed in the state House of Representatives would amend the Missouri Constitution to offer parents a stipend for educating their children at any accredited K-12 school in Missouri, including Catholic schools. The proposed amendment, HJR 10 sponsored by State Rep...

SC senators to debate allowing poker

Posted on January 25, 2011
WNCT: "South Carolina senators are considering whether to legalize friendly games of poker."

NC: Religious leaders push Asheville for ?gay rights, anti-bullying? measure

Posted on January 25, 2011
Asheville Citizen-Times: "A group of 25 local religious leaders is meeting at noon today to press the City of Asheville to adopt a resolution that extends and formalizes equal rights for everyone, including gays and lesbians and same-sex couples."

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