Current Events

Campaigning for Candidates from the Pulpit is a Bad Idea

  The “Johnson Amendment” prohibits most church pastors from making declarations “in support of or in opposition to candidates for public office.”... 

In Nigeria, escalating religious conflict impacts Adventist Church (ANN)

Adventist News Network- Jan. 23, 2012 Abidjan, Ivory Coast Gilbert Weeh/ANN staff The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria is seeing a drop in church... 

Ruling on Ministers: What the Supreme Court said & didn’t say | Oregon Faith Report

Excerpt:   The U.S. Supreme Court in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, held that the “ministerial exception” bars a school... 

GOP to Consider Accommodating Saturday Sabbath Observers in Nevada Primaries

In the Republican primaries this year, there is a bright spot for religious freedom and diversity. Amy Tarkanian, the state GOP chairwoman told The Associate... 

Update: Iranian Pastor Nadarkhani Continues to Refuse to Renounce Christian Beliefs

Despite promises of release in return for compromise, imprisoned Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani continues to refuse to renounce his Christian faith and... 

Modern Torture Techniques Emerged from Inquisition reports “The Atlantic”

In the January/February 2012 issue of The Atlantic, Cullen Murphy writes about the history of torture and relates it to current events. Excerpt:  ”The... 

10th Circuit Rules Oklahoma Amendment Barring Islamic Law was Unnecessary and Discriminatory

OKLAHOMA –The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s ruling that blocked the implementation of the “Save Our State” amendment.... 

Has Obama Waged a War on Religion? (NPR)

NPR’s Barbara Bradley Hagerty addresses this question.  Here is an excerpt followed by a link to the article: Americans’ religious liberties... 

Cumberland Times News : Start telling the truth about ‘school prayer’

EXCERPT: Visit public schools anywhere in America today and you’re likely to see kids praying around the flagpole,sharing their faith with classmates,reading... 

BILL TRACKER: Congress Votes to Reauthorize US Commission on International Religious Freedom

H.R. 2867: United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2011 is now on President Obama’s desk. ... 

Adventist church leaders meet with Hungarian ambassador on looming deregistration of churches

Dec. 14, 2011 Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Bettina Krause/PARL/ANN Religious liberty leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church this week met... 

New York City ‘Workplace Religious Freedom Act’ Clarifies Religious Accommodation Requirements for Employers

On August 30, 2011, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the “Workplace Religious Freedom Act”  (Int. 632-A) into law clarifying what requirements... 

Should Congress Continue to Fund the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom?

(This article was written as a contribution to a Liberty Magazine Round Table discussion. Read the other responses and contribute your thoughts at http://www.libertymagazine.org/index.php?id=1665 ) By... 

Trial Court Upholds Most of Canada’s Anti-Polygamy Law (Religion Clause blog)

Law Professor Howard Friedman reports on his Religion Clause blog: Excerpt: In Canada, the Supreme Court of British Columbia (the province’s superior... 

Vatican again urges radical reform of global marketplace – The Irish Times

Excerpt:  TRADE ISSUES: FOR THE second time in the last month, the Holy See has argued that international trade markets need to be radically reformed. The...