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EXCERPT: It's Tuesday night Bible study, which at this Crystal City Mormon chapel looks a bit like a mixer. Pews are filled with people in jeans and flip-flops, many texting. The night begins with a prayer before segueing quickly into an ice-breaker trivia game and a pizza social. Not surprising for a church made up exclusively of singles – 800 […]
EXCERPT: A North Dakota constitutional amendment about religious freedom will be on the state ballot next year. Secretary of State Al Jaeger says Wednesday that the initiative's supporters got enough signatures to put the issue to a vote. It will be Measure 3 on the June primary election ballot. The proposed amendment says lawmakers may restrict religious behavior only if […]
EXCERPT: At Religion Clause, Howard Friedman notes that Santa Monica could become the second California city to place on the 2012 ballot a ban on circumcision. A similar measure will be up for public referendum in San Francisco, prompting fierce opposition by many religious liberty advocates and others. Here's a sample: The SF Chronicle's editorial board urges voters to turn […]
By Martin Surridge – The last week has brought some changes to Article18. In addition to the added subtitles for each article, a new emblem is featured at the bottom of each entry, created by artist and musician Bradley Kenyon, who also made the globe logo for Article18. I want to thank Bradley for his contribution to the blog as […]
EXCERPT: A judge has ruled that the construction of a new mosque in Rutherford County does not harm the residents who sued the county over it, but allowed them to move forward on claims the county violated an open meetings law. Plaintiffs' attorney Joe Brandon Jr. had argued that the mosque violated his clients' constitutional rights, claiming that the Islamic […]
EXCERPT: A bill passed yesterday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay. Opponents deride the measure as the "don't say gay bill." They say it is unfair to the children of gay parents and could lead to more bullying. Supporters say it […]
By Martin Surridge – Just a short entry this week. My apologies to those who were looking for an Article18 post last week. As a teacher, the end of May can be rather hectic, which is why this is the first post since the end of April. I wish I had the opportunity to do more in regards to religious […]
Between its inception in 1775 and 1912, postal employees delivered mail seven (7) days a week. In the early 1800s, religious leaders became concerned that employees were forced to work on the “Christian Sabbath,” or Sunday, and began to petition Congress to use its Article I powers to disallow Sunday delivery. This concern reached a fevered pitch in 1810 when Congress required post offices to open at least one hour on Sunday. Outraged that Congress had thus enforced Sunday desecration, religious leaders began to clamor for legislation that would outlaw Sunday operations.
By Brent Buttler – In these days in which people's rights seem up for grabs there is a tendency to wish we could go back to the good old days when people had more freedom to live as they chose to live. However, upon further research I have discovered that people's freedoms have been eroding away for quite some time. […]
EXCERPT: By Arshad Chowdhury Osama bin Laden's many victims include, first and foremost, those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, and their grieving families, the soldiers sent to war and the loved ones they left behind, and a new generation forced to grow up in a more polarized and paranoid world. For all of them, bin Laden's death must bring […]