Planned Parenthood | VOP Blog http://vopblog.com/2015/07/28/planned-parenthood/ Excerpt: The abortion debate really boils down to one question: does a fetus possess personhood? We know the fetus is alive, but is it truly human? If the fetus is merely tissue, then the termination of a pregnancy is not fraught with nearly as many ethical and moral questions. But if the…
Year: 2015
The Theology of the Tax Exemption
By Jason Hines, PhD, JD – Has Christianity in America become so materialistic that we conflate our freedom to worship with our ability to save a dollar?
News Briefs and Commentary – July 16, 2015
The United States, along with China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom has inked a nuclear agreement with Iran. Responding to concerns that the release of American hostages, including American Christian pastor Abedini Saeed, was not part of the deal, President Obama said that tying the release of Americans to the deal would give Iran extra…
Catholic Hospitals Appeal Federal Court Decision Saying They’re Not Catholic Enough
Longstanding, agency-approved exemption of religious hospitals from federal pension law had been overturned, threatening Dignity Health chain of U.S. hospitals with ruinous penalties
California Eliminates Religious Exemption to Mandatory Vaccination
In passing SB 277, the legislature appears to presume either that the religious exemption requests were pretextual and therefore should not be taken seriously, or that religious beliefs are subordinate to uniformity of adherence to health and safety codes.
Free Exercise After Obergefell: Warnings from the Dissent
Statements of Justices Roberts, Thomas, and Alito on free exercise of religion in light of the same-sex marriage decision.
BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Supreme Court Finds National Right to Same-Sex Marriage
How the Supreme Court’s decision could affect the religious liberty rights of religious organizations and individuals
When Legislation Fails, Gov Jindal Orders ‘Protection of Conscience’
hen the Louisiana state legislature failed to pass the “Marriage and Conscience Act” (HB 707) earlier this year, on May 19, Governor Bobby Jindal issued an executive order that will accomplish the same goal. HB 707 provided that the state of Louisiana could take no “adverse action against a person, wholly or partially, on the…
Supreme Court Rules Sign Ordinance Adversely Affecting Church Fails Strict Scrutiny
fter a lengthy legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously (see Reed v. Gilbert , decided June 18, 2015) that a town cannot bar church signs when it allows similar signs promoting political or ideological viewpoints. In 2007, Good News Community Church sued Gilbert, Arizona, when the town enforced a law banning the…
Bill Would Ban Gov’t Discrimination Based on Religious Views of Marriage
Bills have been introduced in both houses of the U.S. Congress that would prohibit the Federal government from discriminating against individuals, associations, and businesses that act in accordance with their religious beliefs about marriage.