Neither Hollingsworth nor Windsor demand that any church, even in states that allow gay marriage, be forced to conduct gay weddings. Moreover, these decisions do not affect the ability of churches to decry homosexuality or homosexual conduct as immoral.
Category: Church and State
Prayers, Parks, and Monuments: Litigation Over Religious Symbols in America
By Jason Hines – Now the clock is ticking for the group because there are KY tourism tax incentives for the project that are set to expire in May of 2014. The longer it takes to open the park, the less the group can receive in rebates. Under the current plan, the group can receive up to 25% of the cost of the project over ten years.
States Rights and the Religion Clauses: Examining the North Carolina Resolution
This week, two members of the North Carolina House of Representatives submitted a resolution which would declare that “the Constitution of the United States of America does not prohibit states or their subsidiaries from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.” In other words, the legislation declared that that the state could make its own laws about religion and the federal government would not be able to stop them. Although the resolution is not likely to be approved, it does deserve some serious examination as it reflects a common argument arising in the religious right that the Establishment Clause does not apply to the states.
Stanford Law Program Promotes Religious Accommodation
Students at Stanford University School of Law have a unique opportunity to participate in the nation’s only law-school based clinic program that focuses on issues regarding religious freedom and accommodation.
Kentucky Legislature Passes Religious Freedom Restoration Measure
In response to a state Supreme Court decision upholding incarceration of an Amish group for refusing for religious reasons to install orange triangles on their buggies, the Kentucky Legislature has, by a veto proof margin, passed a measure (HB 279) which is designed to prevent the government from substantially burdening an individual’s freedom of religion.
Jackson Sun Interviews Two Religious Leaders Engaged in Trademark Dispute
The Jackson Sun has interviewed Walter “Chick” McGill and Lucan Chartier about their trademark dispute with the Seventh-day Adventist Church (their church is named “Creation 7th Day Adventist”) that has landed both of them in jail for contempt of court. Although later released, McGill and Chartier maintain that they could be incarcerated again if they refuse to change the name of their church, which they believe was given to them by God.
A Document in Common: Leaders Reflect on the 225th Anniversary of the US Constitution
On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States was signed by thirty-nine men who changed the course of history. This year as we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, we reflect on the impact this document has made on societies around the world. I would like to thank…
Kmiec: Is Paul Ryan Romney’s New Religion Problem? (Huffington Post)
Constitutional law scholar Douglas Kmiec shares his views on how the Paul Ryan pick will affect the Catholic vote in an article published today in the Huffington Post. Read the full article at the Huffington Post.
LDS, evangelicals share political aims and ‘restorationism’ | Deseret News Mobile
Excerpt: Referring to white evangelical Christians and Mormons as “the twin pillars of the GOP,” author and scholar Mark R. Silk told some 300 Sunstone Symposium attendees that although the two groups are often at odds theologically,their members both tend to embrace a political ideology he called “restorationism.” “The restorationist ideal is as old as…
LDS, evangelicals share political aims and ‘restorationism’ | Deseret News Mobile
Excerpt: Referring to white evangelical Christians and Mormons as “the twin pillars of the GOP,” author and scholar Mark R. Silk told some 300 Sunstone Symposium attendees that although the two groups are often at odds theologically,their members both tend to embrace a political ideology he called “restorationism.” “The restorationist ideal is as old as…