The core issue will be whether religious groups should be given variance from content-neutral local zoning and safety regulations simply because they are religious, and more specifically, the extent to which individuals can ignore neutral laws in the name of religious freedom.
Category: Church and State
A Faithful Nation (Liberty Magazine)
A Faithful Nation By Michael D. Peabody Liberty Magazine EXCERPT: Just because Christians believe something does not mean that the government needs to make a law to enforce that belief. To put it bluntly, in America it is legal to believe things that could compromise your own eternal salvation. The state will not stand…
Principled Freedom: Religious Liberty Plays Musical Chairs
By Nicholas P. Miller – It is time to examine a position that provides a principled freedom, both religious and civil, the possibility of a public morality, and a common language with which to discuss and debate the issues. [dc]T[/dc]he recent presidential campaign has broken out into a disorienting game of religious liberty musical chairs; Catholic…
Notre Dame v. Obama and the Compulsion of the Morally Unwilling
It was wholly unnecessary for President Obama to complete his admirable health care initiative by disregarding the doctrinal or institutional teaching of the Catholic church, that is being defended, however hyperbolically, by the bishops, or the moral concerns of those individual Catholics – whether or not in a minority (minorities being the usual subject of human rights) — who still see or accept the teaching that artificial means of contraception degrades the marital estate.
Death of Snake Handling Preacher Shines Light on Lethal Appalachian Tradition (CNN)
EXCERPT: When Mack Wolford, one of the most famous Pentecostal serpent handlers in Appalachia, is laid to rest Saturday at his West Virginia church, a week after succumbing to a snake bite, his friends may very well show up with boxes of copperheads, rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. That’s the Holiness Pentecostal way in tiny mountain towns…
2nd Circuit Rules Town Should Encourage Diverse Groups to Pray at Town Meetings
[dc]O[/dc]n May 17, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Galloway v. Town of Greece, 0-3635-cv) ruled that the town of Greece, New York violated the U.S. Constitution by opening meetings with prayers that favored Christianity over other religions. Linda Galloway and Linda Stephens filed suit in 2008 claiming that the town’s…
Ninth Circuit to Determine Whether “Spiritualist” Charter Schools Get Tax Dollars
CASE NOTE: 10-17720 Plans Inc. v. Sacramento City Unified School District SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 17, 2012 – [dc]T[/dc]he Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing a case this morning on the issue of whether the Sacramento Unified School District is violating constitutional principles of separation of church and state in awarding Waldorf-method charter…
Robbing God: The Essence of a Church-State Union
By Jason Hines – But how do you kill Christ? An examination of how it actually happened in the Bible reveals an interesting answer.Matthew 27: 1, 2 describes the process. Christ is first condemned to death by a religious tribunal. He is then sent to the state to have this religious determination ratified and executed. This is the essence of a union of church and state. The church has the moral authority but not the tangible power to condemn Christ to death, and so they turn to the state to legitimize their moral proclamation.
Timeline: Obama Administration Actions Affecting U.S. Religious Freedom | Christianity Today
Excerpt: “The past year has marked a shift in religious liberty debates, one that previously centered on hiring rights but became focused on health care requirements. When President Obama first took office, faith-based groups were especially concerned that organizations that discriminate in hiring based on religious beliefs would become ineligible for federal funding. In 2011,…
Is Santorum Right? How to Revive American Protestantism (and Why It is So Important)
By Michael D. Peabody Like it or not, the GOP Primary season seems to be winding down. Mitt Romney is emerging as the clear winner, and while there may be some chance for another candidate to take the flag, it is “mathematically unlikely.” So let’s debrief. More than any other time in recent history, specific…