Last July, Wisconsin State Representative Terry Moulton led his colleagues in prayer: “In your name, and by the power of your spirit, I come against the Evil One. And I ask that he be cast from this place, this day.” Not necessarily the most ecumenical of prayers, and now the Freedom from Religion Foundation has…
Category: Legal Issues
California Supreme Court to Decide A Case Where Medical Rights v. Workplace Religious Freedom
Soon after issuing its opinion that gay marriage cannot be prohibited under the Constitution, the California Supreme Court is about to issue a ruling in a case where a physician declined to provide fertilization services on a lesbian (unmarried) couple, but referred them to another clinic that did provide the service on the basis that…
VIDEO: 16-year-old boy dies from lack of medical treatment; family plans religious freedom defense
A 16-year-old Clackamas, Oregon boy, Neal Beagley, died Tuesday, June 17, following complications from an infected urethra. As he was older than 14 years of age, he could determine which medical treatment he received or did not receive, and he chose the path of faith healing. Physicians felt that a catheter would have saved his life had he…
VIDEO: 18-minute Speech by Mitt Romney on Religious Liberty
On May 8, 2008, Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife Ann were awarded the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty’s Canterbury Medal for “Courage in the Defense of Religious Liberty.” Mr. Romney’s 18-minute acceptance speech, before friends and supporters of the Becket Fund at the Metropolitan Club in New York, focused on the need for religion…
OPINION: Courtship of religion complicates McCain and Obama campaigns
In an opinion piece published June 9 by Robert Novak, Novak describes the difficulty McCain has had winning the votes of religious right icons such as James Dobson and John Hagee and Catholics. Hagee, of course, has alienated Catholics with his description of Catholicism as “Godless theology,” something that McCain couldn’t abide, and Hagee has…
Religion-politics mix proves perilous (Christian Century)
If anything defines this election season, it is religion and politics, but as the Christian Century astutely points out, this can a troublesome mix. Mitt Romney and his Mormon faith. Mike Huckabee and his “Christian leader” ads. John McCain and John Hagee. Hillary Clinton and her “prayer warriors.” Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright. The 2008…
The Pope, the President, and the Politics of Faith (Asia Times)
The balance between faith and politics is fragile, and Asia Times writer Spengler gives an interesting perspective in today’s paper. It is worth reading. A link is provided following this excerpt: It is not only faith, but the temerity to act upon faith, that the pope and the president have in common. In the past…
PROFILE: Rep. Chet Edwards Champions Separation of Church and State in Congress
Rep. Chet Edwards represents President George Bush’s home district (including Crawford, Texas) in the United States House of Representatives. A moderate who considers himself a bridge-builder between left and right, and a Methodist who attends the Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, Rep. Edwards is a staunch supporter of the separation of church and state….
Thought & Crime (Liberty Magazine – March/April 2008) – An Update
Update on “Thought and Crime” published in the March/April 2008 issue of Liberty magazine. You may recall that Pastor Stephen Boissoin had gotten himself in hot water with the Alberta Human Rights Commission when he wrote a letter to the editor of the Red Deer Advocate that was critical of the “homosexual agenda.” The community…
Balancing Government Secrecy and Accountability – What Should the Next President Do?
In attempting to increase national security, has the Bush administration gone too far in sacrificing accountability for secrecy? What does this mean for the next president? The American Constitution Society (ACS) has recently published a new issue brief by Geoff Stone, entitled, On Secrecy and Transparency: Thoughts for Congress and a New Administration, in which…