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.
Judge Allows Muslims to Use Murfreesboro Mosque (NYTimes.com)
Excerpt: “What the judge did was wrong in that he held the mosque to a much higher standard than any other institution applying for a land-use permit in Rutherford County,” said Eric Rassbach, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit law firm that helped file the lawsuit on behalf of the…
Publisher Pulls David Barton’s Controversial Thomas Jefferson Book, Citing Loss Of Confidence. (NPR)
Citing a loss of confidence in the book’s details, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson is ending the publication and distribution of the bestseller, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson. The controversial book was written by Texas evangelical David Barton, who NPR’s Barbara Bradley Hagerty profiled on All Things Considered Wednesday….
Hawaii Judge Upholds Same-Sex Marriage Ban (Honolulu Civil Beat)
Excerpt: A U.S. District Court judge in Honolulu has rejected arguments from two lesbians who said that Hawaii’s 1998 ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. According to court documents released Wednesday, Judge Alan Kay dismissed the lawsuit, Jackson v. Abercrombie, saying that a decision like this should be left to the Legislature – not the…
U.S. State Department releases International Religious Freedom Report for 2011
The U.S. State Department has released the 2011 report on international religious freedom. While significant areas of concern are present, there are also some signs of hope. The website with the report is quite helpful and easy to navigate. Visit: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.htm
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…
EXCERPT: Jan Paulsen on the Church and Military Combat
As the church expresses itself on this issue and offers counsel to both its own members and broader society, it must never allow itself to forget this one unchangeable fact: the God we serve is a healer and a Savior. Healing and saving are also the first business of the church. As individuals struggle with these questions—and perhaps make choices that, in hindsight, they wish they had not—the church must constantly reflect God’s infinite, healing love.
Two American Pastors Jailed in July
Last week two Christian pastors were jailed in the United States for violation of court orders involving two different types of property disputes.
Is it Really Persecution? Phoenix Enforcement of Safety and Zoning Ordinances
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.