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RUSSIA: “We still cry when we remember the burned books” (Forum 18)

Posted on August 28, 2014August 28, 2014 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

A Tatarstan court had to reject the prosecutor’s suit to have a further 18 books by or about the Turkish Islamic theologian Said Nursi declared “extremist” as police had already burned them. According to a police letter seen by Forum 18 News Service, police claim not to have received a court decision ordering their return to the owner, Nakiya Sharifullina, who had controversially been convicted for “extremist” activity. “We still cry when we remember the burned books,” a local Muslim told Forum 18, adding that they “asked God that these people repent for their actions, since in these books were verses of the Holy Koran”. Four further Nursi titles, plus more Jehovah’s Witness publications, have been declared “extremist” and banned. Websites or pages that host religious materials controversially banned as “extremist” have similarly been banned and added to Russia’s Register of Banned Sites.

Trend-Watch: Is a second Hobby Lobby Case in the works?

Posted on August 13, 2014August 28, 2014 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

Is a second Hobby Lobby case in the works? Meggan Sommerville is a sixteen-year Hobby Lobby employee in Aurora, Illinois who has been denied access to the store’s restroom because she is transgendered. Sommerville underwent legal gender transition in 2010 but has not yet had gender-reassignment surgery.

Opinion on the Hobby Lobby Decision: More Equal Than Others

Posted on June 30, 2014June 30, 2014 by Jason Hines

By Jason Hines – Today the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Hobby Lobby and other closely held corporations can refuse to cover certain forms of contraception in the insurance plans they provide to employees because of their “religious beliefs.” Now I put religious beliefs in quotes because despite the Court’s decision, I refuse to admit that corporations, created in order to separate themselves from the people who create them, can have religious beliefs.

Supreme Court Rules Closely-Held Corporations Have Religious Rights

Posted on June 30, 2014June 30, 2014 by Michael Peabody

Most business owners set up corporations as legal alter-egos to avoid being held personally responsible if their businesses get sued, but in this case, the employers (in Hobby Lobby, Conestoga Wood, and Mardel) are saying that their corporations can still manifest the owners’ religious beliefs even if it comes at the potential expense of their employees. The Supreme Court agrees.

Opinion: Don’t Use Religious Liberty to Discriminate

Posted on April 3, 2014April 8, 2014 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

By James Coffin – In the United States, individuals and groups have a long history of discrimination against fellow humans.

But over many decades, legislators and judges have curtailed our freedom to negatively impact others’ lives based on our own prejudices. Such government actions have been a great blessing to the targets of discrimination.

Although anti-discrimination laws limit our freedom to say by our actions that we view certain categories of our fellow humans as inferior, unworthy or evil, they also help ensure justice for all.

Hobby Lobby Case: How Will the Court Decide?

Posted on April 1, 2014April 1, 2014 by Michael Peabody

By Michael Peabody – On March 25, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores (transcript and audio). According to a number of court pundits, the court is expected to split with four justices on each side and the deciding vote is predicted to fall to Anthony Kennedy. Perfectly projecting the Court’s decision is not much easier than predicting a perfect NCAA March Madness bracket, but here are some potential outcomes for the case.

Explainer: What is Happening in Ukraine?

Posted on March 4, 2014March 14, 2014 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

What is Happening in Ukraine? [dc]T[/dc]he recent events in Ukraine have captured news headlines around the world. Here is some background information on Ukraine, relevant history regarding the recent events, and information about how this may affect religious liberty and particularly the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Ukraine is an independent nation of 45.59 million people that…

Pew Research Reports Six-Year Peak in Religious Hostilities

Posted on January 16, 2014March 14, 2014 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

According to an in-depth study by the Pew Research Center, 33% of the 198 countries and territories had high religious hostilities in 2012, which has increased from 20% as of mid-2007, with interval studies demonstrating a steady increase. The study indicates that the largest increase in hostilities was in the Middle East and North Africa…

Arguments scheduled on whether RFRA allows employers to limit contraceptive coverage

Posted on January 13, 2014March 14, 2014 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

The United States Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments on the Hobby Lobby case for March 25, 2014. According to SCOTUSBlog, the issue is: “Whether the [RFRA], which provides that the government ‘shall not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion’ unless that burden is the least restrictive means to further a compelling governmental interest,…

Guest Opinion: Endless exemptions for faith? Hobby Lobby case not a simple one

Posted on January 7, 2014November 15, 2017 by ReligiousLiberty.TV

By Robert J. Ray – Realistically, can a government allow every employer to customize the rules without descending into administrative chaos? Justice Antonin Scalia argued in Oregon v. Smith that one’s religious beliefs don’t negate the need to comply with valid laws.
On the other hand, freedom of religion is a crucial principle that must be defended. But how far?