News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a major religious rights dispute involving the city of Philadelphia’s refusal to place children for foster care with a Catholic agency that bars same-sex couples from serving as foster parents. The justices will take up an appeal by Catholic Social Services,…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a major religious rights dispute involving the city of Philadelphia’s refusal to place children for foster care with a Catholic agency that bars same-sex couples from serving as foster parents. FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Supreme Court building is…
On Jan. 16, 1786, the General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson, which stated that “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods,…
Ashers bakery owners Daniel and Amy McArthur outside the Supreme Court in London in October 2018, where five justices unanimously ruled that the Christian owners did not discriminate against gay rights activist Gareth Lee on the ground of sexual orientation by refusing to bake a cake that said ‘support gay…
A federal appeals court ruled Feb. 19, 2020, that this World War II-era cross can remain standing in Pensacola, Fla. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 34- foot Latin cross does not violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, based on a similar ruling last year by…
Photo courtesy of unsplash.com Students’ rights are a complex, contentious and highly relevant issue. However, despite the fact that these rights are vitally important to college students and the ways they may conduct their lives, many are unaware of how their attendance at a university may impact their freedoms and…
A federal appeals court ruled Feb. 19, 2020, that this World War II-era cross can remain standing in Pensacola, Fla. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 34- foot Latin cross does not violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, based on a similar ruling last year by…
A gay pride flag flying outside the Northern Ireland Office in Stormont; the NIO is now drawing up guidelines to protect clergy from being forced to do gay weddings – but they plan to offer no protection to businesses The church (which is the largest Protestant denomination on the island…
The historic 34-foot cross stands in Bayview Park in Pensacola, Florida. A 34-foot tall cross can remain at a public park in Florida, according to a ruling from a three-judge panel that reversed an earlier decision from the same appeals court. The panel with the U.S. Court of Appeals for…
Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own. Last week, a U.S. District Judge rightfully ruled against Christian private school Bethel Christian Academy, which claimed the state of Maryland violated its religious freedom after being excluded from a taxpayer-funded school voucher program. The state government pointed out Bethel failed…
This cross, displayed for decades in Bayview Park in Pensacola, Fla., is the subject of a lawsuit arguing that it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The legal battle over whether the city of Pensacola can keep a large cross on display in a public park took a…
The prohibitionist treatment of the cannabis sativa plant, coupled with the outdated drug laws, continues to be an issue of deep social significance in the international space, the Caribbean and, by no lesser means, to the people of Jamaica who have long known cannabis as a miracle plant with medicinal…
The prohibitionist treatment of the cannabis sativa plant, coupled with the outdated drug laws, continues to be an issue of deep social significance in the international space, the Caribbean and, by no lesser means, to the people of Jamaica who have long known cannabis as a miracle plant with medicinal…
Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own. Last week, a U.S. District Judge rightfully ruled against Christian private school Bethel Christian Academy, which claimed the state of Maryland violated its religious freedom after being excluded from a taxpayer-funded school voucher program. The state government pointed out Bethel failed…
Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own. Last week, a U.S. District Judge rightfully ruled against Christian private school Bethel Christian Academy, which claimed the state of Maryland violated its religious freedom after being excluded from a taxpayer-funded school voucher program. The state government pointed out Bethel failed…
A member of the U.S. Navy reads from a small Bible during an Easter service in Kandahar April 4, 2010. A U.S. Navy chaplain has been accused of violating the U.S. Constitution for teaching an optional 12-week seminar called "Lead Like Jesus" at the Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island.…
The Attorney-General’s Office, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts, has appealed against the ruling made by the Civil High Court last year. Judgment On Notice For Seventh-Day Adventist, Ministry of Education Case Seventh-day Adventist Church lawyers Andrew Tokley QC (front) followed by David Bennett QC outside…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and halt one of the latest developments in the escalating tension between states over the rights of organizations and businesses to refuse to provide services that would conflict with their religious beliefs. The state is challenging…
This Oct. 2, 2012, file photo shows U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolling the border fence near Naco, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) TUCSON, Ariz. (RNS)—An Arizona federal judge has reversed the convictions of four faith-based volunteers who were fined and put on probation for aiding migrants at the border, saying…
A few weeks back, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could once again redraw the line separating church and state. The court has not been clear where that line is. Sixteen years ago, then–Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist ruled that a Washington State scholarship program could…
David Williamson, a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Brevard County, is founder and director of the Central Florida Freethought Community. (Photo: PROVIDED PHOTO) The Brevard County Commission’s refusal to provide representatives of the atheist and agnostic community an opportunity to give the invocation at the start of commission meetings is…
Daveen Rae Kurutz @DK_NewsData and @DKreports Feb 10, 2020 at 5:01 PM The Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center ordered 55 Pennsylvania school districts, including the Big Beaver Falls Area School District, to change policies silencing students from speaking about religion or face a lawsuit. BEAVER FALLS — Big Beaver Falls Area…
Daveen Rae Kurutz @DK_NewsData and @DKreports Feb 10, 2020 at 5:01 PM The Harrisburg-based Independence Law Center ordered 55 Pennsylvania school districts, including the Big Beaver Falls Area School District, to change policies silencing students from speaking about religion or face a lawsuit. BEAVER FALLS — Big Beaver Falls Area…
On June 27, 1989, President George H. W. Bush stated that “flag burning is wrong … burning the flag goes too far and I want to see that matter remedied.” He added that “support for the First Amendment need not extend to desecration of the American flag.” These quotes by…
Ryan Flanigan, songwriter and church music director of All Saints Dallas, will speak at the Baylor School of Music’s Hearn Innovators in Christian Music Series. Alison Frontier, Ph.D., principal investigator for the Frontier Research Group at the University of Rochester, will give a lecture at the department of chemistry and…