This seems to be a book not about liberalism as a kind of religion (or as valuing a particular kind of religion), but instead about what liberalism–particularly the secular liberalism of the kind championed by the author–ought to do with religion in today’s day and age. A book very […]…
Bennett, “Defending Faith: The Politics of the Christian Conservative Legal Movement”
Conservative Christianity has been and continues to be an important movement in American law. But it is difficult to read an even-handed account of it, since academic treatments tend to view it as a force of evil that must be identified, guarded against, and hopefully obliterated, and non-academic treatments […]…
“Agape, Justice, and Law” (Cochran & Calo eds.)
Here is an interesting set of essays on the relationship of the Christian virtue of agape– the distinterested love of others or love of neighbor–to law in general and a variety of legal disciplines in particular. The volume is pitched as an alternative to other more typical ways of […]…
Kaveny, “Ethics at the Edges of Law”
Later this year, Oxford University Press will publish a new book by lawyer and theologian Cathleen Kaveny, the Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Law and Theology at Boston College. Professor Kavey presented her work at the inaugural session of our Center’s Colloquium in Law and Religion in 2012, […]…
Christian pro-family leader wins five-year battle against ‘frivolous’ LGBT lawsuit
U.S. pastor and pro-family activist Scott Lively June 6, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — A federal district judge yesterday dismissed a leftist lawsuit against Christian pro-family advocate Scott Lively, who was sued for “crimes against humanity” for helping political and faith leaders in Uganda resist the LGBTQ agenda in the east […]…
Ontario Passes Law Allowing Gov’t to Seize Children From Parents Who Oppose Gender Transition
Canada’s Ontario province has passed legislation that allows the government to seize children from families if they refuse to accept their child’s chosen "gender identity" or "gender expression." Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacts as he and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (L) walk in the Vancouver Pride Parade […]…
State Department Releases 2016 International Religious Freedom Report
Yesterday the State Department released its 2016 International Religious Freedom Annual Report ( full text ). In remarks on the Report , Secretary of Sate Tillerson highlighted concerns about religious liberty in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bahrain, China, Pakistan and Sudan. Importantly, Tillerson also emphasized the State Department’s conclusion […]…
Law and religion round-up – 27th August
From Religion and Law Roundup (27 Aug 2017): cases and news related to: Brexit and the UK courts Data protection after Brexit Sparing the rod in Scotland? Triple talaq in India Charges for entry to C of E churches and cathedrals Click here to view full article at www.lawandreligionuk.com
Vatican-Approved Article Criticizes Conservative Catholic Support of U.S. Evangelical Political Agenda
The Washington Post today reports that an article in the influential Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica– whose content is approved by the Vatican Secretariat of State– is critical of conservative Catholic support for the evangelical political agenda in the United States. The article is authored by the journal’s editor […]…
Court Enjoins Illinois Law Requiring Referrals Out For Abortions
In National Institute of Family Life Advocates v. Rauner , (ND IL, July 19, 2017), an Illinois federal district court granted a preliminary injunction to plaintiffs, a group of pro-life health care facilities and medical personnel, who object to Illinois SB 1564 . The statute, as a condition of […]…
Suit Challenges Hawaii’s Notice Mandate For Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers
A suit was filed last week in Hawaii federal district court challenging Hawaii’s SB 501 enacted earlier this year that requires “limited service pregnancy centers” to disseminate on-site to patients a notice that says: Hawaii has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning […]…
Is Christian school in trouble over non-conformity with LGBTQ rules? Alberta gvmt won’t say
Alberta Education Minister David Eggen EDMONTON, Alberta, March 21, 2017 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The Alberta New Democratic Government has been sitting for four months on a report about how to deal with an independent Christian school society that is apparently violating legislation requiring all provincial schools to offer […]…
Christian clubs can’t be forced to accept non-Christian leaders under new Kentucky law
An attack on ‘all comers’ mandates Tucked into a new Kentucky law that protects religious expression in public schools are provisions that protect college students’ freedom of speech and association. The so-called Charlie Brown law was prompted by a public school excising a Bible verse from its production of […]…
Articles and Books of Interest on religion and law (religion clause)
From SSRN: Joseph William Singer, Property and Sovereignty Imbricated: Why Religion Is Not an Excuse to Discriminate in Public Accommodations , (18 Theoretical Inquiries in Law 521 (2017)). Steven Douglas Smith, Against ‘Civil Rights’ Simplism: How Not to Accommodate Competing Legal Commitments , (San Diego Legal Studies Paper) and more.…
Another Great Irish Bake Off: Dublin’s own “gay cake” case
The sexuality of cakes has become an issue yet again: this time in Dublin rather than Belfast. In May 2016, an unnamed man placed an order with a bakery in Dublin for a cake decorated with the (slightly garbled) words: “BY THE GRACE OF THE GOOD LORD, I (name […]…
Court Rules Kentucky Print Shop Has Right to Avoid Making Gay Pride T-shirts
A Kentucky appellate court on Friday ruled that the Christian owner of a printing shop in Lexington had the right to refuse to make T-shirts promoting a local gay pride festival. The dispute represents the latest court fight testing the limits of antidiscrimination protections for gays and lesbians following […]…
Judge dismisses LGBT case against Christian pro-family advocate
A U.S. federal district judge has dismissed an LGBT case five years after the lawsuit was filed against a Christian pro-family advocate who was charged with “crimes against humanity” for aiding faith leaders and fighting the LGBTQ agenda in Uganda. On June 5, Massachusetts District Judge Michael Ponsor dismissed the…
New law: Christian adoption agencies won’t be forced to give kids to gay couples in Texas
June 16, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday signed into law a bill that protects Christian adoption agencies from being forced to place children in homosexual-led households that intentionally deny the child a mother or a father. HB 3859, the Freedom to Serve Children Act, allows faith-based adoption…
ICE Roundup of Chaldean Christians Leads To Lawsuit
Last week ACLU of Michigan sued to stop the deportation of 114 Iraqi nationals, many of whom are Chaldean Christians, who were arrested in immigration raids in metropolitan Detroit. Some of the Iraqis arrested were Shiite Muslims and converts to Christianity, while raids in other states arrested Kurdish and Yezidi…
From Law and religion UK – 25th June
The current week’s roundup of news from the UK (and a bit of the EU and even Texas) from lawandreligionuk.com. EU-UK Brexit talks The Queen’s Speech and the Great Repeal Bill The new Lord Chancellor General Synod Papers Independent report on handling of Peter Ball case Caste discrimination The Vatican,…
Christian virtue doesn’t come from the law
Some decades ago, the famous Christian scholar Harry Emerson Fosdick was invited to speak to the American University student body in Beirut, Lebanon. His listeners represented at least 27 different religious affiliations. Fosdick silently studied his audience and then asked them all: “What is your religion doing for your character?”…
Texas adoption bill OK’s rejection of non-Christian parents
Texas adoption bill OK’s rejection of non-Christian parents Many state-funded Texas adoption agencies routinely deny non-Christian, gay, and unmarried applicants on religious grounds — and now they are backing legislation being considered Tuesday by the state House designed to protect them from potential lawsuits. The private organizations, which are paid…
Legal group fights to restore off-site voluntary Bible class for Michigan students
A legal group is fighting to restore an off-site Bible class in Michigan after it was canceled by a school district due to complaints from a secular group. The law office of Rickard, Denney, Garno & Associates, which is affiliated with the religious liberties organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), is…
Christian University Going To Supreme Court of Canada Over Moral Code
Trinity Western University (TWU) has earned a reputation as a top-notch academic institution founded on Christian beliefs — but to found its own law school it will have to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to defend its academic and religious freedom. The court will hear…
Printing T-Shirts and Religious Freedom
The decision in Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission v. Hands On Originals (Ky CA, No 2015-CA-000745-MR; 12 May, 2017) was an appeal from an earlier decision discussed in a previous post, “Cakes, t-shirts and religious freedom- an update” (28 April, 2015). To quote the previous summary: [A] printer of…