News from around the world. Curated by Mark McDowell. Posts do not constitute agreement or endorsement.
This spring, the novel coronavirus pandemic has raised the issue of the relationship between the blindest kind of religious faith and rational skepticism — this time in two countries that think of themselves as polar opposites and enemies: Supreme Leader Ali Khameini’s Iran and Donald Trump’s America. On the U.S.…
Whether the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses prevent civil courts from adjudicating employment discrimination claims brought by employees against their religious employer, where the employee carried out important religious functions, is the question presented in two consolidated cases before the U.S. Supreme Court: Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru,…
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru , a case in which the Ninth Circuit dramatically reduced the scope of the so-called ministerial exception, which precludes the government from meddling with the church-minister relationship. The oral argument revealed a sharply divided…
A Baker County judge on Monday ruled that Gov. Kate Brown’s restrictions on religious gatherings were “null and void” because her emergency order amid the coronavirus pandemic had exceeded its 28-day limit. Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff granted 10 churches that had sued the governor a preliminary injunction, finding they had…
Sinners, immigrants and climate change aren’t to blame for the coronavirus — it’s governments here and abroad, according to most religious Americans. In a new study by the University of Chicago Divinity School and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, Americans who said they believe in God were…
In Friday’s Spell v. Edwards , Judge Brian A. Jackson (M.D. La.), rejected an argument that Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ shutdown order (which limited indoor church gatherings, among other gatherings, to at most 10 people) violated the Free Exercise Clause. But the court also suggested that an exemption specifically…
In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh speaks during a news conference in Washington. BALTIMORE — The attorney general of the State of Maryland filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed May 2 against Gov. Larry Hogan and several other state officials alleging a…
Flowers bloom outside the front of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday. Mark Sherman / AP FILE – In this Nov. 30, 2018, file photo, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court gather for a formal group portrait to include a new Associate Justice, top…
Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp is standing with the sheriffs of Craven and Johnston counties and will not interfere or interrupt any religious services which are conducted inside a church. His statement is in line with a resolution sent by the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association to Governor Roy Cooper which…
The COVID-19 emergency shouldn’t divert the media from getting prepared for an unusual pileup of big “culture war” news that will break at the U.S. Supreme Court during the weeks through early July. Pending decisions the media will need to interpret involve abortion, religious conscience claims, gay and transgender rights,…
Churches ask court to grant an injunction lifting restrictions created by Gov. Kate Brown’s executive orders. VIA GOOGLE MAPS – Calvary Chapel in Southeast Portland has sued Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. Ten congregations in the state have filed suit challenging the governor’s lock down on individuals and businesses to curb…
Attorney General Brian Frosh has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against Gov. Larry Hogan and other state officials over social-distancing mandates. The suit was filed by three delegates and others including the group Reopen Maryland alleging the violation of their constitutional rights. BALTIMORE — The attorney general of…
In this June 12, 2017 file photo, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh speaks during a news conference in Washington. BALTIMORE — The attorney general of the State of Maryland filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed May 2 against Gov. Larry Hogan and several other state officials alleging a…
(Shutterstock via CNA) Supreme Court justices on Monday heard arguments for and against extending the Civil Rights Act’s “ministerial exception” to Catholic schools when they fire teachers of religion. “There is no reason for government to get in the business of teaching religion,” stated Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior…
The Supreme Court justices sounded split Monday on whether to broadly deny civil rights protections to hundreds of thousands of teachers in religious schools, as they heard cases involving two who were fired from Catholic schools in Los Angeles. At issue is whether the Constitution’s protections for religious freedom shields…
stock.adobe.com At U.S. District Court in Frankfort, Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove issued a temporary restraining order sought by Tabernacle Baptist Church of Nicholasville. The church had been conducting services on Facebook and by drive-in services, but maintained in their arguments, “Tabernacle has a sincerely-held religious belief that online services and…
Noah Finnemmore, 5, sticks his head out of the sun roof during the Calvary Chapel drive-in service on Sunday. Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support our critical reporting on the coronavirus by purchasing a digital subscription or…
Under the current guidelines, only outdoor church services are permitted. (Source: WBTV File) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Last week the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association issued a resolution calling for Governor Roy Cooper to amend the Stay at Home to allow for churches to hold worship services inside, provided they meet…
Calvary Chapel pastor Ken Graves leads a recent drive-in service in Orrington. (BDN) BANGOR (BDN) — A federal judge on Saturday ruled that Gov. Janet Mills’ prohibition on in-person worship services does not violate the First Amendment. Calvary Chapel in Orrington and its pastor, Ken Graves, sued the governor in…
Does the right of the exercise of religion under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment allow one to disregard Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s emergency orders on public gatherings? No, said a federal court out of Northern Illinois. A 60-80-member church, Beloved Church of Lena, filed suit in federal court seeking a ruling…
(Courtesy of University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law on Facebook) Tabernacle Baptist Church, Nicholasville, Kentucky. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Houses of worship in Kentucky can open their doors Sunday for in-person services after a federal judge ruled against Gov. Andy Beshear’s executive order prohibiting mass gatherings amid the COVID-19…
Two federal judges in separate cases issued orders Friday evening halting a ban on in-person church services contained in an executive order issued by Gov. Andy Beshear due to the coronavirus pandemic. At U. S. District Court in Frankfort, Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove issued a temporary restraining order sought by…
"There’s hand sanitizer in every pew," one attendee said about having in-person worship services at Maryville Baptist Church on Easter Sunday. Louisville Courier Journal A federal judge ruled Friday that Tabernacle Baptist Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky, — and churches all around the commonwealth — may hold in-person services Sunday despite…
Source: MGN Kentucky churches will be allowed to hold services starting May 10 after rulings in two separate cases. A lawsuit by Maryville Baptist Church and its pastor arguing that Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration infringed on the congregation’s constitutional rights by restricting faith-based gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic…
AUSTIN—A district court ruling against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock succeeded in uniting Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission and a committee of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention—as well as the national Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission—in a call for action by the Texas Supreme Court. The…