Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
New Dharma Stock Indexes Announced
Indigenous Group In Malaysia Sues Over Demolition of Church
Monday, January 14, 2008
Israel's Knesset Skeptical of Cabinet Decision On Religious Affairs Ministry
Another Opinion on Religion In the US Presidential Campaign
[I]n the better years of the previous century, candidates used religion mostly as an adjunct to the real meat of the political process, a tool to whip up support for policies. How times have changed. Think of it, perhaps, as a way to measure the powerful sense of unsettledness that has taken a firm hold on American society. Candidates increasingly keep their talk about religion separate from specific campaign issues. They promote faith as something important and valuable in and of itself in the election process. They invariably avow the deep roots of their religious faith and link it not with issues, but with certitude itself. Sometimes it seems that Democrats do this with even more grim regularity than Republicans....
So, when it comes to religion and politics, here's the most critical question: Should we turn the political arena into a stage to dramatize our quest for moral certainty?
USCIRF Says Bush Should Raise Religious Freedom Issues With Saudis
Recent Scholarly Articles of Interest
- Ashlie C. Warnick, Employment Discrimination by Religious Schools Participating in Voucher Programs, (January 9, 2008).
- Patricia Salkin & Amy Lavine, The Genesis of RLUIPA and Federalism: Evaluating the Creation of a Federal Statutory Right and its Impact on Local Government, (January 3, 2008).
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Huckabee Splitting Evangelical Political Support
Opposition Surfaces To Protection of Sacred Native American Site
Florida Chabad Excluded From Shopping Plaza Wins RLUIPA Claim
Many Georgia Schools Not Offering Courses In Bible As History and Literature
Islamic Charity Officials Convicted of Lying In 501(c)(3) Application
Loud Bible Reading On Bus Violates System's Rules
Saturday, January 12, 2008
School Attorney Nixes Biblical Verse On Graduation Announcements
New Documentary on Faith In Politics Opens Next Week
DC Circuit Holds RFRA Inapplicable To Non-Resident Aliens In Gitmo Case
Friday, January 11, 2008
Court Bars Deportation of Christian Facing Torture In Egypt
Appeal Filed By Muslim Police Officer Seeking To Wear Khimar
Watchdog Group Asks IRS To Investigate Funding of Texas Restoration Project
European Muslims Sign Charter Pledging Respect For Civil Law
Commons Passes Criminal Justice Bill; Debates Hate Speech and Blasphemy
Meanwhile, as previously reported, inserting a provision to repeal of Britain's blasphemy laws was postponed pending the government's consultation with the Church of England. While the Church of England is open to the idea of repeal (Guardian, Jan. 10), Britain's Evangelical Alliance is more skeptical, calling for broader consultations. Friday's Christian Today quotes Dr. Don Horrocks, Head of Public Affairs at the Evangelical Alliance: "When Parliament prioritises the abolition of legislation it is not a neutral act. It sends out a signal to society about what values it considers to be important. In this case the message suggests that there is no longer a place for respect for the sacred in society."