Objective coverage of church-state and religious liberty developments, with extensive links to primary sources.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Diocese's Firing Of Youth Protection Advocate Upheld
In O'Connor v. Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Phoenix, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 38141 (D AZ, May 24, 2007), an Arizona federal district court dismissed a Title VII claim, finding that the termination of a Youth Protection Advocate by the Diocese of Phoenix was within the statutory exception that permits religious employers to discriminate in favor of members of their faith. Jennifer O'Connor claimed that her termination was triggered by her disagreement with the way in which the Diocese was handling a particular sexual abuse case. However the court found that a stated requirement of her position was that she be "an active practicing Catholic who is in full communion with the Church". It accepted the Diocese's contention that O'Connor was terminated because she had recently married outside the Catholic Church, holding that it is a matter of religious interpretation as to whether that was a violation of the requirement to remain in full communion with the Church. Having dismissed the federal claim, the court declined to exercise jurisdiction over a related state law claim.
Recent Law and Religion Articles
From SSRN:
Christopher Borgen, Triptych: Sectarian Disputes, International Law, and Transnational Tribunals in Drinan's Can God and Caesar Coexist?, St. John's Legal Studies Research Paper No. 06-0074.
From SmartCILP (in part):
Karima Bennoune, Secularism and Human Rights: A Contextual Analysis of Headscarves, Religious Expression, and Women's Equality Under International Law, 45 Columbia Journal of Transnational Law 367-426 (2007). (Article abstract).
Mark C. Weber, Services for Private School Students Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act: Issues of Statutory Entitlement, Religious Liberty, and Procedural Regularity, 36 Journal of Law & Education 163-210 (2007).
Eric Alan Isaacson, Assaulting America's Mainstream Values: Hans Zeiger's Get Off My Honor: The Assault on the Boy Scouts of America, 5 Pierce Law Review 433 (2007).
Christopher Borgen, Triptych: Sectarian Disputes, International Law, and Transnational Tribunals in Drinan's Can God and Caesar Coexist?, St. John's Legal Studies Research Paper No. 06-0074.
From SmartCILP (in part):
Karima Bennoune, Secularism and Human Rights: A Contextual Analysis of Headscarves, Religious Expression, and Women's Equality Under International Law, 45 Columbia Journal of Transnational Law 367-426 (2007). (Article abstract).
Mark C. Weber, Services for Private School Students Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act: Issues of Statutory Entitlement, Religious Liberty, and Procedural Regularity, 36 Journal of Law & Education 163-210 (2007).
Eric Alan Isaacson, Assaulting America's Mainstream Values: Hans Zeiger's Get Off My Honor: The Assault on the Boy Scouts of America, 5 Pierce Law Review 433 (2007).
Memorial Day Connects Government With Religion
The legal framework for setting today as Memorial Day-- and connecting it to prayer-- is found in President Bush's Proclamation titled Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day, 2007, issued earlier this month. The Proclamation points out that:
As Melissa Rogers has pointed out, a new church-state issue has emerged as Task Force Patriot USA, an evangelical Christian group, for the first time became a sponsor of the annual Memorial Day weekend Salute to the Troops at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. Originally this year's Salute was billed as an official U.S. Air Force 60th Anniversary event. However, after objections were raised by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Air Force issued a statement saying it is not a sponsor of the event. It said that after becoming aware of the religious nature of scheduled activities, it began taking steps to avoid the appearance of endorsement or preferential treatment of any religious faith. (Washington Post).
The Air Force will still do jet fly-overs of the park this weekend, but will only do two of them instead of the originally scheduled nine, and will not schedule them to coincide with religious events at the Salute. (Atlanta Journal Constitution.) The Army's Silver Wing Parachute Team is no longer participating in the event at all.
Congress, by a joint resolution approved on May 11, 1950, as amended (64 Stat. 158), has requested the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also designated the minute beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance.However the President's Radio Address on Saturday that focused entirely on Memorial Day was entirely a secular tribute to America's war dead.
As Melissa Rogers has pointed out, a new church-state issue has emerged as Task Force Patriot USA, an evangelical Christian group, for the first time became a sponsor of the annual Memorial Day weekend Salute to the Troops at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. Originally this year's Salute was billed as an official U.S. Air Force 60th Anniversary event. However, after objections were raised by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Air Force issued a statement saying it is not a sponsor of the event. It said that after becoming aware of the religious nature of scheduled activities, it began taking steps to avoid the appearance of endorsement or preferential treatment of any religious faith. (Washington Post).
The Air Force will still do jet fly-overs of the park this weekend, but will only do two of them instead of the originally scheduled nine, and will not schedule them to coincide with religious events at the Salute. (Atlanta Journal Constitution.) The Army's Silver Wing Parachute Team is no longer participating in the event at all.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
New York Teen Charged With Religious Hate Crime For Attack On Sikh Student
In Queens, New York on Friday, a 17-year old was charged with violation of New York's Hate Crimes Act for forcibly cutting off the hair of a 15-year old Sikh student whose religious beliefs required him to wear his hair long. A report by 1010WINS says that the two students were trading insults at Newton High School when the 15-year old offered to apologize. The older boy said that only cutting the younger boy's hair would be an apology. He then dragged the Sikh student into a rest room, threatened him, pulled off his turban and cut off his hair, while two other students acted as lookouts. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said the actions were an attack on the 15-year old's fundamental religious beliefs and on his freedom to worship.
Alito Calls For Continued Religious Tolerance In U.S.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito used his appearance as commencement speaker at Seton Hall University Law School on Friday to make a plea for continued religious tolerance in the United States, in the face of growing intolerance around the world. He emphasized the importance of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution that bars any religious test for federal office, saying we must not return to a time when it was felt that people of some faiths were unfit for public office. The Associated Press reported on the speech. Alito taught as an adjunct faculty member at Seton Hall from 1999 to 2004. (Seton Hall press release.)
RLUIPA Suit Challenges Florida City's Zoning Law As Discriminatory
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that a suit under RLUIPA filed Friday in a Florida federal district court challenges Cooper City, Florida's ban on locating houses of worship in commercial areas. Brought by Chabad of Nova , the suit alleges that the city's zoning laws illegally discriminate against religious organizations. Chabad says the city is attempting to protect its tax base by keeping tax-exempt houses of worship out of commercial areas. For 30 years, the city kept houses of worship in the western, agriculturally zoned area of the city. Last October, it amended its law to allow houses of worship in office parks and recreational facilities, but it still bans them from commercial areas where new congregations often like to find store fronts in which to locate.
Recent Prisoner Free Exercise Decisions In District and Circuit Courts
In Boles v. Neet, (10th Cir., May 24, 2007), the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to dismiss a suit filed against the warden of a Colorado correctional facility by an Orthodox Jewish prisoner who was kept from leaving the facility for eye surgery because he insisted on wearing his yarmulke and tallit katan. The court said that plaintiff adequately demonstrated that prison authorities substantially burdened his sincerely held religious beliefs, and defendant made no showing of penological interests justifying the restriction. The warden has claimed qualified immunity as a defense.
In Harris v. N.C.P. Dept, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37902 (ED NY, May 24, 2007), a New York federal district court held that a prisoner's pro se complaint, liberally construed, may raise a legitimate free exercise claim. Plaintiff claimed he was denied food on one or more occasions because he failed to interrupt his prayers when directed to do so by correctional officers.
In Miller v. Sullivan, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37318 (ED CA, May 8, 2007), a California federal Magistrate Judge dismissed, with leave to amend, a prisoner's free exercise claim because it did not allege the nature of the infringement of his religious activity nor what defendants had done to burden his free exercise.
In Livingston v. Griffin, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36941 (ND NY, May 21, 2007), a Rastafarian prisoner won a partial victory in his claims that his free exercise rights had been violated by prison authorities. The court rejected his claim that his religious beliefs were substantially burdened when authorities attempted to force him to be handcuffed to, and sit for several hours beside, another inmate who he believed to be a homosexual or transsexual. However the court allowed plaintiff to proceed with his claim that he was wrongfully denied alternative religious meals by prison officials.
In El-Tabech v. Clarke, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36719 (D NE, May 18, 2007), a Muslim prisoner filed a claims under the First Amendment and RLUIPA alleging that "his religion requires that he adhere to a Halal diet: eating only permitted kosher food". A Nebraska federal district court refused to grant defendants' motion for summary judgment, finding that genuine issues of material fact exist concerning the allegations of cost and security in affording plaintiff a kosher diet. It similarly allowed plaintiff to proceed with his claims that his religious beliefs require additional showers and adherence to a prayer schedule.
In Dicks v. Binding Together, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36615 (SD NY, May 18, 2007), a New York federal district court allowed an inmate in a work release program to move ahead with his Free Exercise and state law challenges to the refusal by authorities to grant him a pass to attend Pentecostal church services.
In Stewart v. Canteen Food Services, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36396 (D AZ, May 16, 2007), an Arizona federal district judge refused to grant a motion by defendant to reconsider an earlier decision permitting a prisoner to move ahead with a free exercise claim that he was not consistently served a lacto-vegetarian diet. It also refused to grant plaintiff's motion to re-instate certain of his claims that had been previously dismissed.
In Harris v. N.C.P. Dept, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37902 (ED NY, May 24, 2007), a New York federal district court held that a prisoner's pro se complaint, liberally construed, may raise a legitimate free exercise claim. Plaintiff claimed he was denied food on one or more occasions because he failed to interrupt his prayers when directed to do so by correctional officers.
In Miller v. Sullivan, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 37318 (ED CA, May 8, 2007), a California federal Magistrate Judge dismissed, with leave to amend, a prisoner's free exercise claim because it did not allege the nature of the infringement of his religious activity nor what defendants had done to burden his free exercise.
In Livingston v. Griffin, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36941 (ND NY, May 21, 2007), a Rastafarian prisoner won a partial victory in his claims that his free exercise rights had been violated by prison authorities. The court rejected his claim that his religious beliefs were substantially burdened when authorities attempted to force him to be handcuffed to, and sit for several hours beside, another inmate who he believed to be a homosexual or transsexual. However the court allowed plaintiff to proceed with his claim that he was wrongfully denied alternative religious meals by prison officials.
In El-Tabech v. Clarke, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36719 (D NE, May 18, 2007), a Muslim prisoner filed a claims under the First Amendment and RLUIPA alleging that "his religion requires that he adhere to a Halal diet: eating only permitted kosher food". A Nebraska federal district court refused to grant defendants' motion for summary judgment, finding that genuine issues of material fact exist concerning the allegations of cost and security in affording plaintiff a kosher diet. It similarly allowed plaintiff to proceed with his claims that his religious beliefs require additional showers and adherence to a prayer schedule.
In Dicks v. Binding Together, Inc., 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36615 (SD NY, May 18, 2007), a New York federal district court allowed an inmate in a work release program to move ahead with his Free Exercise and state law challenges to the refusal by authorities to grant him a pass to attend Pentecostal church services.
In Stewart v. Canteen Food Services, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36396 (D AZ, May 16, 2007), an Arizona federal district judge refused to grant a motion by defendant to reconsider an earlier decision permitting a prisoner to move ahead with a free exercise claim that he was not consistently served a lacto-vegetarian diet. It also refused to grant plaintiff's motion to re-instate certain of his claims that had been previously dismissed.
Free Execise Challenge to Sex-Offender Treatment Rejected By Court
In Washington State v. Shaughnessy, (WA Ct. App., May 22, 2007), a Washington state appellate court rejected a claim by a convicted sexual offender, whose supsended sentence was revoked, that his free exercise rights protected by the state constitution had been violated. James Shaughnessy had been sentenced to complete three years in sex-offender treatment, along with other restrictions, as a condition of the suspended sentence. After completing only a few sessions, Shaughnessy fled to Mexico. When he was finally sent back to the U.S., he claimed that the only reason he had fled was that his treatment provider would not let him bring a Bible to his treatment sessions and allowed him to attend church only if he avoided children there. The court held that the reason for revoking Shaughnessy's sentence was that he fled to Mexico. He could have gone to court to challenge the conditions imposed or could have requested a change in treatment providers. The court held that the state did not burden Shaughnessy's religious practices because the conduct he complained of came from his private treatment provider, and the court had not required that particular person be used.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Accommodating Muslim Prayer Is Growing Issue
Accommodation of Muslims who wish to take time at school or work to pray has become a growing issue. The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its May Newsletter, Religious Freedom in Focus, that earlier this month it settled a complaint by Muslim students in the Lewisville Texas Independent School District who wanted to use an empty classroom during lunch to pray. Under the settlement agreement, the school agreed that the Muslim students could use space in a common area outside the cafeteria for their mid-day prayers.
Meanwhile, in Omaha, Nebraska, 70 out of 120 Somali meatpacking workers have now returned to work after they quit their jobs because they were not given sufficient time off to pray at sundown. The company has agreed to accommodate workers as much as they can within the terms of the union contract. The Associated Press says that, as summer arrives, later sundowns may create problems, however. The company is concerned that they will need to completely close down production if too many workers are off the assembly line at the same time for prayer.
Meanwhile, in Omaha, Nebraska, 70 out of 120 Somali meatpacking workers have now returned to work after they quit their jobs because they were not given sufficient time off to pray at sundown. The company has agreed to accommodate workers as much as they can within the terms of the union contract. The Associated Press says that, as summer arrives, later sundowns may create problems, however. The company is concerned that they will need to completely close down production if too many workers are off the assembly line at the same time for prayer.
Kansas Legislature Passes Bill Urging Faith-Based Prisoner Re-Entry Programs
The Kansas House of Representatives and Senate this week have both passed HB2101, the Transformational Justice Act. The Act broadly encourages re-entry programs for prisoners to help then find jobs, housing and medical treatment upon release. However, the Act contains a number of provisions encouraging provision of these services by faith-based organizations. It directs the Transformational Interagency Task Force to seek partnerships with and communicate regularly with faith-based and community organizations. It also sets up a revolving fund for the Office of Faith-Based initiatives to use for grants to volunteer organizations including, but not limited to, faith-based organizations to provide health, educational or vocational training and programs that assist the reintegration efforts for offenders.
Reporting on the bill following House passage on Tuesday, the Associated Press quoted two representatives who are critical of the bill using state funds for faith-based programs. [Thanks to Blog from the Capital for the lead.]
Reporting on the bill following House passage on Tuesday, the Associated Press quoted two representatives who are critical of the bill using state funds for faith-based programs. [Thanks to Blog from the Capital for the lead.]
Saudis Enforce Ban On Non-Muslims In Mecca
World Net Daily today reported on the continuing enforcement by Saudi Arabia of a ban on non-Muslims entering the city of Mecca and having access to the Grand Mosque. A Sri Lankan Christian, Nirosh Kamanda, came to Saudi Arabia to work as a truck driver, and secretly moved to Mecca to sell goods near the Grand Mosque. He was arrested after the Saudi Expatriates Monitoring Committee used a high-tech finger-print identification system to find him.
Alabama Supreme Court Remands Case On Inspecting Church Records
In Ex Parte Board of Trustees/ Directors and/or Deacons of Old Elam Baptist Church, 2007 Ala. LEXIS 92 (May 25, 2007), the Alabama Supreme Court issued a writ of mandamus directing a trial court to vacate its order permitting inspection of a church's business and financial records. A suit seeking the records was brought under provisions of the state’s non-profit corporation law that permits inspection of books and records by church members.
Defendants claim that plaintiffs are no longer members of the church, and so are not entitled to inspection. In face of the lawsuit by plaintiffs, the Church had amended its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) to provide that anyone who is a party to a lawsuit against the church or its leaders shall be removed from the membership rolls. The SOP's also provided that the pastor could place members on probation. However the court refused to totally dismiss the case and remanded it to the trial court for it to determine whether the SOP's are in fact the bylaws of the church, and, if they are, whether the relevant amendments to them on expulsion of members were properly adopted.
Justice See, dissenting in part, said that the First Amendment precludes civil courts from inquiring into ecclesiastical concerns of the Church. That includes inquiry on whether those acting on behalf of the Church had the authority to terminate plaintiffs' membership.
UPDATE: On Oct. 5 2007, the Alabama Supreme Court denied a petition for rehearing, with Justice Parker writing an opinion concurring specially in the denial. 2007 Ala. LEXIS 208.
Defendants claim that plaintiffs are no longer members of the church, and so are not entitled to inspection. In face of the lawsuit by plaintiffs, the Church had amended its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) to provide that anyone who is a party to a lawsuit against the church or its leaders shall be removed from the membership rolls. The SOP's also provided that the pastor could place members on probation. However the court refused to totally dismiss the case and remanded it to the trial court for it to determine whether the SOP's are in fact the bylaws of the church, and, if they are, whether the relevant amendments to them on expulsion of members were properly adopted.
Justice See, dissenting in part, said that the First Amendment precludes civil courts from inquiring into ecclesiastical concerns of the Church. That includes inquiry on whether those acting on behalf of the Church had the authority to terminate plaintiffs' membership.
UPDATE: On Oct. 5 2007, the Alabama Supreme Court denied a petition for rehearing, with Justice Parker writing an opinion concurring specially in the denial. 2007 Ala. LEXIS 208.
ROTC Teaching Guide Challenged On Church-State Content
Friday's Forward reports that Mikey Weinstein, who has been battling with the military over religious discrimination and Christian proselytizing in the armed forces, now has a new target. He says that an educational guide distributed to high schools for use in the Junior ROTC program recommends that students read an excerpt from an article that questions the usual understanding of separation of church and state. The excerpt argues that Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 Letter to the Danbury Baptists was intended to only keep government out of religious affairs, and not keep religion out of government.
The article also reports that Weinstein is formulating a far-reaching litigation strategy for his Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and discusses Weinstein’s confrontational style that has led some organizations that might otherwise be his natural allies to tread cautiously.
The article also reports that Weinstein is formulating a far-reaching litigation strategy for his Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and discusses Weinstein’s confrontational style that has led some organizations that might otherwise be his natural allies to tread cautiously.
Kansas AG Files Suit For Ruling On Anti-Funeral Demonstration Law
In March, the Kansas legislature passed a bill banning demonstrations within 150 feet of a funeral and allowing family members to sue demonstrators for defamation. However the bill provides that it will not take effect until the state Supreme Court or a federal court rules that it is constitutional. (See prior posting.) On Thursday, according to the Kansas City Star, Kansas Attorney General Paul Morrison filed the required suit in the Kansas Supreme Court. Like many other states, Kansas aimed its law at pickets from the Westboro Baptist Church known for picketing veterans’ funerals with signs accusing America of harboring homosexuals.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Iowa State Coach Wants Football Team Chaplain; Faculty Object
Iowa State University's football coach, Gene Chizik, wants to hire an official chaplain for the team, to be paid for from private donations, according to reports from the AP and the Iowa State Daily. Chizik says student athletes are under a great deal of pressure and need access to spiritual guidance. Dave Turnball, area director for the Iowa Fellowship of Christian Athletes, reportedly has begun raising funds to support the idea. However, over 100 ISU faculty members have signed a petition opposing the plan. They say it is improper for a public university to hire a chaplain, and that the proposal under consideration favors Christianity over other religions.
Masachusetts High Court Dismisses Challenge To Catholic Church Closing
In Maffei v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston, (MA Sup. Jud. Ct., May 25, 2007), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court dismissed a challenge to the decision of the Archdiocese of Boston to close and sell off St. James Church in Wellesley. St. James was built on property donated to the Archdiocese by the Maffei family. Plaintiffs claim the Archdiocese had agreed that St. James would be maintained in perpetuity in honor of Waldo Maffei's father, and if not the property would revert to the Maffeis. Another plaintiff sued to recover donations made to St. James before it closed. They all claimed that the Archdiocese should have informed them that under Canon Law the church could be closed at a future time. The Court held that insofar as the plaintiffs' claims are based on alleged fiduciary or confidential relationship between a clergyman and his congregants, they raise matters of internal church governance that the First Amendment precludes civil courts from deciding. Other claims in the suit, the Court said, are not supported by the evidence. WCVB-TV today reported on the decision.
Canadian Court Rules No Religious Limits To Run For Catholic School Board Trustee
In Canada's Northwest Territories, the Supreme Court has ruled the Yellowkinife Catholic school board that operates state-supported religious schools may not prevent non-Catholics from running in school board trustee elections. In Yellowknife Catholic Schools v. Euchner, (NWT Sup. Ct., May 23, 2007), the court, reviewing at length the statutory provisions on denominational schools, held that "it was the clear intention of the legislature that a candidate for election to the public denominational District Education Authority need not be of any particular religious faith." CBC News yesterday reported on the decision.
Bills On Religion In Schools Advance In Texas Legislature
On Wednesday, the Texas Senate passed, and sent to the governor for his signature, HB 1287 which authorizes high schools to offer elective courses on the impact on history and literature of the Old and New Testaments. Texas Observer Blog says: "Despite Christian right efforts, the Senate did not remove the safeguards added to the bill by the House Public Education committee, such as teacher training, a textbook other than the Bible, and attorney general-approved curriculum standards." (See prior related posting.)
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate on Thursday also passed, and sent back to the House for final approval, HB3678, aimed at protecting voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools. (See prior related posting.) The Associated Press reports:
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate on Thursday also passed, and sent back to the House for final approval, HB3678, aimed at protecting voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools. (See prior related posting.) The Associated Press reports:
Under the legislation, religious beliefs expressed in homework, artwork and other assignments would be judged by traditional academic standards. Students couldn't be penalized or rewarded because of the religious content of their work.UPDATE: The Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday that when HB 3678 was passed by the Texas Senate, it took out the non-discrimination provision that had been added by the House, and that the House on Saturday, by a vote of 108-28, approved the Senate version.
The measure had sparked vigorous debate in the House, where the bill was amended to say that the religious expression could not discriminate against someone else’s race, age, sexual preference or religious belief.
Court Limits Disclosure of FLDS Leader's Papers
The Associated Press reports that in Salt Lake City, Utah yesterday, a federal judge rejected arguments by Warren Jeffs, former head of the polygamous FLDS Church, that his papers, seized by prosecutors, should be kept secret because they contain private communications and recorded religious revelations. Jeffs had argued that disclosing them violated his free exercise rights as well as his rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. However the judge ordered prosecutors to return the papers to Jeffs by July 2, and not to share them with anyone, including attorneys for the trust that now holds FLDS property and which is suing Jeffs.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Schools Reject Religious Groups In Seeking Church-State Balance
Two different stories this week demonstrate the continued tension that public schools find in seeking an appropriate balance on church-state matters. A Farmington, Michigan high school student has filed suit challenging school officials' refusal to permit ALIVE, a Christian Bible group, to be recognized as an official student organization. Assistant Superintendent Catherine Cost, said that school rules preclude recognition because the Bible group does not have a secular purpose and is too religious to be officially recognized. Officials were willing to let the group meet in an empty classroom, without formal recognition; however this would mean that the group would not get other benefits available to recognized organizations. Representing the student, the Thomas More Law Center argues that the federal Equal Access Act requires that ALIVE be recognized on the same basis as other non-curricular groups. Today's Philadelphia Evening Bulletin reports on the case.
Meanwhile yesterday's Houston Chronicle reports that a Christian motivational group, Power Team, finds that some public schools are cancelling its scheduled performances because of the group's evangelical ties. Power Team representatives say they do not mention religion in their public school performances. Their shows emphasize the importance of valuing life and dressing appropriately, as the group preaches against drugs and suicide.
Meanwhile yesterday's Houston Chronicle reports that a Christian motivational group, Power Team, finds that some public schools are cancelling its scheduled performances because of the group's evangelical ties. Power Team representatives say they do not mention religion in their public school performances. Their shows emphasize the importance of valuing life and dressing appropriately, as the group preaches against drugs and suicide.
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