Category: Religious Freedom
Churches Meeting in Public Schools: A Wise (and Legal) Decision
Posted on May 9, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Did you know that churches and schools used to meet in the same buildings?
Today some will claim such use of “government property” as unconstitutional, citing the non-existent “separation of church and state” clause that does NOT appear anywhere in the Constitution or Bill of Rights. Despite their efforts the fact remains that churches and schools have historically sought to work together to share space in a mutually beneficial way.
Erik Stanley, writing at the Speak Up Movement blog makes this point clear:
“In the pioneer era, it was commonplace for church worship services to be held in public school buildings and for public schools to be held in church buildings. Indeed, it makes a great deal of sense for churches and schools to occupy the same physical space given that churches generally operate at times when schools are not in session and vice versa.”
Yes, it does make sense for churches and schools to meet in the same location, especially when the mutual benefits are considered.
Roundup: Supreme Court Upholds Public Prayer
Posted on May 7, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Already this landmark decision is being called controversial by both opponents of public prayer and advocates. That might sound strange, but some are wondering if the fact that the court ruled on public prayer at all is a sign that our religious freedoms are being viewed as government granted rather than God-given, as our Founders believed. It is a valid thought to consider as increasing government intrusion on individual liberty and religious freedom has reached historic proportions.
But, for the moment we do need to celebrate what is potentially one of the most critical victories regarding religious freedom in our country in quite a while. Under one of the most religiously oppressive administrations in recent history we should celebrate every victory and be thankful for the freedoms that continue to shape America. Here’s a few of the articles commenting on the recent decision by the Supreme Court.
RIP American Free Speech. Next Up Religious Freedom
Posted on May 7, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Let’s stop pretending that America believes in free speech. I know we all want to believe we still believe in it, we want to scream desperately from the roof tops that America still practices and believes in free speech. The truth is that we don’t.
If America believed in free speech former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich would still have a job. He shared his opinion on the topic of marriage via a monetary donation, a form of speech, and was ousted. Eich “let his voice be heard” by contributing to a cause he believed in and Mozilla, along with the most intolerant and hateful gay activists demanded that he be fired.
If America believe in free speech Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, would not have been banned from the NBA and fined $2.5 million for making racists remarks. Sterling simply shared his own personal views and as a result a media firestorm and public outcry has been overwhelming against him. Some have even demanded the NBA force him to sell the Clippers. (How exactly do you ban an owner of a team? How do you force someone to sell something they own?)
Before anyone gets the impression I’m defending racist comments let me be clear: racism is an immoral sinful practice. Oh, you didn’t know it was a moral problem or sinful? Rejecting a person created in the image of God is certainly a moral issue. Open discrimination against such a person is nothing short of sinful. (By the way, why was the NAACP set to give Sterling an award, again, if he had a record of racism?)
The Gospel Coalition: 9 Things You Should Know About the National Day of Prayer
Posted on May 1, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Today is the National Day of Prayer, an annual day of observance celebrated by Americans of various faiths. Here are nine things you should know about the day when people are asked “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.”
1. The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
Parkersburg Wrestling Team Allowed to Wear Bible Verse on Shirts – For Now
Posted on April 26, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
Two developments in the case of a Scripture verse on the shirts of Parkersburg, WV wrestling team members have been confirmed.
First, the verse, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” that was in the gym, and on the wrestling website, has been painted over, according to a recent article.
But, thankfully, according to local attorney Bill Merriman, the wrestlers will be allowed to continue wearing their t-shirts with the verse printed on the back. Merriman told conservative commentator Todd Starnes:
Christians Opposing Homosexuality Must Be Fired. Muslims Not So Much.
Posted on April 25, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
We learned from Brendan Eich that if you support traditional marriage and people at your job find out, you could be fired. But for anyone that thinks this is an isolated incident and nothing to worry about; think again.
The Telegraph is reporting that a Christian nursery worker has been fired for refusing to read books about homosexuals to children. Citing her religious beliefs, Sarah Mbuyi said it would violate her convictions to read such stories to children. She was fired for those convictions and is now suing her former employer.
This is only the latest in a string of incidents where Christians have been fired or forced to resign for their religious convictions. In some cases, people were fired for exercising their constitutional rights as private citizens outside their place of employment. The case of Crystal Dixon at the University of Toledo comes to mind.
Author Says Efforts to Defend Religious Freedom A Scam – Christians Haven’t Lost Any Rights
Posted on April 23, 2014 in Religious Freedom, Uncategorized by Nathan Cherry
I recently came across an article titled “The Christian Rights ‘Religious Freedom Law’ Scam” by Vanessa Sheridan, writing at the Huffington Post.
This might be one of the worst mischaracterizations of efforts to secure religious freedom through legislative action by anyone I’ve read in recent memory. The article is so full of misstatements and absurd claims that it’s hard to decide if it should be at The Huffington Post or The Onion.
Ms. Sheridan first accuses a small group of people of seeking to pass laws that would legalize open discrimination. She is, presumably, talking about laws like the one recently vetoed by Arizona governor Jan Brewer that would have protected the religious convictions of business owners from forced government violation. But in her words this bill would:
NBA Star Says He Believes in Creationsim
Posted on April 22, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
I’ve you’ve ever watched NBA star Blake Griffin dunk a basketball, you know why sports commentators often refer to him as a “freak of nature.” The man can jump and dunk a ball in a way that seems almost super-human. Or perhaps Griffin would say it is supernatural. Griffin has been open about his faith and his upbringing in a Christian home and going to a Christian school. So his answer should have been no surprise when he was asked whether he was “team creationism or team evolution.”
Griffin responded by saying:
“I was raised in a Christian household and went to a Christian high school, so I believe in creationisim, for sure.”
Somehow this “stunned” sports writers and reporters who then took to the media to criticize Griffin for his position and speculate whether or not he was kidding. I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised that a professing Christian raised in a Christian home would believe the biblical account of Creation. Maybe the sports writers were kidding. I really, really hope they were kidding.
So You Want to Tax Churches? Have You Considered…
Posted on April 22, 2014 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
See if you can answer this question: why are churches tax exempt?
That is a hot button topic in the news, around lawmakers, and on the blogosphere these days. Many don’t know why churches are tax exempt and others simply don’t think they should be. They say that churches are corporations earning money like everyone else and should pay taxes. But is paying taxes really the primary goal of those advocating for the taxing of churches? First, let’s talk about why churches are tax exempt.
Alliance Defending Freedom senior legal counsel Erik Stanley explains that churches have always been tax-exempt since the IRS tax code was first established. And in every version of the code ever since, churches are tax exempt. But, as Stanley explains, many simply don’t know why.
Dr. James Dobson Beats ObamaCare HHS Mandate
Posted on April 21, 2014 in Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
A recent article reports that a federal court has issued an injunction against enforcement of the ObamaCare HHS Mandate against Dr. James Dobson and his “Family Talk” radio show. Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Kevin Theriot commented on the injunction:
“Faith-based organizations should be free to operate according to the faith they teach and live out every day. If the government can fine Christian ministries out of existence because they want to uphold their faith, there is no limit to what other freedoms it can take away. The court was right to block enforcement of this unconstitutional mandate against Family Talk.”
Dr. Dobson said of the injunction: