religious freedom

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Case Against 'Under God' Heads to Top Mass. Court

They will be 'making new law' in Pledge case, plaintiffs say

(Newser) - The Massachusetts Supreme Court has agreed to hear what could be a landmark case against the Pledge of Allegiance. A family of secular humanists are arguing that the phrase "under God" in the pledge violates the state's constitutional ban on religious discrimination, the Religion News Service explains. A...

At-Home Bible Study Lands Man in Jail

City says pastor was violating zoning laws

(Newser) - Gang-member-turned-pastor Michael Salman found himself behind bars after holding a Bible study at his home, reports Fox News . Authorities say Salman violated zoning laws, and thus his probation, when he gathered some 80 people at his four-acre home, but the Phoenix man and his family are crying foul, saying his...

Pro-Obama Clergy Wrestle With Stance on Gay Marriage

President contacted ministers just after announcement

(Newser) - In one breath, President Obama endorsed gay marriage last week. In the next, he turned directly to a contingent of supporters likely to be offended by that endorsement: Obama called up a number of ministers to explain his views and get feedback, the New York Times reports. On a conference...

Catholics Back Obama's Birth Control Mandate: Poll

Women especially want insurance to cover contraception

(Newser) - Bishops and pundits have been blasting President Obama over his decision to require all employers—including Catholic institutions—to offer health insurance plans that cover birth control. Peggy Noonan even predicted it would cost Obama the election . But a new poll, conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute , shows...

In Karachi Slum, a 5K-Seat Megachurch

Despite facing violence, extremism, Christianity keeps toe-hold in Pakistan

(Newser) - Despite Pakistan's religious extremism and violence, a new Christian church, the largest in Pakistan, has just opened in Karachi, reports the AP . St. Peter's of Karachi, which opened on Nov. 9, is a domed, three-story building in the heart of a sprawling slum in Pakistan's largest city,...

Scientology Files Fraud Appeal in France

Church and leaders were convicted in 2009

(Newser) - The Church of Scientology opened an appeal today of a 2009 fraud conviction in France , reports the AP . The original case convicted Scientology's French branch, bookstore, and six leaders of fraud related to pressuring members into paying for expensive but questionable treatments, as well as harassing recruits. The church...

Family Fined Over Home Bible Studies

Nonprofit willing to fight case if fine not reversed

(Newser) - A California family has been fined $300 for violating city zoning codes … by holding Bible studies in their house. Charles and Stephanie Fromm have appealed the fine, but were told that more fines would be levied if the regular study groups continue without the Fromms obtaining a permit. A...

Americans Big on Religious Freedom ... But Not Muslims

Fox News viewers especially see clash of civilizations

(Newser) - Americans are big on the concept of freedom of religion—but they aren’t so keen on Muslims. According to data from a larger study last week, spotted by Dino Grandoni of the Atlantic , 88% of Americans say the country was founded on the principle of religious freedom, yet a...

Fort Bragg Will Host Atheist Concert

Military agrees to give it same support it gave to Christian event

(Newser) - Last fall a Christian-themed concert was held at Fort Bragg; next spring, an atheism-themed one will be staged there—and the Army will provide equal support. Rock Beyond Belief, an event organized by atheist, agnostic, and non-theist soldiers, was originally planned for this year, but organizers complained that leaders at...

Malaysia: Woman Can't Quit Islam

Court refuses to grant 'teapot cultist' permission to change religion

(Newser) - Kamariah Ali may consider herself a member of the Sky Kingdom sect—known as the "teapot cult"—but she is a Muslim under the law, a Malaysian civil court has decided. The court rejected the 60-year-old woman's request to leave Islam to avoid being jailed for apostasy,...

Giuliani: Debate Over Mosque Is Great, Healthy
Giuliani: Debate Over Mosque Is Great, Healthy
OPINION
Sep 9, 2010 1:45 PM CDT

Giuliani: Debate Over Mosque Is Great, Healthy

Hizzoner opposes the Cordoba House, but likes the discussion

(Newser) - Rudy Giuliani weighs in on the Cordoba House controversy in the New York Daily News today, saying he opposes the building—which he repeatedly, erroneously states is "at Ground Zero"—but thinks the debate over it “is testimony to our values as a free society. There are...

Koran Burning Uproar Spreads, but Pastor Defiant

Clinton decries it, Bloomberg defends pastor's right

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has joined the chorus decrying a Florida pastor’s plan to burn Korans on Sept. 11. “Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation,” Clinton said last night at a State Department Iftar meal celebrating Ramadan, according to the Daily ...

Sen. Orrin Hatch Backs 'Ground Zero Mosque'

'I'd be the first to stand up for their rights,' Utah Republican says

(Newser) - Sen. Orrin Hatch says that the Cordoba Initiative has every right to build a Muslim community center near Ground Zero, regardless of the public outcry against it. “If the Muslims own that property, that private property, and they want to build a mosque there, they should have the right...

Obama Supports Mosque Near Ground Zero

President cites 'commitment to religious freedom'

(Newser) - President Obama tonight forcefully endorsed building a mosque near Ground Zero, saying the country's founding principles demand no less. "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for...

It's Not Just Ground Zero That's Hostile to Mosques

And the fights raise larger issue: Religious freedom

(Newser) - The ruckus over whether to build a mosque near Ground Zero is supposedly centered around the propriety of the proposal, but it's really indicative of a series of not-in-my-backyard fights ranging from not-so-hallowed grounds in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to Sheboygan, Wis., reports the New York Times. But whereas squabbles in the...

Italy Battles to Save Crosses in Classroom

Europe says they violate freedom, Italy says they're culture

(Newser) - Italy is fighting a court ruling that bans crucifixes from classrooms. After a secular Italian woman sued to have crucifixes removed from her sons' classrooms, Italian courts said the cross belonged there as a symbol of Italy's culture and history. The European Court of Human Rights disagreed, ruling religious symbols...

Godlessness Hampers US Foreign Policy

Report says America ignores world religions at its own peril

(Newser) - President Obama needs to close the "God gap" in foreign policy, or the US will surely continue to feed religious extremism and undermine peace efforts around the world. So claims a report delivered to the White House yesterday, which warns that the "uncompromising Western secularism" of those at...

Cross Burned in Boy's Arm Sparks School Religious War

Townies support creationist teacher's 'religious rights'

(Newser) - A cross burned into the arm of an Ohio schoolboy by his creationist science teacher has sparked a three-year battle pitting neighbor against neighbor over the role of religion in public schools. An army of supporters is backing the teacher, who is still fighting his firing from the Mount Vernon...

Pope Urges UK Bishops to Fight Gay Equality Bill

Legislation 'violates the natural law,' pontiff contends

(Newser) - Pope Benedict wants English and Welsh bishops to fight proposed human rights legislation with "missionary zeal." The Equality Bill, which is pending in Parliament, is intended to combat discrimination on the basis of sex, race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation, but the pontiff argues that "it actually...

How Prop 8 Could Help Everyone
 How Prop 8 Could 
 Help Everyone 
OPINION
Jun 16, 2009 12:28 PM CDT

How Prop 8 Could Help Everyone

(Newser) - Proposition 8 could turn out to be a win-win for everyone, “if we can stop all the shouting,” writes Douglas Kmiec, a Catholic, pro-Obama Republican law professor. The California Supreme Court’s ruling “is as inconsistent as it is incomplete,” declaring that gay couples must be...

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