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☆ Texas Bluebonnet curriculum: Officials to vote on state lessons that emphasize Christian Bible lessons
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Officials in Texas are set to vote Tuesday on a new public school curriculum that incorporates lessons from the Bible as early as kindergarten, that provoked criticism from advocacy groups and families across the state. The state Board of Education will vote on revisions to its K-5 reading and English language arts materials, part of Bluebonnet Learning, the Texas Education Agency-developed open education resources. We don’t leave Texans behind.”Ghani also argued that Texas public school teachers are already “overburdened” with the amount of material they’re expected to teach. “But inserting faith-based lessons into public school classrooms, which sounds like what is intended here, is not the study of history or literature. The legislature has also pushed to require that public school classrooms display the Ten Commandments.

Persons: Bill, Jesus, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, ”, Mark Chancey, “, Barbara Baruch, “ Don’t, Jonathan Covey, Glenn Melvin, Vitale, ” Melvin, ” David Brockman, –, ” Brockman, Shariq Ghani, don’t, ” Ghani, ’ Charles Haynes, Robert Pondiscio, Greg Abbott Organizations: CNN, Education, Texas Education Agency, Texas AFT, Southern Methodist University, Texas, US, Engel, Texas Freedom Network, “, Foundation, Texans, Freedom, Association of Religion Data, American Enterprise Institute, Republican Locations: Texas, Rome, Roman, “ Texas, The74, Oklahoma, Louisiana

☆ Opinion: Public schools are not Sunday schools
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Opinion Amanda Tyler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It has been an especially active few weeks for news about religion in public schools. Public schools are not Sunday schools, and families should feel free to send their children to school without worrying about state officials interfering in their choices about religious instruction. These politically conservative state officials are seemingly making a show of testing the limits of government-sponsored religious instruction and exercise in public schools, emboldened by the US Supreme Court’s recent decisions. Like religious instruction in public schools, the public funding of religion undermines fundamental principles of religious freedom for all. By merging religious and political authority, taxpayer funding of religious schools threatens the rights of people of all faiths — and those of no faith.

Persons: Amanda Tyler, Jeff Landry, Ryan Walters, ” Amanda Tyler, Kennedy, Walters, beholden, ” Walters Organizations: Baptist, Religious Liberty, Christian Nationalism, CNN, Texas Education Agency, Louisiana Gov, US, Twitter, Oklahoma Supreme Court Locations: Louisiana, Oklahoma’s, Kennedy v, Bremerton, Kentucky, Texas , Louisiana, Oklahoma

The court ruled 4-3 that the Superior-based Catholic Charities Bureau and its subentities' motivation to help older, disabled and low-income people stems from Catholic teachings but that its actual work is secular. Every Catholic diocese in Wisconsin has a Catholic Charities entity that serves as that diocese's social ministry arm. The Catholic Charities Bureau is the Superior diocese's entity. “The majority’s misinterpretation also excessively entangles the government in spiritual affairs, requiring courts to determine what religious practices are sufficiently religious under the majority’s unconstitutional test,” Rebecca Bradley wrote. “The majority says secular entities provide charitable services, so such activities aren’t religious at all, even when performed by Catholic Charities.”

Persons: Ann Walsh Bradley, of Jesus Christ, Eric Rassbach, Becket, Judge Lisa Stark, isn't, Stark, Rebecca Bradley, ” Rebecca Bradley, “, ” Organizations: Catholic Charities Bureau, American Islamic Congress, of Jesus, International Society, Krishna, Sikh Coalition, Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty, for Religious Liberty, Catholic Charities Locations: MADISON, Wis, Illinois , Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress. Religious conservatives cheered Johnson's election Wednesday, after which he brought his Bible to the rostrum before taking the oath of office. “Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News interview. One might call him a happy warrior.”Progressive faith leaders expressed alarm at Johnson‘s election, and his remarks on Wednesday evoking the Bible as saying authorities are chosen by God. He still voted with most House Republicans to overturn Biden's victories in two states.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson's, “, ’ ” Johnson, Donald Trump’s, Paul Raushenbush, Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Newt Gingrich, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Brent Leatherwood, Leatherwood, what's, — Johnson, Kristen Waggoner, Albert Mohler, Johnson’s speakership, ”, ” Mohler, Fea, ” Raushenbush, Nathan Empsall, Empsall, Joe Biden's, Amanda Tyler, Johnson “, ” Tyler, David Crary, Holly Meyer Organizations: Fox, Interfaith Alliance, Southern Baptist, Southern, Liberty University, Southern Baptist Convention, Liberty Commission, Southern Baptists, Defending, ADF, Shreveport Times, U.S, Supreme, Freedom Guard, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Messiah University, Christian, Fea, Faithful, Republicans, Capitol, Baptist, Religious Liberty, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Southern, Virginia, Louisiana, Shreveport, Kentucky, Louisville , Kentucky, Pennsylvania, United States, Israel, America, Faithful America

April 28 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Denver on Friday rejected a Catholic medical center's bid to block Colorado from banning an unproven treatment meant to reverse the effects of a medication abortion drug. Medication abortion begins with the drug mifepristone, which blocks action of the hormone progesterone, crucial for sustaining pregnancy, and is completed with a second drug, misoprostol. Proponents of medication abortion reversal say that if a woman changes her mind after taking mifepristone but before taking misoprostol, the pregnancy can be continued by administering a high dose of progesterone. Mifepristone is the subject of a heated legal battle as anti-abortion groups seek to pull it from the market. Republican state legislatures have also taken steps to restrict access to the drug, while Democratic legislatures have sought to protect it.

☆ U.S. Congress passes landmark bill protecting same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It is narrowly written to act as a limited backstop for the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. The measure would repeal a 1996 U.S. law called the Defense of Marriage Act, which among other things denied federal benefits to same-sex couples. The Supreme Court in 1967 declared prohibitions on interracial marriage unconstitutional. But the legislation would not bar states from blocking same-sex or interracial marriages if the Supreme Court allowed them to do so. About 568,000 married same-sex couples live in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

☆ Gay marriage bill wins enough votes for U.S. House passage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The House vote was ongoing, with a majority already voting in favor. It is narrowly written to act as a limited backstop for the 2015 Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. The Supreme Court in 1967 declared prohibitions on interracial marriage unconstitutional. But the legislation would not bar states from blocking same-sex or interracial marriages if the Supreme Court allowed them to do so. Republican supporters hailed its affirmation of protections for religious groups who disagree with gay marriage.

☆ House passes landmark bill to protect same-sex marriages, sending it to Biden's desk
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The House passed a landmark bill Thursday enshrining federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriage, sending it to President Joe Biden, who has said he looks forward to signing it into law. The Respect for Marriage Act passed the Democratic-led House in a 258-169-1 vote, as 39 Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting it. It also won bipartisan support in the Democratic-controlled Senate in late November: 12 GOP senators crossed party lines to vote for the legislation. During the summer, an earlier version of the bill won the support of 47 Republicans in the House. The version passed on Thursday contained an amendment providing additional protections for religious liberty and faith-based nonprofits, something Republicans had backed.

Incoming House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday that the long-awaited legislation ought to clear the House in coming days. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate last week, was designed as a backstop to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. He attributed the shift partly to the fact that such marriages had ceased to be unusual in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized them. "The sky didn't fall because same-sex marriage began happening," said Raushenbush, who is in a same-sex marriage himself. The amendment's support from various religious groups that are theologically opposed to same-sex marriage reflects the fact that attitudes have changed, said Tim Schultz, the president of the 1st Amendment Partnership, which advocates for religious liberty.

REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Passage of a bill protecting federal recognition of same-sex marriages that has the support of both LGBT advocates and religious groups, has been delayed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate last week, was designed as a backstop to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. The bill, which was spearheaded by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, gained the backing of several national religious groups. "The sky didn't fall because same-sex marriage began happening," said Raushenbush, who is in a same-sex marriage himself. Other religious groups, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, strongly opposed the legislation even after the religious freedom protections were added.

The Respect for Marriage Act, which passed the U.S. Senate last week, was designed as a backstop to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, known as Obergefell v. Hodges. The bill, which was spearheaded by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, gained the backing of several national religious groups. He attributed the shift partly to the fact that such marriages had ceased to be unusual in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized them. "The sky didn't fall because same-sex marriage began happening," said Raushenbush, who is in a same-sex marriage himself. Other religious groups, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, strongly opposed the legislation even after the religious freedom protections were added.

At face value, this act seems like a step forward by codifying federal same-sex and interracial marriage rights. At best, it is a preemptive Band-Aid should the Supreme Court try to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, which cited the Fourteenth Amendment to legalize same-sex marriage. But in no way does this act federally legalize “marriage equality” across the United States. The protections to religious liberty were late additions to the bill, in order to secure the support of Senate Republicans like Utah’s Mitt Romney. Of course, the irony in this situation is that federal marriage equality isn’t even guaranteed under the Respect for Marriage Act.

☆ Faith groups split over bill to protect same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Among U.S. faith leaders and denominations, there are sharp differences over the bill advancing in the Senate that would protect same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law. Meanwhile, many left-of-center faith leaders are cheering the bill, including some who planned a Thursday morning rally at the U.S. Capitol. A final Senate vote is expected soon, and the measure — if approved — would then return to the House for consideration of Senate changes. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could also come under threat. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, an American Baptist pastor who is president of Interfaith Alliance and is part of a same-sex marriage.

☆ Supreme Court’s Sotomayor rejects challenge to N.Y. Covid vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its Covid vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy. The plaintiffs — firefighters, building inspectors, police officers, emergency medical technicians, teachers, sanitation workers and others — are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom conservative religious liberty group. The court as a whole in June refused to take up a religious challenge to New York state’s vaccine mandate for health care workers. New York City in August 2021 ordered employees in the largest U.S. public school system to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the plaintiffs’ claims is opposition to any Covid vaccine whose testing or development relied on cell lines from aborted fetuses.

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid to prevent New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers against a group teachers, firefighters and others who challenged the policy. The court as a whole in June refused to take up a religious challenge to New York state's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. New York City in August 2021 ordered employees in the largest U.S. public school system to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the plaintiffs' claims is opposition to any COVID-19 vaccine whose testing or development relied on cell lines from aborted fetuses. Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ We read the Gab founder's how-to guide to Christian nationalism. The book is part of a new trend of conservatives openly embracing the ideology.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide For Taking Dominion And Discipling Nations" was written by Torba and Andrew Isker, a pastor from Minnesota. Christian nationalism can generally be boiled down to the belief that Christianity should have a privileged position in American society. Torba's book demonstrates this, as his description of Christian nationalism differs in some ways from academic understandings of it. Phelan M. Ebenhack, File/Associated PressThe public embrace of a somewhat taboo conceptScholars of Christian nationalism, and Christian nationalists themselves, are quick to point out these ideas are not new. "We're now definitely well past the 'Christian nationalism doesn't exist' and the 'Christian nationalism is fringe' arguments to full-on 'Christian nationalism is the only way forward.'"

The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, U.S., June 26, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoSept 22 (Reuters) - An LGBT student group has agreed to hold off on forcing Yeshiva University to formally recognize it while the Jewish school in New York City appeals a judge's order requiring it to do so - an action the institution said would violate its religious values. Yeshiva last week halted all student club activities after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block New York state court judge Lynn Kotler's June order requiring the university to recognize the Y.U. The university is appealing Kotler's finding that it is subject to a city anti-discrimination law. The Modern Orthodox Jewish university, based in Manhattan, has roughly 6,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs.

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