Law and Religion Headlines
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Ukraine debates whether to celebrate Christmas twice
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Editing by Andrew Osborn and Richard Balmforth, Reuters)
Accosted for her hijab, woman now teaches Muslim empowerment
(Wilson Ring, The Associated Press, The Big Story)
Suspect in Houston mosque fire claims to have prayed there five times a day, police say
(Peter Holley, The Washington Post)
Seattle-area Muslims face fear and kindness after teen’s death
(Nina Shapiro, The Seattle Times)
Emanuel AME responds to lawsuit over handling of donations
(Jennifer Berry Hawes, The Post and Courier)
JFNA leader slams Israel Chief Rabbi for conservative school comment
(JTA, Forward)
A religious forecast for 2050: Atheism is down, Islam is rising
(Nadia Whitehead, National Public Radio)
The real reason Turkey is building so many mosques
(Borzou Daragahi, BuzzFeed News)
Activists predict abortion will be a hot issue in campaigns
(David Crary, Associated Press)
In Russia, a high-ranking Orthodox priest is sacked — and hits back
(Corey Flintoff, National Public Radio)
Lawyer for Christian bakers who were forced to pay nearly $137,000 to lesbian couple reveals most shocking element of the case
(Billy Hallowell, The Blaze)
2015 clarified the right to gay marriage. It opened a world of questions for religious objectors
(Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)
Opinion: Karl Barth taught us not to use religion to mask the stench of war
(Giles Fraser, The Guardian)
Americans back religious rights but lose confidence in government protection, survey shows
(Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times)
Churches and flooding
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Bogor to stage interfaith prayer for a more tolerant 2016
(Jakarta Globe)
What a strange year it's been for First Amendment freedoms
(Gene Policinski, Newseum Institute: Inside the First Amendment)
The First Amendment, our articles of peace
(Charles C Haynes, Newseum Institute: Inside the First Amendment)
Guidance for schools and awarding organisations about the Religious Studies GCSE
(UK Department for Education)
15 striking findings from 2015
(George Gao, Pew Research Center Fact Tank)
Poll: Americans rank Muslims as least deserving of religious protections, put Mormons behind other Christians
(Rachel Zoll and Emily Swanson, The Associated Press, The Salt Lake Tribune)
End of Year Quiz – 2015
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
The most important religion stories of 2015
(Jerome Socolovsky, Sojourners)
Top ten religious liberty and church-state developments of 2015
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Top 10 religious liberty events of 2015
(Kristina Arriaga, The Federalist)
Top 10 religion stories for 2015: How would Pope Francis have voted?
(Terry Mattingly, Get Religion (blog))
Top 10 religion-news events of 2015
(Terry Mattingly, UExpress)
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Winning God’s vote: boundaries for the candidate/clergy courtship in ’16
(David Gushee, RNS Blog: Christians, Conflict and Change)
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin dismissed from post of deputy head of World Russian People's Council
(Interfax-Religion)
Russian Orthodox church sacks ultra-conservative senior priest
(Shaun Walker, The Guardian)
Victor Yelenskyy: “For the first time this year the Church faces serious competitors for human love and trust”
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine)
Historians condemn build-up in Ayodhya (for a future Ram temple at the site where the Babri Masjid once stood)
(Vikas Pathak, The Hindu)
Wimbledon peer demands attacks against Sikhs mistaken as Muslims to be recorded as separate hate crime
(Madeleine Howell, AW Londoner)
Turkey-Israel dialogue works 'miracle' for Istanbul’s Jews
(Sibel Hurtas, trans Sibel Utku Bila, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Queen Elizabeth in Christmas Message: There is hope even in the midst of darkness
(Veronica Neffinger, Christian Headlines)
Pregnant woman sues Catholic hospital for not letting her get tubes tied
(Azeen Ghorayshi, BuzzFeed News)
'Model' legislation on religious and LGBT rights, prison relocation and the top Utah stories of 2015
(McKenzie Romero, Deseret News)
Jewish and Muslim hate crimes soar in London
(Trevor Grundy, Religion News Service)
2015 in review
(Neil Foster, Law and Religion Australia)
Appeals court upholds ruling denying church-plan status for health-care system
(Hazel Bradford, Pensions & Investments)
3rd Circuit holds Catholic healthcare retirement plan is not exempt from ERISA
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Jerusalem court allows Jewish-prayer activist back to Temple Mount
(Haaretz)
Israeli court avoids decision on definition of prayer on Temple Mount
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Sweet Cakes by Melissa co-owner Aaron Klein reverses course, delivers check for $137,000
(Nigel Jaquiss, Willamette Week)
Bakery owners pay judgment to pursue appeal in same-sex wedding cake case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Conservative advocate sues school board over new transgender policy
(Moriah Balingit, The Washington Post)
Suit challenges Virginia school's addition of gender identity to non-discrimination rules
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Group sues in favor of Mont. private school tax credit
(Kristen Cates, Great Falls Tribune)
Second kawsuit challenges exclusion of parochial schools from Montana tax credit plan
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Priest charging injury from false accusations may proceed with most of his claims
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
How strongly do Americans support religious rights? Depends on the religion
(Stacy Teicher Khadaroo, Christian Science Monitor)
Christians need protections more than Muslims, says poll
(Rachel Zoll, Emily Swanson, US News and World Report)
Often where groups wage war in the name of religion, 110 journalists were killed in 2015
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
British education secretary defends prioritizing religion over atheism in schools: ‘Religious traditions of great Britain are, in the main, Christian’
(Carly Hoilman, The Blaze)
Muslim, Christian Scouts come together to foster friendship, understanding
(Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune)
Sad day for religious minorities, interfaith council rep says after conversion ruling
(Yiswaree Palansamy, MalayMail Online)
Walk the talk on unilateral conversion, interfaith group tells Putrajaya
(V. Anbalagan, The Malaysian Insider)
Tuesday, 29 December 2015
Boko Haram slaughters 80 people after president says he's 'won the war' against terror
(Stoyan Zaimov, The Christian Post)
Russian Foreign Ministry speaks of OSCE's lack of action toward seizure of churches of Moscow Patriarchate's Ukrainian Orthodox Church
(Interfax-Religion)
Reading the Quran in Hebrew
(Jacky Hugi, trans. Danny Wool, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)
BHA responds to new Government guidance on Religious Studies GCSE
(British Humanist Association)
In Kazakhstan, Adventist sentenced to serve two years in a labor camp for profession of faith
(Adventist News Network)
Eritrean gospel singer Helen Berhane was tortured for her beliefs. Now she’s speaking up
(Rosie Scammell, Religion News Service)
To counter Islam’s critics, imam says Muslims need to relearn faith
(Umar Farooq, Religion News Service)
AU says Christian printer has no ‘religious freedom’ right to discriminate
(Bob Allen, Baptist News Global)
PLF sues over discrimination against religious students
(Ethan Blevins, Pacific Legal Foundation Liberty Blog)
Middle Eastern Christians speak out on Wheaton professor’s actions
(James K Hoffmeier, The Gospel Coalition)
NYC businesses face $250k fine if they use wrong pronoun to name transgenders
(Samuel Smith, The Christian Post)
Texas Chick-fil-A locations open Sunday to deliver free food for tornado victims
(Samuel Smith, The Christian Post)
Christians in Baghdad remain hopeful during Christmas amid genocidal threats
(Sean Savage, The Christian Post)
Christian bakers pay $135k fine to lesbian couple for refusing to make gay wedding cake
(Stoyan Zaimov, The Christian Post)
Suspected Boko Haram attacks kill scores in Nigeria
(Ibrahim Sawab, The New York Times)
Early intervention? Why Montreal has an anti-radicalization center
(Dylan Robertson, The Christian Science Monitor)
Suicide bombing kills 26, wounds 45 in northwestern Pakistan
(Riaz Khan, The Associated Press, The Big Story)
Iraqi victory over ISIS in Ramadi could prove pivotal
(Falih Hassan and Sewell Chan, The New York Times)
Taliban chief rebuked by religious leaders in sign of turmoil
(Mujib Mashal and Taimoor Shah, The New York Times)
Sikhs in America are still coming under attack because people think they’re Muslims
(Peter Holley, The Washington Post)
Thefts of baby Jesus statues unnerve New Jersey churches
(Katie Rogers, The New York Times)
Flawed justice after a mob killed an Afghan woman
(Alissa J. Rubin, The New York Times)
Investigators seek motive for Christmas day fire at Houston mosque
(Carrie Feibel, Houston Public Media)
ISIL aims to launch cyberattacks on U.S.
(Joseph Marks, Politico)
Prosecutor seeks rehearing in Catholic church abuse case
(Errin Haines Whack, The Associated Press, The Big Story)
Judge stops Missouri from revoking abortion license
(Margaret Stafford, The Associated Press, The Big Story)
Story of Justice McReynolds' anti-Semitic photo refusal is debunked
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Faith groups back move to protect religious education freedom
(Gov.UK)
UK's Department of Education clarifies religious education requirements
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Exclusive: seized documents reveal Islamic State's Department of 'War Spoils'
(Jonathan Landay, Warren Strobel and Phil Stewart, Reuters)
ISIS fatwas cover topics including slavery of infidels and harvesting of organs from apostates
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Win for religious right alone? Kentucky governor backs same-sex marriage compromise
(Terry Mattingly, Get Religion (blog))
Religious leaders urge mutual understanding to bring about peace
(PR Newswire)
CLU’s new interfaith certificate program piloted by Arizona tri-faith group
(Claremont Lincoln University)
Texas governor’s office: State bar continuing education ruling discriminates against religion
(Adam Cassandra, Catholic Education Daily)
Egypt: TV show host Islam Al-Beheiry's sentence for contempt of religion reduced to one year
(All Africa)
Monday, 28 December 2015
That’s what the “War on Christmas” is all about, Charlie Brown
(David Gushee, RNS Blog: Christians, Conflict and Change)
Turkey's religious conservatives bemoan 'dangers of Christmas'
(Riada Ašimović Akyol, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Russian Church doubts Pan-Orthodox Council possible in current situation
(Interfax-Religion)
The fragile promise of the Pan-Orthodox Council (article from March 2014)
(Fr. Cyril Hovorun, The Catholic World Report)
Crimean Archbishop outraged by Patriarch’s call on Ukraine "to end persecution of believers"
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine)
Neutral citations for consistory court judgments
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
‘Religious freedom’ bill author, Georgia Equality’s Graham lined up for RFRA debate
(Patrick Saunders, Georgia Voice)
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