Religious Liberty

A very bad year for religious liberty got worse earlier this month when the Russian Supreme Court upheld a regional court ruling prohibiting Jehovah's Witnesses from gathering to worship and banning their publications as "extremist" literature. Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are not alone. As documented by the U.S. State Department's 2009 report on International Religious Freedom released in October, conditions are bleak for tens of millions of people around the world who are facing persecution, imprisonment and even death for doing nothing more than following their conscience in matters of faith.

Good riddance to the aughts, naughts or ohs. By whatever name, the first decade of the 21st century has been devastating for religious liberty in much of the world. The statistics are numbing. According to a study released this month by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people now live in countries with high restrictions on religious beliefs and practices. The study measures limits on religious freedom caused by government policy, laws and actions as well as restrictions imposed by private individuals, organizations and social groups.

Dear Editor: As a student in New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, I took a course in Baptist history and felt pride at the discovery of the role Baptists had played in American history. Recently, I got down my copy of Robert G. Torbet's "A History of Baptists" and found again the following passage: "Democratic America should be eternally grateful to the Baptists of colonial New England and Virginia, for it was, in part at least, their struggle for religious liberty which culminated victoriously in the omission of any religious tests or restrictions when the Constitution of the United States was being framed . ...It has been to safeguard their beliefs in the priesthood of the believer and in religious freedom that Baptists have insisted upon the complete separation of church and state.

A very bad year for religious liberty got worse earlier this month when the Russian Supreme Court upheld a regional court ruling prohibiting Jehovah's Witnesses from gathering to worship and banning their publications as "extremist" literature. Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are not alone. As documented by the U.S. State Department's 2009 report on International Religious Freedom released in October, conditions are bleak for tens of millions of people around the world who are facing persecution, imprisonment and even death for doing nothing more than following their conscience in matters of faith.

A bipartisan religious liberty panel in the United States has called on Cuba's communist government to institute protections for religious expression and other human rights in the wake of Fidel Castro's departure as president. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said Castro's resignation after nearly 50 years as dictator over the northern Caribbean island provides an opportunity for Cuba's new leaders "to reform their repressive practices. " Citing health reasons, Castro, 81, resigned Feb. 19. The National Assembly selected his brother, Raul, 76, as president Feb. 24. It also named as first vice president José Ramón Machado Ventura, 76, who is reputedly a Communist hardliner fiercely loyal to the Castros, according to The New York Times.

Here's one of the best-kept secrets about the Bush presidency: Over the past five years, the U.S. Department of Justice has quietly, but vigorously, enforced civil rights laws designed to protect religious freedom. Now Attorney General Alberto Gonzales wants to get the word out. On Feb. 20, he released a report detailing the DOJ's accomplishments and announced an initiative called the First Freedom Project to carry out "even greater enforcement of religious rights for all Americans.

Most Americans like the idea of "teaching about religion" in public schools at least until educators start to take it seriously. Then the questions start: Will teachers be fair and objective? How will my faith be taught? What will be the impact on students? During the decades-long debate over the role of religion in the public school curriculum, answers to questions like these have been largely anecdotal, based on good stories spotlighting successful teachers or bad stories featuring conflicts over teacher bias or poor textbooks.

It's been a good month for the much-maligned, often-misunderstood principle of church-state separation. A whopping 67 percent of the American people agree that the First Amendment “requires a clear separation of church and state,” according to the 2011 State of the First Amendment survey released July 12 by the First Amendment Center. This is somewhat surprising given the decades-old culture-war fight over the meaning and scope of separation. For decades now, Christian-nation advocates have tried to convince Americans that “separation of church and state isn't in the First Amendment.” They have peddled a revisionist account of a “Christian America” that should (at best)

(Editor's note: Click here to view a PDF of the 2008 State of the First Amendment survey.) As the nation on Sept. 17 again marked Constitution Day, it's worth noting what a difference a few centuries make. Constitution Day is a relatively new mandate from Congress for the nation's schools and colleges - and an invitation for the rest of us - to spend time annually considering the 1787 document that created a strong, stable central government. The Constitution replaced a much looser set of rules spelling out how the states would cooperate as a nation - the Articles of Confederation - that quickly proved unworkable in the view of many of the nation's Founders.

Phew, what a week. The last two days of the 2013 General Assembly Session saw us burning the midnight oil as we worked literally till midnight. But the hard work did have its rewards as several high-profile bills passed. Senate Bill 2, the public-employee-pension-reform bill, is considered by many to be one of the most significant accomplishments of the session. The public-employee pension system is more than $30 billion in the red. Experts predicted it would run out of cash in five years with the Commonwealth forced to go to a “pay as you go” system on pension benefits.

It's been a good month for the much-maligned, often misunderstood principle of church-state separation. A whopping 67 percent of the American people agree that the First Amendment “requires a clear separation of church and state,” according to the 2011 State of the First Amendment survey released July 12 by the First Amendment Center. This is somewhat surprising given the decades-old culture-war fight over the meaning and scope of separation. For decades now, Christian-nation advocates have tried to convince Americans that “separation of church and state isn't in the First Amendment.” They have peddled a revisionist account of a “Christian America” that should (at best)

A small group, using the latest technology, excites fellow citizens with the concepts and possibilities of freedom after years of battling a repressive regime. As the protests grow more visible and vocal, armed representatives of the current regime try to interrupt, intimidate or imprison those calling for freedom, for an end to domination by a despot. Against all odds, this populist revolt succeeds. The seeds of democracy have been sown. Sound familiar? In 2011, it’s a story involving bloggers, Tweets and demonstrations in Egypt and elsewhere in the Mideast that we’ve watched unfold with amazing rapidity.

Good riddance to the aughts, naughts or ohs. By whatever name, the first decade of the 21st century has been devastating for religious liberty in much of the world. The statistics are numbing. According to a study released this month by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people now live in countries with high restrictions on religious beliefs and practices. The study measures limits on religious freedom caused by government policy, laws and actions as well as restrictions imposed by private individuals, organizations and social groups.

A very bad year for religious liberty got worse earlier this month when the Russian Supreme Court upheld a regional court ruling prohibiting Jehovah's Witnesses from gathering to worship and banning their publications as "extremist" literature. Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are not alone. As documented by the U.S. State Department's 2009 report on International Religious Freedom released in October, conditions are bleak for tens of millions of people around the world who are facing persecution, imprisonment and even death for doing nothing more than following their conscience in matters of faith.

A very bad year for religious liberty got worse earlier this month when the Russian Supreme Court upheld a regional court ruling prohibiting Jehovah's Witnesses from gathering to worship and banning their publications as "extremist" literature. Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia are not alone. As documented by the U.S. State Department's 2009 report on International Religious Freedom released in October, conditions are bleak for tens of millions of people around the world who are facing persecution, imprisonment and even death for doing nothing more than following their conscience in matters of faith.

Robb and Robin Wirthlin didn't want to believe their son. In fact, they thought he might have just misunderstood the teacher's lesson, as second-graders sometimes do. So when he came home in March 2006 and told his parents his public school teacher had read the class a children's book about "gay marriage" - the story of a prince supposedly marrying another prince - his parents wanted to check out the facts. To their surprise and dismay, though, the teacher had indeed read the book, which ends with a depiction of the two men kissing.

(Editor's note: Click here to view a PDF of the 2008 State of the First Amendment survey.) As the nation on Sept. 17 again marked Constitution Day, it's worth noting what a difference a few centuries make. Constitution Day is a relatively new mandate from Congress for the nation's schools and colleges - and an invitation for the rest of us - to spend time annually considering the 1787 document that created a strong, stable central government. The Constitution replaced a much looser set of rules spelling out how the states would cooperate as a nation - the Articles of Confederation - that quickly proved unworkable in the view of many of the nation's Founders.

Assigned to draw a landscape, a senior at Tomah High School in Madison, Wis., drew a path surrounded by mountains and clouds leading to a cross. At the top of the picture, he put the words "John 3:16 A sign of love. " Most public school art teachers I know would accept the drawing, evaluate the technique, and put it on the wall with other student artwork. Instead, the teacher at Tomah High told the student (identified as A.P. in court documents) to remove the religious reference, claiming that it infringed upon the rights of other students.