separation of church and state

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Trump Expands Religious Expression for Federal Workers

New guidelines allow prayer, proselytizing on the federal clock

(Newser) - Federal workers now have broader leeway to pray and discuss their faith at the office under new guidelines from the Trump administration. The changes, outlined by the Office of Personnel Management, permit employees to share religious beliefs and try to "persuade others of the correctness of their own...

IRS: Let Pastors Endorse Political Candidates

Without losing tax-exempt status, agency says in filing

(Newser) - The IRS says pastors who endorse political candidates from the pulpit should not have to risk losing their tax-exempt status, the AP reports. The move effectively calls for a carve out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment, put in place in 1954 and...

In Oklahoma, an 'Extraordinary Move' on Bible in the Classroom

Ryan Walters, state superintendent, orders the religious text to be taught in public schools

(Newser) - Coming to classrooms in Oklahoma: the Bible. The state's superintendent has ordered the religious text be taught in Oklahoma's public schools, reports the New York Times , which calls it "an extraordinary move that blurs the lines between religious instruction and public education." "Every teacher, every...

ACLU: Ten Commandments Law 'Blatantly Unconstitutional'

Civil rights group, others say they'll sue over Louisiana law mandating display in public schools

(Newser) - "I can't wait to be sued," Louisiana's Republican governor announced over the weekend, just days before signing a bill Wednesday requiring every public school classroom in the state to display the Bible's Ten Commandments . And now, the time has come. The American Civil Liberties Union,...

Johnson Cites 'Misunderstanding' on Separation of Church, State

Christian conservative speaker claims religious influence on public life was meant to be protected

(Newser) - The new House speaker has thrown his support behind former President Trump while aiming to correct what he claims is a "misunderstanding" about a core principle of US government. According to Mike Johnson, the Founding Fathers very much wanted faith to influence public life, despite the First Amendment prohibiting...

Board OKs Religious School Funded by Taxpayers

Oklahoma's attorney general calls the plan for the school, which would be a US first, unconstitutional

(Newser) - A state school board voted Monday to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious school in the nation, despite a warning from Oklahoma's attorney general that the decision was unconstitutional. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 to approve the application by the Catholic Archdiocese of...

State Pol: Sorry I Hid Bibles in Capitol Fridge, Couches

Arizona Dem Stahl Hamilton says 'playful protest' was over separation of church and state

(Newser) - A Democratic state congresswoman in Arizona delivered a rather odd apology this week, after what she says was meant to be a "peaceful, playful protest" in support of the separation of church and state. Per the Arizona Republic , Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton told reporters on Wednesday that she was...

Supreme Court Sides With Religious Schools Over Maine

Court's conservative majority sides against Maine and restriction on use of public money

(Newser) - As the nation awaits the Roe v. Wade decision , the Supreme Court continues to release other high-profile rulings from this year's term—including one on Tuesday that opens the door to lawsuits over the herbicide Roundup . Another on Tuesday has to do with the specific issue of education in...

W. Va. Students Object After They're Preached to at School

Cabell County Schools rep says the event was supposed to be voluntary

(Newser) - Between calculus and European history classes at a West Virginia public high school, 16-year-old Cameron Mays and his classmates were told by their teacher to go to an evangelical Christian revival assembly. When students arrived at the event in the school's auditorium, they were instructed to close their eyes...

Judge Hands Amber Guyger a Bible, and Herself Controversy

Critics say Tammy Kemp shouldn't have been 'proselytizing' in court as a government worker

(Newser) - Convicted murderer Amber Guyger got a "remarkable" hug from the brother of her victim, Botham Jean, during her sentencing hearing Wednesday, and then she got one from presiding Judge Tammy Kemp. Now Kemp is facing complaints, both for the hug but also for a possible legal violation. With one...

Tenn. Schools May Soon Have to Show 'Cornerstone of Freedom'

Bill to prominently display national motto of 'In God We Trust' now on Gov. Haslam's desk

(Newser) - It's up to Bill Haslam now whether one of America's most famous mottos ends up prominently displayed in his state's schools. The Tennesseean reports a bill is headed toward the Tennessee governor's desk to call for the conspicuous display in schools of the "In God...

Satanic Temple Sues to Lead City Council Prayers

Group is taking Scottsdale, Ariz., to court

(Newser) - A group that invokes the name Satan as a metaphor for opposing religious tyranny has sued the well-off Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, Ariz., accusing officials of discrimination after being denied an opportunity to give the opening prayer at a City Council meeting. Michelle Shortt of the Satanic Temple of Tucson...

Trump Vows to 'Totally Destroy' Johnson Amendment
Trump Goes After Separation
of Church and State
The Rundown
Feb 2, 2017 4:58 PM CST

Trump Goes After Separation of Church and State

President vows to 'totally destroy' the Johnson Amendment

(Newser) - Yes, President Trump took the opportunity of the National Prayer Breakfast to drag Arnold Schwarzenegger and his weak Celebrity Apprentice ratings. But he also brought up something arguably just as important: the Johnson Amendment, which he vowed to "totally destroy." Here's what you need to know:

Thou Shalt Not Erect Religious Monuments on City Grounds: Court

Ten Commandments structure in Bloomfield, NM, declared unconstitutional

(Newser) - Much like those "rapid-fire warnings at the end of prescription drug commercials," a disclaimer on a Ten Commandments monument in New Mexico might require "a reasonable observer … to get on his knees" to read it, an appeals declared this week. That was one of the factors...

Texas County Agrees to Take Crosses Off Cop Cars

Gov. Greg Abbott had supported decals, but nonprofit's suit said they were 'unconstitutional'

(Newser) - A group known for fighting for the separation of church and state has won a victory against Brewster County, Texas, reaching a settlement that has county cops agreeing to remove decals with crosses on them from police cars, Reuters reports. In response to a suit filed this year by the...

Tennessee Lawmakers: We Want Bible as State Book

It's up to Gov. Haslam whether bill is 'unconstitutional,' 'sacrilegious,' or neither

(Newser) - Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has a bill coming his way that has the Bible nominated as the official state book, a move critics say would be both "unconstitutional and sacrilegious," per Nashville Public Radio . The state Senate approved the holy tome 19-8 Monday night, which could make Tennessee...

Judge's Get-Out- of-Jail-Free Card: Get Married

Not everyone loves Randall Rogers' peculiar form of Texas justice

(Newser) - Those who saw the story over the summer of the Texas judge who ordered a man to marry his girlfriend to avoid jail may have thought it was a weird one-off judgment—but it turns out that may be Randall Rogers' default consequence for unwed couples in his courtroom, KLTV...

Ten Commandments Removed From Oklahoma Capitol

It violated the state's constitution

(Newser) - A granite monument of the Ten Commandments that has sparked controversy since its installation on the Oklahoma Capitol grounds was being removed Monday and will be transported to a private conservative think tank for storage. In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court decided that the display violates a state constitutional prohibition...

Satanic Statue Gets New Home in Detroit

It wasn't welcome outside Okla. Capitol

(Newser) - A good day for the devil's disciples? The statue that Satanists wanted to erect outside Oklahoma's Capitol building has found a more welcoming, but apparently temporary, home in Detroit. The 9-foot, 2,000-pound statue of winged, goat-headed idol Baphomet was unveiled just before midnight on Saturday at a...

School Slammed for Using 'Tea Party' History Books

Charter school is pushing religious propaganda, group says

(Newser) - Reigniting the church-and-state debate, a group in Washington is criticizing a charter school for teaching history with books embraced by the tea party movement, the Arizona Republic reports. Americans United for Separation of Church and State says the Heritage Academy in Mesa, Arizona, shouldn't be using two books by...

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