Tag: religion

Lauren Green reports on the new state laws and the backlash from critics. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated to delivering breaking news as well as political and business news. The number one network in…

CNN's Chris Cuomo says Americans need to care more about the victims of child abuse and bringing their abusers to justice or we will never put a stop to it.

Jim VanSickle, survivor of priest sexual abuse in Pennsylvania, shares his story and reacts to the Grand Jury report released on Catholic Church abuse: "It is a major victory for all survivors all over the world... the truth is out…

OPINION — In January 1959, in a Virginia courtroom, Mildred and Richard Loving pled guilty to “cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth,” and accepted a cruel sentence that spared them jail time but separated them from their families. … The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” The couple, each of a different race, was forced to leave their Virginia home and not return together for at least 25 years. There can be no doubt. It’s no little matter. It must be confronted intellectually and politically and defeated. This election, this past election, and much that has flowed from it, gives us a rare opportunity to arrest these trends and to confront them.” That may sound righteous to some. But reading that Virginia’s judge’s ruling from not that long ago was a reminder of how religious belief can be sincere yet twisted to serve the prejudices of all-too-human beings. Consider this: While the Supreme Court decided in the Lovings’ favor in 1967, striking down state laws against marriages between people of different races, Sessions’ home state of Alabama, in a symbolic move, took until 2000 to remove the law from its books. You would think those who backed that baker would see the ruling as an example of the system working for them. While Sessions mentioned Department of Justice protections for Muslim, Jewish and Hindu religions under the task force, it is conservative Christian groups that seem to be what the Attorney General had in mind when he said that American culture has become “less hospitable to people of faith.” (How aggressive will the Trump administration be in defending Muslim communities’ mosque-construction plans?)

(CBC) A Christian teacher who objected to his union fighting a Chilliwack, B.C., school trustee over comments on transgender children has lost his bid for a religious exemption from union dues. Robert Alan Bogunovic told the B.C. Labour Relations Board his religious and political views had become irreconcilable with his membership in the B.C. But last month, the board dismissed the high school teacher's application to pay his fees to a charity instead of the union — finding his objections grounded more in politics than in faith. 's Labour Relations Code to people who object to joining trade unions or paying dues because of religious convictions or beliefs. Bogunovic has belonged to the BCTF for 20 years. "At the time he was already a member of the union," the decision reads. A lone Christian versus outraged mob The BCTF contended that while Bogunovic's convictions may be deeply held, his exemption application was prompted by the union's fight with Chilliwack School Board Trustee Neufeld. Successful applications The Labour Relations Board has granted requests for religious exemption to union membership and fees in the past. In both cases, the board found that the objections were grounded in policy as opposed to faith.

As faith leaders, we know what it means to speak truth to power. But we are concerned that this might change if the Trump administration and several members of Congress get their way by repealing the Johnson Amendment, which is the law that prohibits houses of worship, and all 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, from endorsing or opposing political candidates. This provision in the tax code protects our houses of worship and charitable nonprofits by ensuring that they are not torn apart by partisan campaign politics or used as tools by candidates and parties for their own political gain. Yet, the House is poised to adopt this bill in the coming weeks. We are not the only faith leaders voicing support for the Johnson Amendment. We have joined a letter to Congress from 4,500 faith leaders and our organizations have joined 104 other denominational and religious organizations that support keeping the Johnson Amendment strong. We object to any measure that would chip away at the protections that keep our churches, synagogues and mosques places of inclusion and unity, rather than places of division and discord. Repealing the Johnson Amendment would threaten our ability to engage in these practices by introducing undue partisan pressures that would tarnish the moral ground on which we stand. Regardless of where we stand on the issues, the Johnson Amendment protects our ability to speak from our faith tradition without fear of partisan entanglement or interference. We, along with thousands of other faith leaders across the country, stand in opposition to this provision.

Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has defied and angered the Catholic Church and Christians worldwide, after he said he would quit if someone could prove to him that God exists. Dr. Alex McFarland is here with his reaction. FOX News Channel…

People in Lexington, Virginia give their opinion after the owner of the "Red Hen" in Lexington asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave. While they can vent their outrage on social media or to anyone else who will listen, restaurant customers ushered to the door because the management disagrees with their politics generally can't take their complaints to court unless there's a local law specifically barring such treatment. “Unless you are a member of a protected class, you don’t have rights in a court of law if you are asked to leave a restaurant,'' says Reginald Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Last Friday, the owner of the Lexington, Virginia, restaurant, The Red Hen, asked Sanders to leave. It also sparked questions about whether a restaurant could refuse to serve a customer based on his or her political views. More Money: Sarah Huckabee Sanders visits the Red Hen, and Lexington, Virginia, reels in the aftermath More Money: Trump vs. Red Hen: What's the cost when business becomes personal? The other would be if "the jurisdiction has some law prohibiting public accommodations from discriminating based on political opinion,'' Shuford says. Washington D.C., the nation's capital, has such a statute, “but such local laws are rare,'' says Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "There are only a few states that have expanded their local or state public accommodations laws to reach treatment based on partisan affiliation.’’ Even if it's not illegal, choosing who to serve based on whether they mark their political affiliation with an "R," "I" or "D'' could be perilous when it comes to courting customers, says Greg Portell, lead partner in the retail practice of the global strategy and management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Still, despite the pitched battles that are raging, some legal experts say that bias based on political views should not be the key area of concern.

In a 5-4 decision denounced by Democrats, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a big win upholding his travel ban. Robert Costa, Jill Colvin, & Jeremy Bash discuss. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination…

Religion and politics collide in border debate; Dr. Kent Ingle, president of Southeastern University, and Dr. Darrell Scott of the president's Faith Advisory Council, join the debate on 'The Ingraham Angle.' FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news…