Law and Religion Headlines

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Saturday, 16 March 2019

Would the Equality Act harm religious freedom? Here's what you need to know
(Kelsey Dallas Matthew Brown, Deseret News Faith)

Appeals Court restores 'parsonage allowance' to save religious leaders millions on taxes
(Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Bloody Sunday and forgiveness: In a war-torn Christian citadel, forgiveness is the exception
(The Economist [Erasmus: Religion and public policy])

Patriarch asking State Property Management Agency to give Spaso-Andronikov Monastery to Russian Orthodox Church
(Interfax-Religion)

Georgian president calls on Armenian Church to change its mind regarding subordination of Abkhazian parishes
(Interfax-Religion)

Georgia looks to eliminate clerical deferment from military draft
(Interfax-Religiia, Russia Religion News)

Court dismisses case against Jehovah's Witness in south of Russia
(Liudmila Maratova, Kavkazskii Uzel)

American missionaries victims of anti-evangelism law
(Roman Lunkin's blog on Echo of Moscow, Russia Religion News)

Civil courts step in to solve what the Catholic Church won’t
(Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic)

Brexit is pushing Jews to seek passports from countries that persecuted their ancestors
(Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Christian symbols enter France’s ‘Yellow Vest’ demonstrations
(Wilco Versteeg - Katholiek Nieuwsblad, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Montana parents request U.S. Supreme Court review of tuition scholarship case
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

Donbas: Luhansk: Baptist Union Churches forced to halt public worship
(Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service)

Turkish religious directorate vows to fight “exploitation of religion”
(Ahval News)

Rastafarian's challenge to marijuana enforcement is rejected
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

A new twist on forcing a party to appear before a religious court
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Congo bishops worry about corruption ahead of local elections
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Stricken New Zealanders reach out to Muslims after shooting
(Juliet Williams and Nick Perry, Associated Press)

Democrats introduce equality act for LGBTQ Americans
(Elisa Meyer, World Religion News)

Friday, 15 March 2019

Algeria: New trials shake Ahmadi minority
(International Human Rights Committee)

Can spirituality and religion help halt climate change?
(Temo Dias, Fair Observer)

The way home: Emma Green on religion, politics, and journalism
(Daniel Darling, Apple podcast)

What more can the law do for women?
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)

Thursday, 14 March 2019

Israeli rabbinate under fire for pushing for DNA tests
(Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)

Role of faith in tackling environmental challenges expounded at Nairobi Environment Assembly
(Fredrick Nzwili, Ecumenical News)

GERB propose deferral instead of debt amnesty in law on religious denominations
(novinite.com)

Immunizations + religious exemptions: Funny thing happens when Washington Post writes about this
(Bobby Ross Jr., Get Religion)

Irkutsk shamans pay 3,000 rubles fine for sacrificing camels 'to strengthen Russia'
(Interfax-Religion)

UN calls on Ukrainian authorities to observe rights of Ukrainian Orthodox Church flock
(Interfax-Religion)

Opponents of new Ukrainian church rebuffed in court
(Interfax-Religiia, Russia Religion News)

Rights advocate sees Russian antireligious policy becoming far-reaching
(Echo of Moscow, Russia Religion News)

Jehovah's Witnesses' property in St. Petersburg still being disposed of
(Ktostroit.ru, Russia Religion News)

Nigerian archbishop: We want government to succeed
(Christopher White, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Muslim-turned-Christian refugees in the Netherlands face threats
(Sjoukje Dijkstra - Katholiek Nieuwsblad, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Poland’s Catholic Church says 382 priests abused minors
(Associated Press)

Poland’s parliament cancels delivery of nationalist weekly
(Associated Press)

Montana school choice case appealed to U.S. Supreme Court
(John Kramer, Institute for Justice)

Cert. filed in Montana scholarship tax credit challenge
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

5 things to know about DOD's new policy on military service by transgender persons and persons with gender dysphoria
(U.S. Department of Defense)

DOD issues memo implementing new policy on transgender service in military
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Interfaith talk, tapping youth to curb violent extremism: NCMF
(John Rey Saavedra, PTV News)

Agreement reached to increase alcohol limits on beer in Utah
(Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press)

EVENT, 14 March 2019: Religious Studies and Religious Communities: Promising Venues for Public Scholarship, Washington, DC
(Religious Freedom Center, Freedom Forum Institute)

Wednesday, 13 March 2019

Will the Supreme Court replace the Lemon Test?
(Luke Goodrich, Harvard Law Review Blog)

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018
(United States Department of State)

Negative stereotypes about Jews are largely rejected in France
(Jee Diamant, Pew Research Center Fact Tank)

Include counselling in sentence for insulting religion, urges Abim
(Malaysiakini)

Philippine priests critical of government say they are under threat
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Evidence from the grave – I
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)

Putin donates money for icon for Russian Armed Forces' main cathedral – Peskov
(Interfax-Religion)

Ukraine's Constitutional Court refuses to consider legality of Rada decision to support autocephaly tomos
(Interfax-Religion)

More than a third of American Catholics question membership in the church after sex abuse crisis, poll says
(Daniel Burke, CNN)

Peace cross ruling
(Michael Berry, Daily Signal)

Mormons worry about a fate like Jehovah's Witnesses
(Kavkazskii Uzel, Russia Religion News)

Nigerian prelate: Good Christian-Muslim relations necessary for ‘peace and order’ in world
(Christopher White, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Iranian president meets Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric
(Associated Press)

Mystery infections traced to blood-shedding religious ritual
(Mike Stobbe, Associated Press)

Cardinal George Pell sentenced to six years in prison for child sex abuse
(Hilary Whiteman, CNN)

Cardinal Pell sentenced by Australian court to 6 years in prison on sex abuse charges
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

False light invasion of privacy suit by pastor is dismissed
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

U.S. Department of Education finds ESEA restriction on religious organizations unconstitutional, will no longer enforce
(Press Release, U.S. Department of Education)

DOE will not enforce ban on religious organizations as contractors for "equitable services" under federal grants
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Appeals court rules Ohio can defund Planned Parenthood
(Alice Miranda Ollstein, Politico)

6th Circuit en banc upholds Planned Parenthood funding cut-off
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Education Secretary refuses to enforce church-state funding protection after Trinity Lutheran decision
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)

Tuesday, 12 March 2019

Malaysian to serve 10 years in jail for maligning Islam on Facebook
(The Independent)

Survey: Faith groups maintain widespread support for LGBT protection laws
(Aysha Khan, Religion News Service)

Greece: Church to meet to decide on split from state
(Apostolos Lakasas, ekathimerini.com)

DeVos moves to ease church-state rules in education
(Erica L. Green, The New York Times)

Faith-based organizations 'uniquely placed to support' UN's 2030 Agenda says global Lutheran leader
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

Local council bans prayer or counseling outside London abortion center
(Sarah Martin, Christian Headlines)

Israel warns against religious war on Temple Mount
(Khaled Abu Toameh, Tovah Lazaroff , The Jerusalem Post)

Student IDs must contain abortion provider information under California bill
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)

U.S. will remove all remaining personnel from embassy in Venezuela
(Kayla Koslosky, Christian Headlines)

President Trump sends record-breaking budget to Congress
(Scott Slayton, Christian Headlines)

Big trend piece to consider: Could the Catholic church in New York file for bankruptcy?
(Clemente Lisi, Get Religion)

Poroshenko promised Patriarchate of Constantinople Ukrainian property in exchange for autocephaly tomos
(Interfax-Religion)

America’s first ‘non-binary’ person switches back: ‘There is no third gender’
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)

Jehovah’s Witnesses are being persecuted in Russia
(Marlo Safi, National Review)

Croatian bishops push for mass at Ustasha-linked Bleiburg memorial
(Darko Janjevic, Deutsche Welle)

India’s bishops make suggestions ahead of country’s elections
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

Local faith actors, refugee response, and educational initiatives (Responding to: Education for migrants and refugees)
(Olivia Wilkinson and Susanna Trotta, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)

China says Muslim ‘training’ centers will slowly disappear
(Yanan Wang, Associated Press)

US envoy calls China’s Muslim camps ‘horrific,’ wants probe
(Johnson Lai, Associated Press)

Florida bill defines anti-Semitism, prohibits discrimination
(Associated Press)

Firebomb sparks unrest at sensitive Jerusalem holy site
(Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press)

USCIRF Commissioner Andy Khawaja adopts religious prisoner of conscience Robert Levinson
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

Cert. filed in Universal Church trademark case
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Rockland health dept. sued over order barring unvaccinated students
(Robert Brum, Rockland/Westchester Journal News)

Suit challenges vaccination order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Religious unaffiliation is growing in the U.S. Why isn’t it in Congress?
(Bart Worden, Religion News Service)

Muslim groups condemn Fox News host for questioning Rep. Omar’s loyalty to U.S.
(Aysha Khan, Religion News Service)

Russia is deporting two LDS volunteers for proselytizing
(Nathan Glover, World Religion News)

Allendale United Methodist church pastor will continue officiating same-sex weddings
(Corey Barnett, World Religion News)

God and nation: In some countries, theism and patriotism are impossible to separate
(The Economist [Erasmus: Religion and public policy])

EVENT, 12 March 2019: Role of women in the Church: Clichés, reality, dreams
(Chapel for Europe, Brussels)

Religion and polarized politics: An interview with Melissa Rogers and Peter Wehner
(Joshua Leopold, Religion & Politics: Fit for Polite Company)

Monday, 11 March 2019

Religion Watch, March 2019, Volume 34 No. 5
(Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion)

Muslim majority Azerbaijan opens its arms to Evangelical leaders in the name of tolerance
(Julie Stahl and Chris Mitchell, CBN News)

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