State/Church Bulletin

Away with a Manger

A 5-year complaint by Foundation Life Member Tammy Miller, Ohio, resulted in victory this year, when Reynoldsburg Mayor Bob McPherson finally agreed not to return a church's nativity scene to his City Hall's front lawn.

McPherson backed down after Tammy's request to put up a freethought sign was joined by area resident David Russell, who also objected to the religious display. He asked to place a Hindu symbol signifying good fortune--which is a right-facing swastika. The city attorney ruled that once the city opened up a forum to public speech, it cannot discriminate against other religions based on content.

Congratulations, Tammy & David! Persistence pays off.

Christian/Pentagon Probe

A 10-minute video promoting the Christian Embassy to Pentagon staff is under investigation for violating Defense Department regulations barring uniformed personnel from appearing in ways that imply military sanction.

Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation called for the probe. The promotion was filmed inside the Pentagon, and features four generals and three colonels, among others, praising the group and avowing their faith. The group holds weekly prayer breakfasts in the executive dining room and helps military leaders "bridge the gap between faith and work."

The video can be accessed at: www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/14/33746/259

Dixie Decalog Unveiled

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is seeking a resident or someone who does regular business in Dixie County, Fla., to be a taxpayer plaintiff. FFRF hopes to sue to remove a 7-ton Ten Commandments monument, which was dumped on the courthouse steps in November. Inscribed at the base is the admonition to 'Love God and keep his commandments.'

Maine Vouchers Nixed

The U.S. Supreme Court in late November refused to take an appeal seeking to reinstate public funds to send students to private religious schools in Maine. Up to 145 school districts lacking high schools offer tuition for 17,000 students to attend high schools of their choice, but religious schools are no longer an option.

Bring Back Sex Ed!

A study by the University of Pennsylvania found 80% of American adults favor comprehensive sex education in schools, rejecting the U.S. government's abstinence-only programs. A quarter of American youths have sex by age 15 and nearly half are sexually active by age 17. The study was published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (Nov. 2006).

Referenda Ups and Downs

Despite church lobbying, South Dakota voters on Nov. 7 overturned South Dakota's ban on virtually all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest. The ban was intended as a test case to overturn Roe v. Wade. Voters in California defeated an initiative to require parental notification when a minor seeks an abortion.

Missouri voters narrowly approved a state constitutional amendment protecting stem-cell research, despite open lobbying against it by the Catholic Church.

Arizona became the first state in the country to reject a referendum to amend its constitution to ban same-sex marriages or civil unions. But seven other states passed the religiously-sponsored bans: Idaho, Colorado, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Gay Rights Gains

Despite electoral defeats spearheaded by religious groups on Nov. 7, there have been recent global gains for gay rights. In November, Mexico City approved same-sex civil unions. In December, the New Jersey legislature approved civil unions, after its hand was forced by an October state Supreme Court ruling. In December, South Africa became the fifth nation to permit same-sex marriage, joining the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada. Many European countries permit same-sex civil unions. In a landmark ruling in late November, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government to recognize same-sex marriages performed abroad.

Massachusetts is the only U.S. state recognizing gay marriage. Connecticut and Vermont also permit civil unions.

Nicaragua Bans Abortions

The Nicaraguan legislature in late October banned all abortions by eliminating exceptions for rape and life endangerment. The Roman Catholic Church has long sought to halt the exceptions, although only six abortions were performed legally in 2002, the last year for which statistics are available. The draconian measure was supported by Daniel Ortega, the newly-elected president, who has returned to his Catholic dogma.

Health officials estimate there are nearly 32,000 illegal abortions every year in Nicaragua. Abortion can be punished with jail terms of up to six years for women and doctors. Far stricter sentences will soon be debated.

Ohio Pushes Faith

The State of Ohio released a report in late November announcing it will open prisons to religious groups to start more prayer programs for inmates and delinquents. The report was prompted by State Rep. John White, R-Dayton, who said inspiration came from a Promise Keepers meeting at a prison in Marion where he "saw men being changed." The plan is to make it even easier for religious figures to gain access and organize programs.

Just five months ago, the system settled a federal lawsuit by a former warden who documented too many religious influences on prison staff.

Church Polling Site Suit

The American Humanist Association filed a lawsuit in late November challenging a religious polling site at a Catholic church in Delray Beach, Fla. Plaintiff Jerry Rabinowitz was forced to walk past the church's "pro-life" banner framed by multiple giant crosses. In the voting area, many religious symbols were in plain view.

In IKEA Swedes Trust

Eighty percent of Swedes place "much trust" in IKEA, the Swedish-founded world's largest furniture chain store, while only 46% said they trust the Swedish church. The church claims 80% of Sweden's 9 million residents as members. The survey was released in late November by the business weekly, Dagens Industri.

Christian 'Wolf' Appointed

The Bush Administration in November chose a man who opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion to be medical director of the office overseeing federally-funded teen pregnancy, family planning and abstinence programs.

Eric Keroack, an ob-gyn, will direct the Office of Population Affairs, with a $283-million annual budget. Keroack was director of A Woman's Concern, a Christian nonprofit running free pregnancy testing, which opposes contraception and works to "help women escape the temptation and violence of abortion." No Senate confirmation was required.

Politicking Church Appeals

The Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church in Helena, Mont., was found guilty by a federal judge in October of failing to report its political activity in support of 2004's Constitutional Initia-tive 96, defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

The state commissioner of political practices held that the church should have reported its many activities in support of the referendum, by which it became an "incidental campaign committee." The church argued the state campaign laws are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Donald Malloy of Missoula wrote that "even when politicking takes place in the 'sanctuary,' " the state may exercise regulatory authority. The Alliance Defense Fund is appealing the ruling to the the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Poll: Many Americans "Uncertain" of God

A Harris Poll released in November found that 42% of U.S. adults are not "absolutely certain" there is a god, including 11% who think there probably is not a god, 16% who are not sure, and 15% who are "somewhat certain." Interestingly, not all who described themselves as Christian or Jewish believe in a god: only 76% of Protestants, 64% of Catholics and 30% of Jews are "absolutely certain" there is a god. Among self-described born-agains, 93% maintain absolute certainty.

More likely to be "absolutely certain" there is a god are people 40 and over, women, blacks and people with no college education. Only 29% of those polled believe a deity "controls what happens on Earth," and 44% believe God "observes but does not control what happens on Earth."

Harris attributes declining faith in a god in part to changes in polling. People are more likely to "admit potentially embarrassing" beliefs or behaviors when answering online surveys as opposed to telephone polling.