Theocracy Alert

Chilling Bill Heads to House Floor

A bill to deny legal fees and expenses to plaintiffs who win lawsuits under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause sailed out of the House Judiciary Committee in early September.

The so-called "Public Expression of Religion Act," H.R. 2679, is promoted by religious-right groups. The measure would penalize litigation against state/church separation. Testimony was heard in July over the Senate version, S. 3696, "The Veterans' Memorials, Boy Scouts, Public Seals, and Other Public Expressions of Religion Protection Act."

"God" Invoked Often in Congress

"On a recent day in Congress, lawmakers invoked God on the floor of the House of Representatives 182 times," reports Lisa Friedman, from the Washington bureau of the Whittier Daily News (Sept. 3, 2006).

"God" came up in debates "both substantive and symbolic," she reported, such as stem cell research, "under God" in the pledge, and preserving a cross on public land in San Diego.

Falwell Intervenes in South Dakota

Rev. Jerry Falwell has publicly pledged to raise $4 million dollars to keep abortion banned in South Dakota, and to counter efforts by pro-choicers to rescind a ban on abortion on the November ballot.

South Dakota passed a draconian ban this spring, signed into law by its Roman Catholic governor. The law bans abortion even in cases of rape and incest, ill health or fetal abnormality. Abortion rights proponents have put the ban up to a vote as a November referendum, so the ban did not go into effect in July as planned. Polls have shown strong support to rescind the ban.

Pentagon Prayers Debated

A bill to set Pentagon spending levels was held up in September by controversy over a House version, which would permit military chaplains to offer sectarian prayers at nondenominational military events.

Promoters of the provision include Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-NC., Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chair of the House Armed Services Committee, as well as Focus on the Family and Christian-right groups.

"What is happening is a move toward more political correctness, towards more secularism in the military," Jones told The New York Times.

Traditionally, a nonsectarian prayer (no reference to Jesus) has been the custom at mandatory events.

Pentagon officials oppose the prayer provision, because it would "generate discomfort at mandatory formations."

In September, the Navy court-martialed an evangelical chaplain, Lt. Gordon J. Klingenschmitt, for disobeying an order and wearing his uniform in a religious protest at the White House.

Fox Produces Faith Films

FoxFaith, a new division of 20th Century Fox, will release up to a dozen religious-oriented films each year. Some will go straight to DVD but others will be released nationally. The theatrical debut in October will be "Love's Abiding Joy," a Western based on a novel by a Christian writer. A spokesperson said filmgoers can be sure "the movies won't violate their core beliefs." The move was inspired by the 15 million DVD sales of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

Catholic Complex To Fight Abortion

A Roman Catholic priest who counseled Terri Schiavo's parents, Rev. Frank Pavone, broke ground in August for a large center, the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, in Amarillo, Texas, dedicated to fighting legal abortion. The complex, in which clergy and lay associates will be schooled in antiabortion tactics, will operate under the authority of Amarillo Bishop John Yanta.

Kansas AG Crosses Line

A leaked campaign memo by Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline reveals that he uses regular Sunday sermons not only to preach the bible, but to campaign:

"Goal is to walk away with contact information, money and volunteers and a committee in each church," Kline wrote in an Aug. 8, 4-page memo to campaign staff. Fundraisers have been held by ministers following Kline's guest sermons.

The memo "shows how Kline has mixed religion and money as part of an aggressive strategy to raise campaign funds and win re-election," according to the Lawrence Journal-World.

Missouri Catholics Accused

A former top director with the IRS has filed a complaint against the Missouri Catholic Conference, claiming it impermissibly politicked when encouraging lawmakers to return campaign donations.

Attorney Marcus Owens, who worked with the IRS for 25 years, said the Catholic group tried to intimidate about 50 Missouri politicians into returning campaign donations given by supporters of embryonic stem cell research. Ten or 15 lawmakers returned donations, in exchange for promises that Catholic Conference diocesan newspapers would publicize the gesture. Missouri voters will consider a constitutional amendment to protect embryonic stem cell research in a November initiative.

Female Sunday School Teacher Axed

Mary Lambert, 81, lost her job as a Sunday School teacher after teaching classes for 54 years, because she is female. The board of the First Baptist Church in Watertown, N.Y., voted unanimously to fire her from the volunteer post. She has been a member for 60 years. The letter quoted the First Epistle to Timothy: "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent."

"I was absolutely astonished," Lambert told media.

Pope Sacks Astronomer

Pope Benedict XVI sacked his chief astronomer, Father George Coyne, from his job as director of the Vatican Observatory in August, after the American Jesuit repeatedly contradicted the pope's endorsement of "intelligent design" creationism.

"Insulting Turkishness"

Elief Shafank, one of Turkey's leading authors, was acquitted by a court in September of charges of "insulting Turkishness" in her recent novel. The author, who gave birth shortly before her trial, divides her time between Tucson and Istanbul. She mentioned massacres of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire in her novel, The Bastard of Istanbul. She had faced three years in prison. Turkey, seeking admittance into the European Union, was under pressure to release her.

Religion Enters Russian Schools

The Orthodox Christian religion will be a compulsory subject in four of Russia's regions, and an optional subject in 11 other regions, despite the country's secular constitution. Orthodox Christianity is the dominant religion, although 10% of the country is Muslim.

Iran Calls for Purge

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called for a purge of liberal and secular university teachers in early September. He urged students to help drive out moderate instructors:

"Today, students should shout at the president and ask why liberal and secular university lecturers are present in the universities."