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Briefing Book! Atheist Bus Ads Roll in London Today

LibertySugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:30:07 -0800

Religion: Eight-hundred buses with atheist ads, which were funded by a special campaign, hit the streets in London today. — Boing Boing
Colbert & Colmes: Alan Colmes joined Stephen Colbert and guest-hosted the Colbert Report, Monday night. The two took on the Roland Burris appointment. — Huffingtion Post
Assassination Risk: Ann Coulter told CBS that George Bush is at a greater risk of assassination than Barack Obama.— 23/6
House: Seven habits of highly effective freshmen. — Politico
Anti-green: The mechanical art of destroying the rain forest. — Good

Should "So Help Me God" Be Banned at the Inauguration?

LibertySugar — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:00:01 -0800

A group of atheists and non-religious organizations want Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony, which will take place Jan. 20, to exclude any references to God and religion. In a lawsuit filed this week, the plaintiffs demanded that the words "so help me God" not be added to the end of the president's oath of office. Similar unsuccessful suits were filed before the 2001 and 2005 Inaugurations, but this one claims "there can be no purpose for placing 'so help me God' in an oath or sponsoring prayers to God, other than promoting the particular point of view that God exists."Obama will follow presidential forefathers and use the Bible Abraham Lincoln used for his inauguration. Do you think the reference and use of the Bible interferes with the Constitution's ban on the establishment of religion?Source

Should "So Help Me God" Be Banned at the Inauguration?

Yes! Doing so negates the Constitution's ban on the establishment of religion.

No! It's part of the oath and tradition and doesn't exactly favor any religion.

Something else. See my comment below.

Do You Avoid Saying Merry Christmas?

LibertySugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:30:29 -0800

In today's Washington Times one writer laments the fact that retailers fear using the word "Christmas" in their festive advertising. The article explains that for sales going down on Dec. 26, "among major retail chains, only Kohl's and Rite-Aid have used the word Christmas regularly and prominently in their advertising." Around this time of year, I tend to say "Happy Holidays" because there are so many holidays going on — Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, etc. But depending on the audience or the date (for example, Christmas Eve), I have no problem saying "Merry Christmas." While it makes some sort of sense for retailers to use a generic term to appeal to more customers, do you find that you avoid saying "Merry Christmas" so you don't offend anyone?Source

Do You Avoid Saying Merry Christmas?

Yes. I don't celebrate Christmas.

Yup. Saying Happy Holidays is easier and more inclusive.

No. I say whatever comes to my mind.

Nope. I always say Merry Christmas; I hate when people use terms like "Holiday Tree."

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Holy Carp! Nun Landlords Sue Tenants For Fish Smell

CitizenSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:30:31 -0800

The owners of a NYC apartment building have filed a lawsuit against their tenants who continue to stink up the place when they cook large quantities of fish. These landlords seeking relief from the smell have a special connection to another Lord — they're nuns!

In the lawsuit, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart Inc. allege that the defendants produce smells "similar to that of vomit or rotten meat." In fact, one resident worried that a dead body was decomposing and called the authorities!

The nuns have asked the court to make the fish-fryers stop producing the orders, while also paying the nuns' legal fees and damages of at least $50,000. Do you think a court can determine what smell should be illegal, or is it too subjective? While it seems reasonable to ask neighbors to stop making your place smell like vomit or a corpse, I wonder if they should pay thousands in damages.

Source

Rick Warren To Give Inaugural Invocation — Righteous Choice?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:43 -0800

Prominent evangelical Pastor Rick Warren will deliver the traditional blessing at Barack Obama's Inauguration. While selecting Rev. Jeremiah Wright would have created many more waves of outrage, the choice of Rev. Rick Warren has caused some ripples of disappointment among Obama's more liberal supporters. Rev. Warren, who hosted a non-debate between Obama and McCain at his Saddleback Church, publicly supported California's successful gay marriage ban Proposition 8. But he's also tried to widen the social conservative agenda to include causes like global poverty, human rights, and HIV/AIDS. Source

Rick Warren To Give Inaugural Invocation — Righteous Choice?

Yes. Warren represents many Americans and brings a sense of inclusiveness to the event.

No. Obama could have picked someone who shared his campaigned-on values.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Holy Birth Control! Vatican Issues Instructions on Bioethics

LibertySugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:00:53 -0800

Hoping to catch the attention of Roman Catholics, doctors, scientists, and lawmakers, the Vatican has issued a 32-page instruction document on bioethics. The Church's steadfast pro-life position, that all life is sacred including an embryo, informs the document "Dignitas Personae" (The Dignity of the Person).

Some positions include:

On in vitro fertilization, human cloning, genetic testing of embryos before implantation: These procedures violate the principle that every human life is sacred, and that children should be conceived only through sex by a married couple.
On stem cell research: Research should not be done on embryos, but using cells derived from adults, blood from umbilical cords, or from fetuses “who have died of natural causes” is acceptable.

To find out what the Church thinks about the morning-after pill and freezing embryos,

Soldiers' Graves Graffitied on Islamic Festival of Sacrifice

LibertySugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:30:53 -0800

Anti-Islamic insults desecrated at least 500 tombstones of Muslim soldiers in France's largest military cemetery. The racist graffiti attack took place on the eve of today's Islamic Eid al-Adha festival (the festival of sacrifice), a day when Muslims visit the graves of loved ones. Each grave was marked with either a swastika, or a letter that helped spell out derogatory messages.

Many of the soldiers whose memories were affronted died fighting for France during the battles of World War I, but their resting place has battled racist attacks during recent times. This is the third attack directed toward Muslims on this site in the last two years.

Considering France has Europe's largest Muslim population, do you think these types of hostile actions will increase or decrease?

Source

An Unopened Prayer? Online Prayer Sites Answer Many

CitizenSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:30:05 -0800

Got a prayer and an Internet connection? You, too, can pray! Toll-free phone prayer services have existed for decades (snail mail longer), but now prayer on the Web has found the light.

Sites like prayabout.com, ourprayer.org, and ipraytoday.com allow users to ask strangers for well wishes. It's the Internet's answer to intercessionary prayer — the practice of having others pray for you. While the sites aren't all explicitly Christian, they all share the belief that power is in numbers.

And numbers have always been the answer to advertising prayers, too. While the sites are free, ourprayer.org (owned by Guideposts magazine) and ipraytoday.com dot their margins with ads for Christian dating services and Zen calligraphy. But a site's got to pay for itself, right? Besides, it's a better deal than paying to light a candle in Notre Dame.

Is it good to see people putting faith in strangers? Or is the potential to take advantage too much?

Source

Should New US Capitol Visitor Center Honor God?

LibertySugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:00:01 -0800

If the US is really one nation under God, maybe its fancy new Capitol Visitor Center should honor the country's religious heritage. That's what South Carolina's Republican Senator Jim DeMint thinks, and he has issued a statement to express his disappointment with the facility that opened yesterday. He stated:

The current CVC displays are left-leaning and in some cases distort our true history. Exhibits portray the federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and the answer to all of society’s problems. This is a clear departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights "are endowed by their Creator" and stem from "a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence." Instead, the CVC’s most prominent display proclaims faith not in God, but in government. Visitors will enter reading a large engraving that states, "We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution." This is an intentional misrepresentation of our nation’s real history, and an offensive refusal to honor America's God-given blessing.

Planners ignored Sen. DeMint's request to feature the words "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance at the center. Absent references to religious heritage, does the Capitol Visitor Center misrepresent America for the sake of political correctness, or is it appropriate that religious references stay outside the new building?

Source

Chief Rabbis Call For Prayer to End Financial Crisis

LibertySugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:00:54 -0800

While Americans give thanks tomorrow, Israel's top rabbis have called for mass prayer rallies across Israel to help end the global financial crisis. Jewish religious institutions have been hit hard by the economic downturn, as fundraising efforts in the US and Europe have proved futile.

This past summer, religious leaders in the US held gas station-side prayer vigils in an attempt to reduce pain at the pump. Considering gas prices have dropped to 2004 levels, those who pray for solutions may be onto something.

With the US government prepared to spend as much as $7.4 trillion on the financial mess to no obvious avail, perhaps it's time to start pursuing cheaper options.

Source

Today Marks 30-Year Anniversary of Jonestown Mass Suicide

CitizenSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:30:12 -0800

On Nov. 18, 1978, more than 900 people living in the intentional community (a polite way of saying commune) Jonestown committed suicide. Their weapon of choice? A grape-flavored drink mixed with cyanide. While it wasn't Kool-Aid (generic — they were socialists!), it is where the phrase "drinking the Kool-Aid" originated.

Before Jonestown became a full-blown commune in the jungle, it was a church called the Peoples Temple. Jim Jones was its founder and powerful leader, though he also went by "Dad." Not a sign at all! With a congregation heavily dominated by African-Americans from poor communities in San Francisco, his goal was to care for parishioners. And in many ways, he did. Social programs were created; sexism was preached against; and racial integration was supported.

Nobody saw it as a cult, though. Nobody wanted to. To find out why,

Bush Touts Religious Freedom and US Record at UN

LibertySugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:30:35 -0800

Speaking at the UN Culture of Peace gathering, President Bush emphasized how religious freedom is crucial to a flourishing society. Bush maintained that freedom to worship as you want is "God's gift to every man, woman, and child."

Bush cited the US as an example of how to promote religious freedom:

Our nation has helped defend the religious liberty of others, from liberating the concentration camps of Europe to protecting Muslims in places like Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We're not afraid to stand with religious dissidents and believers who practice their faith even where it is unwelcome.

At the meeting billed as an "interfaith" dialogue, the president of Pakistan also spoke out against hate speech, saying: "The imaginary fear of Islam has been rising. This is exactly what the terrorists had hoped to provoke. Those in the West who accept this are falling into the trap of the terrorists."

As this was most likely Bush's last appearance at the UN, do you think he went out with the right message?

Source

New Holiday Ad Tells You to Be Good, but Not For God's Sake

LibertySugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:30:06 -0800

"Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness's sake." That's the message about to be proclaimed on the side of Washington, DC buses this holiday season. Firing the first shot in what could shape up to be a hard-fought War on Christmas, the American Humanists Association is ready to claim a little holiday turf from traditional religions.

Following in the footsteps of its British counterparts who put atheist ads on London buses, the humanist group hopes the American version will bring some holiday cheer to atheists and agnostics feeling left out during the holiday season. The American Family Association, which wants to keep Christ in Christmas, thinks it's a "stupid ad." To find out what the group had to say the merit of the ad's message,

Prolife Groups Plan Three-Day Protest After Dems Take Power

CitizenSugar — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0800

Without many of their own in national office, the prolife movement plans to relocate to grassroots activism and street- and abortion clinic-side protests. Beginning Jan. 21, the day after Barack Obama is sworn in, groups will hold a three-day protest in Washington, DC.

Speaking about prochoice gains in Congress and the defeat of various state-ballot measures that would limit abortion, Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, said "The hardline, divisive tactics they've used have been resoundingly rejected. . . . I'd hope some of the folks on the right, if their goal is to reduce the need for abortions, would link arms with us."

But not all those dedicated to the prolife movement are ready to join hands with their previous adversaries. Sean O'Malley, the cardinal-archbishop of Boston, and longtime civil rights activist, is concerned about Obama's record on abortion. To see what strong words he had for Planned Parenthood at the opening of the US Conference of Bishops,

Christian Fraternities Not Always Welcome on Campus

CitizenSugar — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

Water may be the only wet thing at Christian fraternity Slip-n-Slide parties, but their existence on college campuses has been met with resistance across the country.

You would think by not drinking, rejecting hazing, and promoting public service they would be a college administrator’s dream, but only accepting Christian members has earned them an exclusionary reputation. As if all fraternities weren’t!

The University of Florida refused to grant Beta Upsilon Chi official status for that exact reason. The Christian fraternity filed a federal discrimination suit against the school because they could not have a meeting place or recruit on campus without official fraternity status. For the rest of the story,

Religious Hate Crimes Down, Except Against Jews

LibertySugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:00:58 -0700

With last week's news that Missouri sixth-graders had organized "Hit a Jew Day," it appears a new generation of children are being exposed to hateful attitudes towards the traditionally targeted minority.

The total number of religiously motivated hate crimes dropped in 2007, yet the number of crimes directed against a people because of their Jewish religion increased from 2006.

Of the 1,477 crimes perpetrated against victims because of their religion in 2007, 68 percent of them were against Jews. Comparatively, only nine percent of those crimes were perpetrated against Muslims.

Crimes based on race still make up the biggest proportion of hate crimes. While it's promising that overall religious tolerance is growing, let's hope more Americans avoid violence based on hate.

Source

Christian PAC: Faith Is Obama's Source of Hope

LibertySugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:00:32 -0700

Matthew 25 Network, a Christian political action committee, has endorsed Barack Obama and Joe Biden, explaining that faith is the center of Obama's hope. Now the group is airing Obama's discussion of faith as an ad on Christian radio stations.

Matthew 25 is made up of Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical Christians, and its mission statement holds:

While no elected official will be without flaw, we come together as individuals to support candidates for public office who share the values of the Matthew 25 Network: promoting life with dignity, caring for the least of these, strengthening and supporting families, stewardship of God’s Creation, working for peace and justice at home and abroad, and promoting the common good.

Are you happy to see a religious case made for candidates, or would you rather private faith be left out of the equation altogether?

Atheists Try to Get Their Nonbeliefs Moving

LibertySugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

London buses will soon find themselves adorned with signs saying "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." The British Humanist Association came up with the idea, with the plan of raising £5,500 ($9,325) and accepting a matching gift from famous atheist Richard Dawkins. But so far, the non-god-fearing group has already raised £20,300 ($34,420).

Dawkins has said of the campaign:

Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride — automatic tax breaks, unearned respect and the right not to be offended, the right to brainwash children. . . . This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think — and thinking is anathema to religion.

While some religious people are upset with the campaign, the Methodist Church has welcomed the dialogue. To see why the billboards don't make them nervous, and for some background on religious billboards in the US,

China Tries to Rule Out Islam

LibertySugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:00:53 -0700

China, an officially atheist government, closely controls the five recognized religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Taoism, and Buddhism. China keeps an especially close look at the northwestern Xinjiang region, where Islamic and separatist ties are strong. This weekend's New York Times took a look into how a rising China wants to blunt the rise of Islam.

Some restrictions include:

Sermons at Friday Prayer cannot be longer than a half-hour.
Prayer in public, outside the mosque, is forbidden.
Many residents can only worship in mosques located in their cities.
Government workers and Communist Party members cannot attend services.
Non-official versions of the Koran are illegal.
Only special government school may teach Arabic.
Students and government workers must eat during Ramadan.

China seems more concerned with freedom from religion, than freedom of religion.

Source

Kosher Cellphones Help Haredi Jews Out of Tech Pickle

LibertySugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:30:27 -0700

Some may not be able to live without the conveniences of smartphones, but Israel's traditional Haredi Jewish community is struggling to incorporate modern communication technologies into their lives while maintaining its doctrine.

Haredi Jews are typically forbidden from watching television and films and using the Internet for nonbusiness purposes. They have adapted the modern cellphone to their lifestyles by creating a "kosher cellphone" that looks like an ordinary phone, but only features basic functions (you know, good old-fashioned making and receiving calls, a calculator, and an alarm clock). The special phones cannot send or receive text messages, browse the Internet, or take photos — as all those features could potentially promote "immodest" behavior.

The phones have a Rabbi's stamp of approval that looks like the one you see on kosher food items. Some can only connect with other Haredi numbers and may come with distinct code prefixes that indicate to others that they are kosher, and are therefore a sign of religious observance.

Are You There God? Bill Maher Sells Doubt in Religulous

CitizenSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:00:06 -0700

A wordplay on ridiculous, Bill Maher's new docu-comedy Religulous found its calling this weekend when it opened across the country. It grossed a modest $3.5 million and ranked number 10 at the box office, but I suspect many people will have an opinion regardless of whether they see it.

Directed by Larry Charles of Borat and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Religulous will remind you of everyone's favorite Kazakhstani roaming around America, exposing isms and making enemies. It adopts the same wanderlust quality and lets Maher loose in the US, Europe, and Middle East to humiliate unsuspecting people.

I decided to check out the movie this weekend so I could report back to you today. To find out what I thought,

Tom Hanks/ Prof. Robert Langdon Not Welcomed in Church

LibertySugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:30:21 -0700

Tom Hanks is a persona non grata in all of the churches of the Vatican and Rome. The Vatican has banned the filming of Angels and Demons, Dan Brown's sequel to The Da Vinci Code because it is "an offense against God."

The head of the Vatican's Prefecture For Economic Affairs said:

[The stories] turned the Gospels upside down to poison the faith. It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into mendacious films in the name of business.

The Church did not even read the script, as the name Dan Brown was enough to merit a ban. In The Da Vinci Code, Brown suggests that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children, and Angels and Demons paints a picture of corrupt leadership in the Catholic Church.

I'm still trying to decide whether viewers are sophisticated enough to distinguish between fiction and accepted theology. Still, while modern moviegoers may wish the Catholic Church lightened up for the sake of art and entertainment, it's hard to imagine the Church freely giving its stamp of approval. Would it not lend credibility to the theology created by Dan Brown? Do you approve of the Church's disapproval?

Source

Was Obama Right to Leave Wright's Church?

LibertySugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:00:56 -0700

Barack Obama has left Chicago's Trinity Unity Church of Christ after 20 years, on a weekend dominated with news of a Florida and Michigan deal and the Puerto Rico primary. Addressing his resignation, Obama said: It's clear that now that I'm a candidate for president, every time something is said in the church by anyone associated with Trinity, including guest pastors, the remarks will imputed to me even if they totally conflict with my long-held views, statements and principles. I have no idea how it will impact my presidential campaign but I know it was the right thing to do for me and my family.

The sermons and later expressed opinions of Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright have been a consistent political problem for Obama for the past few months. Sexist, and anti-Hillary Clinton, comments made by a visiting priest have brought the church back into the spotlight. While some may lament the fact that politics caused Obama to leave a church that he's been a member of for 20 years, others may take Obama at his word that he made the decision based on what he thought was better for his family. The timing of his resignation may give Obama a prayer for avoiding a massive refocus on the controversial church. Are you happy to see that Barack left the controversial church?Source

Was Obama Right to Leave Wright's Church?

Hallelujah! This has been a distraction from crucial issues and Obama's message.

About time! But, his longtime association is still worrisome.

No way! This makes him like every other politician.

Sad. He should stand up for his church.

I'm neutral. Obama should do whatever he feels is best for his spirituality and family.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

The Fine Line Between Religious Expression and Oppression

LibertySugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:00:18 -0700

In Russia, Putin's government is embracing Russian Orthodoxy, while cracking down on all other Christian denominations. Labeled as "sects," churches like the Methodist Church are being outlawed.

Anti-western sentiment is one factor motivating the hostile posture toward US-based Protestant groups. Putin's distrust of groups not aligned with the states could also explain the religious intolerance. In addition to Protestants, the Catholic Church faces opposition, and foreign priests are often denied Russian visas.

Meanwhile the state government in Florida might give one religion its stamp of approval. The legislature is considering specialty plates with a Christian cross, stained glass windows, and the words "I Believe." This would be the first state license plate featuring a purely religious logo.

Do you see any similarities between these two state endorsements of religion, or is Russia a case of oppression, while Florida is a case of expression? By choosing one specific religion to promote on a plate, is Florida effectively oppressing the others? Should other messages, perhaps more controversial, be allowed? Could there be an "I Don't Believe" plate?

Source

The Pope Is Coming to America! Today!

LibertySugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Pope Benedict XVI arrives this afternoon for his first US visit. Nearly half a million faithful, including Stephen Colbert, have acquired tickets to his events in Washington, DC and New York City.

A recent poll found that 74 percent of American Catholics approve of their spiritual leader. But, it's not all fishes and loves. More than 6 out of 10 Catholics reported that the Church is out of touch with their views. About 75 percent of Catholics and non-Catholics disapprove of how the Church leadership handled the priest sexual abuse crisis. It is likely that the Pope, who while aboard his plane to the US said he was "deeply ashamed" of the scandal, will apologize to Americans this week.

And of course, this wouldn't be a truly American visit without some financial analysis. To see how much this visit is going to cost,

Guilt Be Gone, Religion Makes You Happy

LibertySugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:31 -0700

If you are observing Good Friday today, chances are you might be happier than non-believers. A recent study asserts that Europeans who believe in God are happier —whatever that means — than agnostics or atheists.

So how exactly did they measure happiness? The study, called Deliver us from Evil: Religion as Insurance, looked at how religion buffers the impact of stressful life events such as unemployment or divorce. Using subjective well-being, aka asking people about their feelings, the researchers found that religious people were more satisfied with their lives and handled disappointment better.

Do you find faith to be an effective insurance against the stresses of life? Are the religious just being naive to think that God will solve their problems, or is the purpose of religion to put things in perspective?

Source

Does Freedom of Religion Exclude Scientology?

LibertySugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:03:05 -0700

Recently, Munich, Germany shut down a Kindergarten because the "well-being of the children in the establishment was under threat because the education process was based on the principles of Scientology." This event highlights the fact that in parts of Europe, freedom of religion does not extend to Scientology, which is not recognized as a religion — some countries even call it a "sect."

The choice of famous Scientologist Tom Cruise to play a well-known Nazi resistance leader, upset many Germans, who compared his infamous Scientology video to Nazi propaganda. Last month, a German court ruled that the government may continue spying on Scientology because the group "seeks to establish a social order that runs counter to the constitution." To get a handle on the sect designation,

Parents Get Prison Sentence for Failing to Vaccinate Children

LibertySugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:00:29 -0700

Two sets of parents in Belgium have been sentenced to five months in prison and fined 4,100 euros ($8,000) for failing to have their children vaccinated against polio. If the parents meet the deadline to vaccinate, they can dodge incarceration. Because of Belgium privacy laws, the details as to why the parents refused vaccination are unknown.

Polio is the only vaccination required by law in Belgium, and France is the only other European county that also requires it. In the US, children can avoid vaccination easily for religious of philosophical reasons. In Saudi Arabia, pilgrims from countries with a polio epidemic must prove vaccination, as well as receive an extra dose from the Saudi authorities at the airport. To see if vaccination is worth it,

Southern Baptists: Biblical Duty to Stop Global Warming

LibertySugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:00:00 -0700

In "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change," prominent Southern Baptists have announced that their denomination has been too timid in advocating environmental protection. Their new position states, "as Southern Baptists, we love things God loves. And God loves this world!" This is a pretty radical departure from the 2007 Southern Baptist statement, which challenged the belief that humans cause climate change.

The US's 16.3 million Southern Baptists are not led by a central institution, and therefore the statement does not speak for all congregations. But, the newest declaration marks a significant shift in environmental attitudes among conservative groups. More signatures can be added to the declaration at a centralized grassroots website. The declaration maintains that the threat is too serious to wait for perfect knowledge of whether, or to what extent, humans contribute to climate change.

Now that conservative leaders, who previously considered global warming to be a liberal hoax, are taking the threat seriously, do you think Americans will be more united in protecting the environment? Or, are many still unconvinced that humans cause climate change? In case you missed it, the Weather Channel founder wants to sue Al Gore for fraud! How do you think this bold statement by Southern Baptist leaders, previously skeptical of global warming, will impact those who dread global warming alarmism?
Source

California Parents Do Not Have Right to Homeschool

LibertySugar — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:01:08 -0700

This week, a California appeals court reaffirmed the state's compulsory education statute — which requires parents to send children to an accredited full-time day school, or have their children instructed at home by a credentialed tutor. The panel of three judges, rejected the notion that parents have a constitutional right to educate their children at home.

The parents in the lawsuit also argued that the state's law violated their freedom of religion. But the court rejected a parallel to US Supreme Court allowing for Amish families to withdraw their children from schools at age 13. The judges reasoned that the present case missed various common factors, including deep religious beliefs held by an organized group. Simply asserting a religious objection, would be too easy a loophole.

Do you think parents have a right to teach their children at home, or a legal duty to make sure they are being taught by accredited teachers?

Source

Guess Who? God's Standards

LibertySugar — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:27:26 -0800

"That’s what we need to do — is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.”