Aug 28, 2019 11:47 PM
Christians cannot be forced to make gay wedding videos, rules US appeals court
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/c...133105.htm
INTRO: A three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided last Friday that the Minnesota Human Rights Act violated the First Amendment rights of Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group.
The decision largely overturned a lower court ruling against the Larsens and remanded their request for an injunction against the MHRA back to the district court level. Circuit Judge David Stras, author of the court opinion, wrote that "antidiscrimination laws, as critically important as they are, must yield to the Constitution."
"Indeed, if Minnesota were correct, there is no reason it would have to stop with the Larsens. In theory, it could use the MHRA to require a Muslim tattoo artist to inscribe 'My religion is the only true religion' on the body of a Christian if he or she would do the same for a fellow Muslim, or it could demand that an atheist musician perform at an evangelical church service," wrote Judge Stras. "The district court also ruled that the Larsens could not seek relief on various other constitutional theories. We largely agree that these claims fail. But one—the free-exercise claim—can proceed because it is intertwined with their free-speech claim." (MORE)
Texan televangelist: Democrat-voting Jews will be cursed by God
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/201908...ed-by-god/
INTRO: Democrat-voting US Jews will be cursed by God, Texan televangelist Dr Robert Jeffress suggested in a rant against Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Jeffress, who leads the First Baptist Church in Dallas and has his own TV show, referred to Omar and Tlaib as “despicable representatives of our country”, and “anti-Semitic to the core” on right-wing Fox News radio broadcast “the Todd Starnes Show” last week.
He said of Palestinian-American Tlaib: “She was given the ability to go visit grandma, she refused the opportunity, proving she hates Israel more than she loves grandma.” He expressed his disdain at Democrat-voting Jews, suggesting they are against the State of Israel and said he couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t support US President Donald Trump. “And by the way Todd, that’s not a question that only President Trump and Evangelicals are asking, it’s a question that Jews in our country who love Israel are asking. It makes no sense for those Jewish Americans not to support a president and a party that stands for Israel like Donald J. Trump does.” (MORE)
Irish public schools drop their religious ethos in move towards inclusive schooling
https://humanism.org.uk/2019/08/28/irish...schooling/
EXCERPT: A number of Irish state schools have dropped their religious ethos in favour of being integrated schools that welcome children from all religion and belief backgrounds, in a positive move towards inclusive education in Ireland. Humanists UK, which campaigns for an inclusive education system with no religious discrimination, has described the schools’ moves as ‘welcome’ and shows that it is possible for the same to happen in schools across the UK. [...] In one school, Scoil an Ghleanna, a third of its pupils are non-religious, and the school’s principal said it had to re-examine the school’s ethos to ensure the longevity of the school’s survival. (MORE - details)
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/c...133105.htm
INTRO: A three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided last Friday that the Minnesota Human Rights Act violated the First Amendment rights of Carl and Angel Larsen of Telescope Media Group.
The decision largely overturned a lower court ruling against the Larsens and remanded their request for an injunction against the MHRA back to the district court level. Circuit Judge David Stras, author of the court opinion, wrote that "antidiscrimination laws, as critically important as they are, must yield to the Constitution."
"Indeed, if Minnesota were correct, there is no reason it would have to stop with the Larsens. In theory, it could use the MHRA to require a Muslim tattoo artist to inscribe 'My religion is the only true religion' on the body of a Christian if he or she would do the same for a fellow Muslim, or it could demand that an atheist musician perform at an evangelical church service," wrote Judge Stras. "The district court also ruled that the Larsens could not seek relief on various other constitutional theories. We largely agree that these claims fail. But one—the free-exercise claim—can proceed because it is intertwined with their free-speech claim." (MORE)
Texan televangelist: Democrat-voting Jews will be cursed by God
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/201908...ed-by-god/
INTRO: Democrat-voting US Jews will be cursed by God, Texan televangelist Dr Robert Jeffress suggested in a rant against Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Jeffress, who leads the First Baptist Church in Dallas and has his own TV show, referred to Omar and Tlaib as “despicable representatives of our country”, and “anti-Semitic to the core” on right-wing Fox News radio broadcast “the Todd Starnes Show” last week.
He said of Palestinian-American Tlaib: “She was given the ability to go visit grandma, she refused the opportunity, proving she hates Israel more than she loves grandma.” He expressed his disdain at Democrat-voting Jews, suggesting they are against the State of Israel and said he couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t support US President Donald Trump. “And by the way Todd, that’s not a question that only President Trump and Evangelicals are asking, it’s a question that Jews in our country who love Israel are asking. It makes no sense for those Jewish Americans not to support a president and a party that stands for Israel like Donald J. Trump does.” (MORE)
Irish public schools drop their religious ethos in move towards inclusive schooling
https://humanism.org.uk/2019/08/28/irish...schooling/
EXCERPT: A number of Irish state schools have dropped their religious ethos in favour of being integrated schools that welcome children from all religion and belief backgrounds, in a positive move towards inclusive education in Ireland. Humanists UK, which campaigns for an inclusive education system with no religious discrimination, has described the schools’ moves as ‘welcome’ and shows that it is possible for the same to happen in schools across the UK. [...] In one school, Scoil an Ghleanna, a third of its pupils are non-religious, and the school’s principal said it had to re-examine the school’s ethos to ensure the longevity of the school’s survival. (MORE - details)