First Freedom First blogs

Bully Pulpit: President Bush Offers An Amen To The Dobsons’ Dubious Agenda

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:44:10 -0600

by guest blogger Joseph L. Conn

It’s no surprise that Religious Right leaders James and Shirley Dobson dropped by the White House this morning to join the National Day of Prayer (NDP) observance there. The Dobsons have been strong supporters of President George W. Bush, and Shirley heads the NDP Task Force, a private group that promotes fundamentalist Christian-oriented NDP events around the country.

Bush thanked Shirley for her work and added that he was “glad you brought old Jim with you.” Bush’s NDP proclamation this year even picked up the Dobsons’ theme, “Prayer! America’s Strength and Shield,” taken from Psalm 28:7.

The Bush Bros. Wrecking Company: George And Jeb Attempt To Demolish The Church-State Wall

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:33:44 -0600

by guest blogger Lauren Smith

Last Friday wasn’t a great day for church-state separation. President George W. Bush convened a White House summit on ways to finance faith-based schools, and Jeb Bush’s allies took a major step towards erasing religious liberty protections from the Florida Constitution.

Exactly why financing religious schools is in the purview of the government and not religious institutions isn’t clear to me, but I’m not surprised the two have taken on the project.

Historic Church-State Separation Simulcast Huge Success

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:32:43 -0600

On March 26, in movie theaters in 37 cities nationwide, interested citizens gathered to learn about the threats to church-state separation and to demand that candidates for elected office answer questions about key issues dealing with individual freedom.

Peter Coyote, celebrated Hollywood actor and filmmaker, emceed the program, which included such special guests as The Bacon Brothers (featuring actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael), actors Michael J. Fox; Jack Klugman; Wendie Malick; Dan Lauria; and Catherine Dent, comedian and Air America host Marc Maron; singer/songwriter Catie Curtis and satirist Roy Zimmerman.

Should Religion and Politics Mix?

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:40:13 -0700

On Thursday, March 6 at 7:00 PM, the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in partnership with MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, will hold the third event of its National Discussion and Debate Series. Four participants will argue the proposed resolution: "Religion should have no place in politics or government." The debate will be moderated by Evan Thomas, Editor at Large of Newsweek.

Missouri Maneuver: Religious Right Hopes To Use Prayer To Push ‘Values Voters’ To The Polls

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:52:20 -0700

by guest blogger Jeremy Leaming

Religious Right activists and their political allies are adept at conjuring up ghosts, especially when they need to scare up lots of voters on Election Day.

With a presidential election and lots of other important races on the ballot this year, Religious Right tacticians are looking for ways to propel their kind to the polls in November.

In Missouri, for example, the House of Representatives spent time earlier this week debating a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at alleviating a supposed hostility toward Christianity in the public square.

Evolution Revolution: Florida Aces Its Science Test – Will The Rest Of Us Do So Next?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:48:10 -0700

by Rev. Barry W. Lynn
Executive Director Americans United for Separation of Church and State

Evolution finally got the respect it deserves in Florida. The State Board of Education voted to approve new science standards that explicitly mention the word “evolution” (gasp!) and make clear that it is the “fundamental concept underlying all of biology” (gasp again!)

Revisions to the standards commenced after a 2005 report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute gave the 1999 standards a failing grade.

Dobson’s Choice: Perpetually Disgruntled Dogmatist Threatens To Stay Home On Election Day

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:29:36 -0700

by guest blogger Joseph L. Conn

Is Dr. James Dobson an Old Testament prophet standing in the street corners decrying wickedness and calling for righteousness? Or is he just a crank and a closed-minded zealot?

He thinks he’s the former. I lean toward the latter.

This week, the Religious Right leader issued an Election Day jeremiad in which he vowed never to vote for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Said the Focus on the Family chairman, “I am deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a Constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, voted for embryonic stem-cell research to kill nascent human beings, opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, has little regard for freedom of speech, organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters in judicial hearings, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language…. Given these and many other concerns, a spoonful of sugar does NOT make the medicine go down. I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience.”

Egypt And Religious Liberty: A Nation Where You Can’t Stray From ‘The Right Path’

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:43:01 -0700

by guest blogger Joseph L. Conn

Separation of church and state comes in for a lot of abuse these days. Religious Right leaders call it a myth and insist that government must be based on religion. One particularly loathsome essay floating around the internet these days is titled – I’m not kidding – “Separation of church and state: Straight from the mind of Hitler.”

I wonder how these characters would feel about that if they lived in Egypt. In today’s Washington Times, a short report gives the outcome of a court case involving a man who converted from Islam to Christianity.

More Lies From Lynchburg: What Jonathan Falwell Didn’t Tell You About Preachers And Politicking

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:32:12 -0700

by guest blogger Joseph L. Conn

To employ a turn-of-phrase we use in the South, Jonathan Falwell “sure takes after his daddy, doesn’t he?” Jonathan may not look much like Jerry, but he sure acts like him.

In his “Falwell Confidential” last week, the Lynchburg televangelist urged pastors to plunge neck-deep into partisan politics. He quoted Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and dean of the Liberty University School of Law, on ways to circumvent the federal ban on electioneering by churches and other tax-exempt entities.

Falwell and Staver touted the usual techniques: “preach on biblical and moral issues (such as traditional marriage or abortion); urge constituents to register and vote; discuss positions of the candidates; even personally endorse candidates.

Moore Baloney: Alabama ‘Commandments’ Judge Gives Two Thumbs Up To Evangelistic Film At Public School

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:21:06 -0700

by guest blogger Jeremy Leaming

Roy Moore, Alabama’s infamous “Ten Commandments judge,” has a penchant for misconstruing church-state law, and now he’s giving bad advice to school officials in Tuscaloosa.

In 2001, when he was serving as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Moore placed a massive Commandments monument inside the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building. Americans United for Separation of Church and State and its allies sued, contending that the display was a blatant violation of the First Amendment.

Moore obstinately fought the legal challenge, telling a federal court that God is sovereign over both church and state and that his Commandments monument was a mere acknowledgment of that fact. U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson didn’t buy that dubious argument and ordered the display removed.

Under The Radar: Secret Pastors’ Briefings Seem To Have Partisan Purpose

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:20:51 -0700

by guest blogger Rob Boston

A shadowy collection of Religious Right fat cats appears to be working behind the scenes to encourage churches to promote the presidential candidacy of Mike Huckabee.

For months, Americans United has been receiving reports about state-based groups with names that include words like “renewal” and “restoration.” The idea seems to be to bring together fundamentalist pastors for closed-door meetings that, organizers say, discuss social issues.

If that’s really all they are doing there would be no problem, at least as far as the tax question goes. Tax-exempt religious groups can take stands on political and social issues.

35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:24:27 -0700

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave women a right to safe, legal abortion. On January 22, 1973 the court issued its decision by a 7 to 2 majority. If Roe were being argued today would it receive the same majority support? The answer is probably not.

First Freedom First believes that all Americans must be free to make choices concerning their own health in keeping with their personal beliefs.

Opponents of reproductive freedom often seek legislation based on their own religious doctrines. Creating laws that are grounded in religious belief, however, conflicts with the separation of church and state and compromises our religious liberty. We must be allowed to live our lives according to our own beliefs.

The Ties That Bind: Louisiana Gov. Jindal And The Religious Right

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:21:59 -0700

by guest blogger Jeremy Leaming

We know the Religious Right movement is far from politically dead. On the contrary, plenty of proof exists that it continues to thrive in numerous spots across the country.

Take Louisiana, for example. Earlier this week, Bobby Jindal, a 36-year-old Indian-American, took the reins as the state’s 55th governor. Jindal, who served two terms in Congress as a representative of a suburban New Orleans district, broke through racial divisiveness in the state by touting his personal faith.

As The New York Times reported in October, Jindal targeted the state’s rural areas, “visiting them frequently and bringing his brand of devout Christianity to their rural churches.”

The Constitution And ‘God’s Standards’: What Would Jefferson Do?

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:06:48 -0700

by guest blogger Lauren Smith, first published January 16 on The Wall

Yesterday, at a campaign stop in Michigan, Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee expressed his desire that the U.S. Constitution reflect “God’s standards”

“[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution,” he said, “but I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and 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.”

Happy Religious Freedom Day

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:58:17 -0700

Today, the Library of Virginia retraces the origins of the First Amendment's Religious Freedom Clauses, explaining:

"Among the sources for the Bill of Rights was the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom, which Thomas Jefferson first proposed in 1779 and the General Assembly adopted in 1786. The enrolled bill as passed by both houses of the assembly is authenticated by the signatures of Archibald Cary, Speaker of the Senate of Virginia, and Benjamin Harrison, Speaker of the House of Delegates. The act has since become a part of the Virginia Constitution, and its principles and language have inspired supporters of religious freedom around the world."