After the massive Boston protests against white supremacy, ACT for America – the largest anti-Muslim hate group in the U.S. – decided to back out of its plan to hold multiple rallies in cities all over the nation. The group feared that its events would be overshadowed by successful counter-protests.
A new study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) shows that religion in the United States is undergoing some dramatic changes.
A couple weeks ago, church–state separation scored a huge touchdown when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that a Washington public high school could ask its football coach not to lead students in prayer after games. But some don’t seem to be reacting very well to the court’s decision.
The full 15-member 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today ruled that a Michigan county’s policy of having its county commissioners open their meetings by delivering exclusively Christian prayers was constitutional, reversing the earlier decision of a three-judge panel.
President Donald J. Trump captured 81 percent of the evangelical vote on election day. Since then, many political pundits have grappled with the question of how a lecherous and biblically illiterate candidate whose relationship with the truth is casual at best could have done so well with this constituency of alleged “values voters.”
The House of Representatives, just back from its August recess, is poised to pass a major spending bill. Tucked within that bill is Section 116, a provision that would make it nearly impossible for the Internal Revenue Service to investigate tax-exempt houses of worship that have endorsed or opposed political candidates in violation of the Johnson Amendment. The fate of that provision could be decided today.
We’ve watched from afar the devastation and tragedy brought by Hurricane Harvey to the Gulf Coast of Texas. Our hearts are with those who are just beginning the recovery process. As difficult as the past week has been, there is some comfort in watching, as we often do, Americans coming together to aid those in the area through donations and volunteering.
We at Americans United were sad to say goodbye to Legal Fellows Bradley Girard and Carmen Green at the beginning of August when their two-year fellowship with AU came to an end. Both brought a wealth of legal knowledge and enthusiasm for church-state separation to our Legal Department.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for a BREAKING NEWS flash! Apparently, right-wing Christians gathered in Nashville recently to craft a statement saying they don’t want gay people to marry!
Last year, Amanda Abramovich and Samantha Brookover were harassed by a West Virginia county clerk who ranted at them as they applied for a wedding license. The clerk called them an “abomination” and declared her belief that the same-sex couple shouldn’t be allowed to marry.
