A South Carolina school board has decided to drop its exclusionary prayer policy – thanks to Americans United.
The Berkeley County School Board had a longstanding practice of opening all of its meetings with the Lord’s Prayer, which is, of course, a Christian invocation with roots in the New Testament.
Real estate mogul and GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s knack for drawing his opponents into unproductive arguments has claimed yet another victim: Pope Francis.
As he’ll happily remind you, Trump is all about building a big ol’ wall between Mexico and the United States. And he wants Mexico to pay for it.
Donald Trump won the New Hampshire Republican primary last night, and he split the state’s evangelical vote to do it. According to The Washington Post, Trump won 27 percent of self-identified evangelicals. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won 23 percent and placed third in the primary overall.
The Iowa caucuses are today, and, despite what you may have heard, Jesus Christ is not appearing on the ballot.
Several of his close friends are, though. As voting approaches, Republican candidates have been working hard to win endorsements from prominent conservative evangelicals by explaining just how much they plan to mix up religion and government if elected.
Here’s a round-up of recent activities of note:
On June 17, Dylann Storm Roof walked into Charleston, S.C.’s Mother Emanuel AME Church. He sat there for an hour – quietly, by all accounts – and pulled out a handgun and opened fire. State Sen. Clementa Pinckney (D-Beaufort), Sharonda Singleton, Myra Thompson, Tywanza Sanders, Ethel Lance, Cynthia Hurd, Daniel Simmons, DePayne Middleton-Doctor and Susie Jackson are dead.
They are dead because Dylann Roof hated black people.
South Carolina’s second-highest paid employee was in a bit of a predicament last week. He has been accused in the past of using taxpayer money to proselytize, and now he finds himself under fire thanks to an award from an organization with a history of attacking LGBT rights.
Pre-filed bills for the 2015 legislative session indicate that separation of church and state is under threat in South Carolina. These bills include two school choice measures that would create more opportunities for subsidies of private religious education.
Senate Bill 24 would allow parents to deduct the cost of private sectarian education, as well as homeschooling, from their annual state income taxes. Critics of the bill slam it for allowing special incentives for families who choose sectarian schools.
A Muslim woman is suing officials in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, claiming she was forced to attend Christian services while incarcerated in the county jail.
Yesterday conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza was sentenced to five years of probation and a term of community service for violating federal campaign laws. He must also pay a fine of $30,000.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and a state senator sparred this week over a Haley appointee’s alleged atheism, and it was quite a spat.
