FEMA Photographer refuses to photograph anyone in a "faith-based" shirt

The separation of Church and State was a great innovation of the Founders of the United States. Having seen the way that an institutional church is corrupted by power, they put in place a system where religion and statecraft maintain separate spheres of influence. But there are some who take "separate spheres of influence" to mean more than simple separation. For instance, a FEMA photographer who required a church group to remove their "faith-based" shirts before interviewing them for a video.

To their credit, the FEMA chief has apologized for the incident. But it is a good reminder that there are those who take "separation" to mean "hostility".

Risking jail by taking his daughter to church

One point of pride for Americans is our Freedom of Religion. No one can be prosecuted for attending any religious ceremony, or professing any faith. But it seems that at least one judge believes he has the power to prevent a father from taking his daughter to church. After baptizing his daughter without her mother's consent, Joseph Reyes was ordered to only expose her to Judaism. He is ignoring the order.

I have been ordered by a judge not to expose my daughter to anything non-Judaism,” Reyes said. “But I am taking her to hear the teachings of perhaps the most prominent Jewish Rabbi in the history of this great planet of ours. I can’t think of anything more Jewish than that.”

...Reyes and his wife are divorcing and are involved in a bitter custody fight. She says he always agreed to raise their child as Jewish. He says that’s not true.

“My daughter should be exposed to the religions of both my wife and myself … When she gets to the appropriate age, she’s going to make her own decisions on how she wants her relationship with God to ultimately be,” said Reyes.

It is horrible that these parents are using their religion to fight over their daughter. But that does not justify this action by an overreaching judge. Freedom of Religion is fundamental to our freedoms.

Malaysia churches firebombed over the name of God

Sometimes, in the effort to give others the benefit of the doubt, Westerners underestimate the differences between the thinking of Western democracies and the Islamic world. There is little that illustrates the difference between Western ideas of religious freedom and Islamic ideas of it than a rash of bombings in Malaysia against Christian churches. The reason? Doctrine? Culture? Historical gripes? Nope. It is over the use of the Malaysian name of God, which happens to match the Arabic "Allah".

Two more churches in Malaysia were firebombed Sunday, bringing the total to six since a court ruled that non-Muslims can use the word "Allah" as a term for God...In recent months, authorities in Malaysia have seized more than 20,000 Bibles because they refer to God as Allah.
The seizures have fed fears among minority groups, which see signs of encroaching Islamic fundamentalism in the predominantly Muslim but multiracial country.

As we confront Al Qaeda and other extremist Islamic groups, we need to keep in mind these differences in perspective.

Jail time for a prayer?

I never thought I'd read an article about an American being threatened with Jail Time for praying. This is the kind of stuff that can spawn whole movements.

In January, the Santa Rosa County School District settled out of court with the ACLU, agreeing to several things, including a provision to bar all school employees from promoting or sponsoring prayers during school-sponsored events; holding school events at church venues when a secular alternative was available; or promoting their religious beliefs or attempting to convert students in class or during school-sponsored events...The criminal charges, which carry up to a $5,000 fine and a six-month jail term, originated with a Jan. 28 incident in which Mr. Lay, a deacon at a local Baptist church, asked Mr. Freeman to offer mealtime prayers at a lunch for school employees and booster-club members who had helped with a school field-house project.

Mr. Staver said no students were present at the event, which was held on school property but after school hours.

Jail time?! Are you serious?! I can see why the ACLU is upset, but this kind of thing at most should result in dismissal of the guilty party. The fact that this incident has been allowed to escalate to this point shows a system out of control, without any sense of proportion or common sense.

Hard Cases: Church "outs" an anonymous blogger

It is not unusual for someone to have a problem with the leadership of their local church. Leaders - including pastors and elders/overseers/trustees/deacons/etc. - make mistakes or often are doing the right thing and simply not explaining themselves. My own church has been moving from a pure Congregational model to a more closed model in a way which has been disturbing to me. Scripture has fairly clear guidelines for dealing with such concerns, which generally goes, "talk to the problem person singly, then with one other person, then with the elders, and then before the Congregation." (Yes, Seminarians, I am aware there are many more verses and a whole history here. Feel free to expound in the comments.)

But what happens when a church dispute comes up against anonymous blogging? Should church leaders honor the unspoken agreement of the internet and let the blogger remain unknown? Isn't such a move in line with First Amendment rights of free speech? Or should church leaders seek out the blogger and discipline him/her for not following scripture.

In the case linked above, church leadership erred on the side of control and had a police officer (who also worked church security) seek out and expose the blogger. The blogger was then expelled from the church, as per 1 Corinthians 5:4-5.

To me, this seems like a hard case. On the one hand, the blogger clearly was not following scripture. On the other hand, it appears the pastor himself - in his zeal to discipline - clearly crossed the line to find the offender. Either way, Christ's name is being dragged through the mud, and the gospel becomes a laughing-stock among the world.

What would you do, as either the pastor or the congregant?

CT Church Government Bill dies

The bill reported on by CRChair and I over the last couple of days which would have given the legislature the power to regulate church government, is apparently dead. The uproar appears to have been more than the bill's authors expected, and even after the bill was shelved there are protests planned in Hartford.

CT Representatives respond on Church Government Bill

CRChair reported yesterday on a bill being considered by the Connecticut legislature to mandate church governmental forms, especially Catholic churches. In the last 24 hours, several CT Mod-Bloggers contacted our state representatives on the subject and we got back some responses!

Thank you for your notes on Raised S.B. No. 1098 AN ACT MODIFYING CORPORATE LAWS RELATING TO CERTAIN RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS.

I agree that this legislation is an inappropriate invasion of religious freedom. I will actively oppose this bill and any other attempt of the state to interfere in the internal affairs of the Catholic Church or any religion.

I do not believe Connecticut should dictate to any religion how they should govern themselves, nor give the state broad investigatory powers whenever any allegation is brought forward. Religious freedom is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and SB-1098 clearly violates the separation of church and state. All religions should have the right to govern themselves as their clergy and parishioners see fit—not have decisions forced on them by politicians in Hartford.

I am happy to report that following days of public pressure, the chairs of the Judiciary Committee have decided to table the bill and postpone a scheduled public hearing. However, given the late notice of the postponement and the importance of the issue at hand, Republican legislators will be holding an informational hearing of our own tomorrow (Wednesday March 11th) at 12:00pm in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building.
I encourage you to attend this informational hearing. Sign up will begin at 9:30am in the lobby of the Legislative Office Building at 300 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Attending legislators will allow members of the clergy to testify first and then open the hearing for public comment.


-Dan Debicella, CT State Senator

And yet another for your consideration.

Thank you for reaching out to me on this extremely troubling bill
before the legislature's Judiciary Committee. First and foremost,
please know that I support you and the Church 100%. You have my
commitment to oppose this bill.

Why the legislative majority of the State of Connecticut thinks it's ok to dictate how the Catholic Church must govern itself is beyond comprehension. I believe that the legislature has no right to interfere in the structure of the Church and though this bill is directed only at the Catholic Church today, as Bishop Lori has pointed out, it could be forced on other denominations in the future. This is, at best, unconstitutional. At worst, it's an underhanded attempt to silence the Catholic Church. The state has no business controlling religion.

You should send your thoughts to Judiciary Committee Co-chairs, Senator Andrew McDonald and Rep. Michael Lawlor. They need to know how people feel about what they have proposed.

As you may already be aware, the Judiciary Committee public hearing scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday, March 11th) on S.B. 1098, AN ACT MODIFYING CORPORATE LAWS RELATING TO CERTAIN RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS has been canceled. However, in an effort to give the people who have contacted us an opportunity to express their concerns with this bill, many of which we share, the members of the House and Senate Republican
Offices, will be going forward tomorrow with an informational hearing on this bill starting at 12:00 pm. The hearing will be held in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford and overflow rooms will be available.

Sign up for the hearing will start at 9:30 am in the first floor lobby of the Legislative Office Building. We will hear from Church officials first and then open it up for public comment. We are inviting anyone who has contacted us on this bill so we can let them know they can be heard on this issue tomorrow. We will also be inviting our Democrat colleagues to join us. If you have any questions please let me know.

- Jason Perillo
State Representative
113th District - Shelton, CT

And yet another

As you may already be aware, the Judiciary Committee public hearing scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday, March 11th) on S.B. 1098, AN ACT MODIFYING CORPORATE LAWS RELATING TO CERTAIN RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS has been cancelled. However, in an effort to give the people who have contacted us an opportunity to express their concerns with this bill, many of which we share, the members of the House and Senate Republican Offices, will be going forward tomorrow with an informational hearing on this bill starting at 12:00 pm. The hearing will be held in room 2C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford and overflow rooms will be available.

Sign up for the hearing will start at 9:30 am in the first floor lobby of the Legislative Office Building. We will hear from Church officials first and then open it up for public comment. We are inviting anyone who has contacted us on this bill so we can let them know they can be heard on this issue tomorrow. We will also be inviting our Democrat colleagues to join us. If you have any questions please let me know.

Sincerely,

Rep. Lawrence Miller, CT State Representative

City to Church: STOP Feeding the Homeless!

There are times when it makes sense to speak up. And there are times when it is wisest to say nothing and look for your own solution. Take, for example, this case where a town had asked local churches to help with homelessness. One church began feeding the homeless, and now the town is asking them to stop.

Peace Lutheran Church has been delivering breakfast items like cereal and juice boxes every Thursday to homeless people in Jubilee Park.

But city council says the free food is also drawing in drug dealers and addicts, who have taken to congregating on the front steps of a seniors' centre next door.

The church says it won't stop.

The town needs to realize that they need to address the underlying causes of these issues, and not attack the church for making the problems visible.