The Associated Press reported Sunday 3/12/2006, that Ohio governor candidate Ken Blackwell, who is currently the Ohio Secretary of State, met with Rev. Russell Johnson and Rod Parsley or their churches 27 times from January 2004 through March of this year. Since the records search noted 75 meetings of a religious nature, the actual context of those meetings are being hidden by Blackwell.
Category: Entanglement
In response to the passage on February 24th of an outright ban on abortion from the South Dakota legislature, an Internet based church, The Church of Reality, has issued an edict that the ban violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the church’s exercise of its religion. I loved the idea of using a law like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (1993)( aka RFRA) against laws that are passed mainly to legalize someone’s religious agenda. Something, however smelled fishy.
I agree with Hilfiker that we shouldn’t paint with a wide brush and in my blog I make an extra effort not to do so, but his essay brings up an interesting point.
Missionaries have always followed the military into newly conquered areas. History is littered with the carcasses of stamped out religions and culture in the name of the Christian God.
While some groups like CPT aren’t there in Iraq to convert Muslims, other groups did move in, frothing at the mouth to convert the evil ones to Jesus.
On 2/23, the ACLU reached an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a case challenging federal funding of religious activities in a nationwide abstinence-only-until-marriage program, the Silver Ring Thing.
HHS agreed to stop funding the program which also proselytize to the teens.
And a recommended website that supports separation of church and state
The IRS examined 110 organizations referred to the tax agency for potentially violations, and 28 cases remain open.
Among the 82 closed cases, the IRS found prohibited politicking and sent a written warning to 55 organizations and assessed a penalty tax against one group. Those organizations included 37 churches and 19 other organizations.
In August the Pentagon issued guidelines meant to protect religious liberty by discouraging public prayers at routine events and warned superior officers that personal expressions of faith could be misunderstood as official statements.
Religious conservatives organized a response and pressured the Pentagon to revise the guidelines. The new version was issued last week.
Proselytizing is not exercising your religious beliefs. Going to church or prayer is practicing your religion. Proselytizing is being a pain in the ass by telling someone, whether they want to hear it or not, about why they should join your church or religion.