Religious Liberty

The state isn’t required to “fund private education at all, but if they choose to provide scholarships that are available to students who attend private schools, they can’t discriminate against parents who want to send their children to schools that are affiliated in some way with a church,” said Alito. - National Review

“The case concerns a Montana program granting $150 in tax credits to those who donate to help fund private school tuition scholarships. Single mother Kendra Espinoza sought to use the scholarship program to send her children to a private religious school.

“In observance of National Religious Freedom Day, President Donald Trump hosted a gathering today (Jan. 16) of students from different religions to affirm the right of students to pray in school.” - BPNews

“The Oregon Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on Thursday in a case you may recognize, Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. I originally reported on this case in 2018, when Aaron and Melissa Klein asked the Supreme Court to hear the lawsuit that caused them to lose their business and incur a wrongful, hefty fine based on their religion.” - W.

“China will enforce new restrictions on religious groups, organizations, meetings, and other related events starting on February 1.” - Catholic Herald

“An ‘ethical vegan’ who claims he was sacked because of his views on animal products is bringing a landmark legal action to prove his beliefs should be protected in law.” - Sky News

“Major news outlets are reporting that a secretive court in China has sentenced detained Christian pastor Wang Yi to 9 years in prison for inciting subversion of the government. Yi is one of the country’s most famous Christian leaders who founded and leads a large, well-known house church in the country.” - RNS

ERLC’s Russell Moore: “Faith-based organizations ought to be able to hire those whose views are consistent with the organization’s beliefs, especially when those employees are responsible for teaching religious doctrine.” - BPNews

“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom received funding of $3.5 million annually for the next three years after members of Congress included revised legislation about it in the 1,700-plus-page bill that they approved this week.” - RNS

“You have a mix of members in your church. Some are expats, or foreign nationals, who work in Hong Kong, but most are Hong Kong natives. In fact, many in your church are first generation Christians. As the protests begin to grow, many people are coming to you for spiritual advice. …Some ask, is it against God’s will if they join the protesters?” - SBC Voices