Religious Liberty

Spoiler alert - this is not a Christian-friendly article: “But in the end, the continued view of gays, lesbians and bisexuals as sinners is a decision. It’s a choice. It prioritizes scattered passages of ancient texts over all that has been learned since — as if time had stood still, as if the advances of science and knowledge meant nothing.”

“[T]he US Supreme Court declined this morning to hear a church’s appeal of a lower court’s decision….Attorneys for Bronx Household insist that the ban on rentals for worship is unfair to churches.” CT

• Law professor: Why Indiana needs ‘religious freedom’ legislation
• The text of Indiana’s ‘religious freedom’ law
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“The issue of whether political speech is more important than religious speech was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in oral arguments Monday” Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Church Signs Case

“Like most Jews, I know all too well that, over the centuries, the Jewish people have been a quintessential victim of religious persecution, ethnic cleansing, and demonization” CT

Why ‘Anti-Sharia’ Legislation Can Restrict Religious Liberty for Christians

“It was never our intention to interfere with clergy and their congregants,” Parker said. “I don’t want to have a national debate on freedom of religion when my purpose is to defend … a city ordinance.” CT

“[T]he city… subpoenaed communications, including sermon notes and email, from five area pastors related to ‘HERO, the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity.’ The pastors were not involved in the lawsuit but were involved in encouraging people to sign the petition.” CPost

City of Houston demands pastors turn over sermons

Pew Research: “The number of people who say churches and other houses of worship should express their views on social and political issues is up six percentage points since the 2010 midterm elections, from 43 percent to 49 percent.” CPost