GAY MARRIAGE-RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS
Religious institutions fear impact of gay marriage ruling
WASHINGTON (AP) β Representatives of some Christian schools and radio stations fear they could lose licensing, accreditation or tax-exempt status if the Supreme Court requires nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, says he’ll introduce legislation to protect institutions whose faith teaches that marriage is only between a man and a woman from adverse government action. Otherwise, he says they could be penalized for policies that are deemed bigoted or discriminatory.
National Religious Broadcasters President Jerry Johnson wondered if Christian stations’ broadcast licenses will be “at risk if they don’t honor this new constitutional right.”
Samuel Oliver, president of Union University, a Southern Baptist school, said the loss of accreditation or tax-exempt status could force thousands of Christian schools to close. He said forcing all American students “by default to attend secular schools is a form of mind control.”
Sound:
177-a-13-(Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, in teleconference)-“to tax-exempt status”-Utah Senator Mike Lee says his legislation could avert a possible consequence of the Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling. (3 Jun 2015)
< 180-a-05-(Samuel Oliver, president, Union University, in teleconference)-“of mind control”-Union University President Samuel Oliver, says his Baptist school could be one of thousands forced to close if they lost their accreditation or tax-exempt status. (3 Jun 2015) < 178-a-13-(Keith Wiebe (WEE’-bee), president, American Association of Christian Schools, in teleconference)-“be in jeopardy”-Keith Wiebe, president of the American Association of Christian Schools, says the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage could cast religious objections as discriminatory. (3 Jun 2015) < 179-a-13-(Jerry Johnson, president, National Religious Broadcasters, in teleconference)-“new constitutional right”-Jerry Johnson, president of National Religious Broadcasters, says he’s concerned about the impact of the Supreme Court establishing a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. (3 Jun 2015) < 176-w-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Keith Wiebe, president of the American Association of Christian Schools)–Representatives of Christian schools and radio stations fear they could lose licensing, accreditation or tax-exempt status if the Supreme Court requires nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (3 Jun 2015) < GAY CONVERSION-LAWSUIT Plaintiff in ‘gay conversion’ suit tells of therapy methods JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) β One of four plaintiffs suing a Jewish nonprofit that offered to help them turn from gay to straight has testified that he cut off contact with his mother after being told she was the cause of his homosexuality. Benjamin Unger also described for jurors an exercise in which he was encouraged to take a tennis racket and repeatedly beat a pillow, meant to symbolize his mother. The four men sued Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing in 2012 under New Jersey’s consumer fraud laws, claiming the group violated state consumer fraud laws by characterizing homosexuality as a mental disorder and claiming it could successfully change patients’ sexual orientation. The plaintiffs say they underwent treatment that included being told to spend more time naked with their fathers and participating in role-playing in which they were subjected to anti-gay slurs in a locker room setting. The group’s attorney said Wednesday that its methods are commonly used by therapists and that some patients have reported successful experiences. MCCRORY-VETOES Gay marriage override vote in NC House put off Wednesday RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) β The North Carolina House has acted on one bill vetoed by Gov. Pat McCrory but put off another vetoed measure addressing government officials who don’t want to perform gay marriages due to religious beliefs. The marriage bill was listed on the House agenda Wednesday for the first time since McCrory vetoed it. House Rules Chairman David Lewis said action would likely be delayed because a couple lawmakers originally voting for the bill were absent. It’s unclear when an override vote would occur. The Senate already voted Monday to cancel the marriage bill veto, but a House override is needed to enact the law. The North Carolina House and Senate completed an override Wednesday on legislation allowing companies to sue for damages someone who deliberately gets hired to steal property or take video. TV-DUGGAR INTERVIEW Sister of reality TV star Josh Duggar says he victimized her NEW YORK (AP) β One of reality TV star Josh Duggar’s sisters says in a television interview that she was a victim of her older brother, who has been accused of sexual misconduct as a teenager. In a Fox News Channel interview, Jessa Duggar says she wants to defend her brother. She says accusations that he is a child molester or pedophile are “so overboard and a lie.” The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual mistreatment. But Jessa Duggar is speaking publicly, in an interview that Fox’s Megyn Kelly also conducted with Duggar’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. The Arkansas family is featured in TLC’s series “19 Kids and Counting.” The Duggar parents said Josh Duggar fondled his sisters when he was a teenager. He apologized for unspecified bad behavior when he resigned last month as a Family Research Council lobbyist. CREFLO DOLLAR-JET Creflo Dollar’s megachurch to move forward with jet campaign ATLANTA (AP) β An Atlanta megachurch’s board of directors says it is moving forward in a campaign to buy a private jet. The board of directors for World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar ministries said in a statement Wednesday the Gulfstream G650 that Dollar wants is necessary to continue international ministry and aid work. The jet is valued at more than $65 million. The board says an initial appeal for donations didn’t adequately communicate that Dollar was looking for donations from like-minded people, not the public at large. The board says a revamped video will be released soon. Dollar has built successful ministries on the prosperity gospel. Ministers in this tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works. MUSLIM CHAPLAIN-FLIGHT Muslim chaplain: Derogatory remarks made on United flight CHICAGO (AP) β A United Airlines spokesman says a Shuttle America flight attendant “will no longer serve United customers” following an investigation into a Muslim chaplain’s complaint of discriminatory treatment during a flight. In an email Wednesday to The Associated Press, United spokesman Charles Hobart said the airline “does not tolerate behavior that is discriminatory β or that appears to be discriminatory β against our customers or employees.” Northwestern University chaplain Tahera Ahmad (TAH’-hay-rah AHK’-mahd) says a flight attendant declined her request for an unopened can of soda because Ahmad, who wears a Muslim headscarf, might “use it as a weapon.” Ahmad says the flight attendant had given another passenger an unopened beer can. The flight was operated by Shuttle America for United. Hobart says United will “continue to work with all of our partners” on cultural awareness. Sound: 218-a-07-(Tahera Ahmad (TAH’-hay-rah AHK’-mahd), Northwestern University chaplain, at news conference)-“cannot be accepted”-Northwestern University chaplain Tahera Ahmad says the incident was about more than being refused an unopened can of soda. (3 Jun 2015) < 219-a-13-(Tahera Ahmad (TAH’-hay-rah AHK’-mahd), Northwestern University chaplain, at news conference)-“that is discriminatory”-Northwestern University chaplain Tahera Ahmad says she was the victim of anti-Muslim discrimination. (3 Jun 2015) < 217-a-03-(Tahera Ahmad (TAH’-hay-rah AHK’-mahd), Northwestern University chaplain, at news conference)-“as a weapon”-Northwestern University chaplain Tahera Ahmad says a flight attendant refused to give her an unopened can of Diet Coke. (3 Jun 2015) < NETHERLANDS-WILDERS-MUHAMMAD CARTOONS Dutch lawmaker vows to show Muhammad cartoons on TV THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) β Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders says he plans to show cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad on Dutch television after Parliament refused to display them. Wilders said Wednesday he would show the cartoons during television airtime reserved for political parties β a move likely to offend Muslims. The announcement came a month after Wilders gave a speech at a contest in Garland, Texas, for cartoon depictions of Muhammad. Shortly after Wilders left the event, it was targeted by two Muslim men with pistols and assault rifles. Security guards shot and killed the attackers. Wilders says he wants to air cartoons from the Texas competition to support people “who use the pen and not the sword.” Mainstream Islamic tradition holds that any physical depiction of its Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous. OLDEST SYNAGOGUE FIGHT Congregants at oldest synagogue detail financial straits PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) β Congregants from the nation’s oldest synagogue have testified that they were in financial straits when they decided in 2012 to sell a set of ceremonial bells worth millions that are now the center of a dispute with the nation’s first Jewish congregation. The congregation that worships at the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, and Congregation Shearith Israel from New York are suing each other in federal court. The New York congregation says it owns the bells. In a third day of trial on Wednesday, congregants testified they had no reason to believe the New York congregation had a claim on the bells. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston rescinded its $7.4 million offer to buy the bells amid the dispute. ILLINOIS GAMBLING-CATHOLIC BISHOPS Catholic bishops in Illinois warn lawmakers about gambling CHICAGO (AP) β Roman Catholic bishops in Illinois have told state lawmakers they shouldn’t turn to gambling as a revenue fix for the state’s troubled budget. Lawmakers have proposed a Chicago-owned casino and expanded gambling elsewhere in Illinois in an effort to generate revenue. But the Catholic Conference of Illinois says “it is not healthy to rely upon gambling as an alternative” to a fair tax system. The bishops say gambling isn’t inherently immoral, but worry that the state is becoming enslaved by its “passion for gambling.” They called for transparent financial records from gambling enterprises doing business with Illinois as well as for an end to gambling advertising that targets the poor. SCHOOL GRADUATION-EAGLE FEATHER California student can wear eagle feather at graduation SAN FRANCISCO (AP) β A Native American student who sued his California school district because it refused to let him wear an eagle feather to his high school graduation will be able to wear the sacred item after all. Attorneys for Christian Titman and officials with Clovis Unified School District reached an agreement that allows him to wear the feather in his hair during the Thursday ceremony and attach it to his cap for the traditional tassel turn, said Rebecca Farmer, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Titman. The district confirmed an agreement was reached Tuesday night and said it was “largely consistent” with previous offers made to accommodate Titman, who is 18. He is a member of the Pit River Tribe, which considers eagle feathers sacred and symbolic of a significant accomplishment.
