HEALTH OVERHAUL-CONTRACEPTIVES
Religious groups may appeal birth control mandate ruling
NEW ORLEANS (AP) β Some Christian institutions are considering an appeal of a federal court ruling this week that found certain birth-control provisions of the Affordable Care Act don’t violate their religious rights.
At issue was an accommodation in the health care law that allows religious groups to opt out of directly providing coverage for birth control their faith condemns.
The plaintiffs objected that by opting out they would still be authorizing an insurer or other third party to provide the contraceptives. They also said the requirement that they offer employees a group health plan pressures them to authorize the use of contraceptives, and health care contracts facilitated the use of birth control.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined, however, that the federal law’s rules do not amount to a “substantial burden.”
Lawyers for the plaintiffs, who include two Baptist universities and a Presbyterian seminary, say they’ll probably appeal to the full circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sound:
229-v-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–Some Christian institutions are considering an appeal of a federal court ruling this week that found certain birth-control provisions of the Affordable Care Act don’t violate their religious rights. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (24 Jun 2015)
< CHARLESTON SHOOTING-NEW MINISTER Pastor leads Bible study a week after fatal shootings CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) β The acting leader of the historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, where a pastor and eight parishioners were fatally shot says surviving members “will never be the same.” Interim pastor Norvel Goff addressed a crowd of about 150 people who packed into the church’s basement Wednesday night for the first weekly Bible study since the shootings there a week ago. He said they came “to declare that Jesus lives and because he lives, we can face tomorrow.” Several family members of shooting victim Myra Thompson joined the gathering to the applause of the crowd and with encouragement from Goff. He said, “It’s a powerful testimony that they are able to come.” Dylann Storm Roof, a 21-year-old white man, faces murder and gun charges in the attack police say was racially motived. Roof sat with the Bible study group for about an hour last Wednesday night before he allegedly opened fire. CHURCH FIRE-INVESTIGATION Officials: Fire at black Charlotte church deliberately set CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β Investigators with the Charlotte Fire Department say Wednesday morning’s fire at a North Carolina church is a case of arson. Local media outlets report that Senior Fire Investigator David Williams said it took about an hour to get the blaze at Briar Creek Road Baptist Church under control. Two firefighters were injured and treated for heat-related injuries. The church’s congregation is predominantly black, and there are about 100 members. Investigators are not sure if the fire was racially motivated. The church building, which dates back to the 1980s, sustained extensive damage to its education building. The rest of the property, including the sanctuary and gymnasium, has smoke damage. Williams said total damage is estimated at more than $250,000. SEVERE WEATHER-MICHIGAN-CHURCHES Storm-damaged churches plan joint services; 1 being razed PORTLAND, Mich. (AP) β One of four churches damaged after a tornado struck the central Michigan town of Portland is being demolished. The Lansing State Journal reports that crews on Wednesday were demolishing what remains of the First Congregational Church. Epic Community Church, First Baptist Church and United Methodist Church also were damaged during Monday’s storms. Joint services are planned for 10 a.m. this Sunday and July 5 at Portland High School. Members of the Portland Area Ministerial Association announced the plans as the community works to recover. First Congregational Church board chair Tom Huggler tells the Sentinel-Standard of Ionia that joint services may continue if church buildings aren’t usable. Huggler says that between the four churches about 900 members are expected to be in attendance. Storms Monday and Tuesday spawned several tornados around Michigan. GOP 2016-JINDAL-RELIGION Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal enters GOP race KENNER, La. (AP) β Pitching himself as a Christian intellectual with a record of accomplishments, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Jindal has been building his campaign for months with trips to key presidential voting states, particularly Iowa, where he has focused on Christian conservatives. In his campaign announcement, Jindal declared that Christianity is “under assault,” and stressed the importance of religious liberty. He also said, “Radical Islam is evil, and it must be destroyed.” Raised a Hindu but a convert to Catholicism as a teenager, Jindal is competing for the evangelical vote with several contenders, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Sound: 293-a-04-(Governor Bobby Jindal, R-La., in presidential campaign announcement)-“today in America”-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says Christians have cause to be concerned. (24 Jun 2015) < 292-a-13-(Governor Bobby Jindal, R-La., in presidential campaign announcement)-“get out more”-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says secular elites don’t respect conservative Christians. (24 Jun 2015) < 291-a-05-(Governor Bobby Jindal, R-La., in presidential campaign announcement)-“not be silenced”-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says he won’t hide his Christian faith. (24 Jun 2015) < 294-a-07-(Governor Bobby Jindal, R-La., in presidential campaign announcement)-“must be destroyed (applause fades)”-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says it’s important to name America’s enemy. (24 Jun 2015) < POPE-FAMILIES Pope says marital separation sometimes ‘morally necessary’ VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis says sometimes the separation of a husband and wife may be “inevitable” or “even morally necessary” to protect the “weaker spouse or small children.” In his weekly general audience, Francis said some troubled couples are able to overcome their problems and revive their marriages, but not all separated couples can do so. Francis has been making a series of statements about family issues ahead of a much-anticipated October synod of bishops to address the topic. The bishops will take up many issues, including how the church can be more welcoming to divorced Catholics who remarry without going through the church process that declares their first marriage null. Francis said, “Let us ask the Lord for a strong faith to see with his eyes the reality of family life, and for a deep love to approach all families with his merciful heart.” GAY CONVERSION-LAWSUIT Jury to begin deliberations in gay conversion therapy case JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) β A jury in New Jersey is set to begin deliberating the case of a Jewish nonprofit that offers so-called “gay conversion” therapy. Jurors heard closing arguments Wednesday in the lawsuit accusing Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, or JONAH, of violating New Jersey’s consumer fraud laws by promising to turn gays straight. The original four plaintiffs, three from Orthodox Jewish families and the fourth a Mormon, allege JONAH exploited them with false promises as they struggled with same-sex attractions in religious environments where they were expected to marry women and have children. JONAH’s lawyer said the plaintiffs spoke in positive terms of the program when they left, but changed their stories after joining with activists seeking to shut the group down. Sound: 289-v-33-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor)–A jury in New Jersey is set to begin deliberating the case of a Jewish nonprofit that offers so-called “gay conversion” therapy. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (24 Jun 2015) < CHURCH GATHERING-DETROIT Thousands attend Congress of Christian Education in Detroit DETROIT (AP) β Thousands of people are in Detroit for the National Baptist Convention’s 110th Congress of Christian Education. The National Baptist Convention USA was founded in 1880. The African-American denomination’s Congress of Christian Education, which is responsible for religious training, is offering nearly 300 classes this week. The Detroit News reports that the dean of the congress, Elliot Cuff, urged members to stop trying to fix the mistakes of the past and focus on the future. Cuff said, “We need to turn yesterday loose and let God lead us to his promised future.” FARRAKHAN-MILLIONS MARCH Farrakhan plans rally for Million Man March 20th anniversary WASHINGTON (AP) β Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is planning to hold a Millions for Justice march in the nation’s capital this fall, 20 years after the Million Man March. Farrakhan announced the march Wednesday at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Washington. He said he intends to hold the rally Oct. 10 on the National Mall, the same place where the original march took place in 1995. Farrakhan says he is staging the march because “this is the time our people must see our unity.” The Million Man March was held Oct. 16, 1995, with the goal of encouraging firmer commitments to family values among black men. It is one of the largest political gatherings in American history, although there were disputes over how large a crowd it actually drew. SATANIC WORSHIPPERS-ABORTION LAWSUIT Satanic group’s suit: Missouri abortion law violates beliefs KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) β A group of Satanists is suing Missouri’s governor and attorney general in federal court, alleging that the state’s abortion restrictions violate their religious beliefs and should be scrapped. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of The Satanic Temple and a Missouri member identified only as “Mary Doe,” also alleges the law violates the establishment clause meant to bar governmental endorsement of religion. Missouri law requires abortion providers to give pregnant women information about the physical characteristics of the fetus and the fetus’ ability to feel pain by at least 22 weeks, and it requires a 72-hour waiting period after providing the woman with an opportunity to view an ultrasound and hear the fetus’ heartbeat. But according to the lawsuit, Missouri wrongly regulates abortion “to promote some, but not all, religious beliefs that human tissue is, from conception, a separate and unique human being whose destruction is morally wrong.” CHILD PORNOGRAPHY-CHURCH WORKER Police: Man downloaded child pornography at NY church NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) β A suburban New York man is accused of downloading and trading child pornography at the Rockland County church where he worked. The Journal News reports that 60-year-old John Wu was arrested last week after a six-month-long investigation. Police say Wu obtained and distributed child pornography using a computer server at Germonds Presbyterian Church in New City. Wu, who provided computer services to the church, is charged with promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child. Ken Gribetz, Wu’s attorney, says his client pleaded not guilty. Gribetz says Wu is a respected businessman and family man. Wu is due back in court next week. PRIEST-SEXUAL MISCONDUCT Supreme Court reinstates priest’s sex misconduct conviction MINNEAPOLIS (AP) β The Minnesota Supreme Court has reinstated a sexual misconduct conviction of a Catholic priest in St. Paul who was accused of having sex with a woman who was seeking his spiritual advice. The Rev. Christopher Wenthe was convicted in 2011 of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sex with the woman at a meeting in which she sought counseling. State law makes it a felony for clergy members to have sex with people they are spiritually advising. Wenthe didn’t dispute that he and the woman had a relationship for more than a year, but he denied the encounters occurred while he was providing spiritual aid. Tim O’Malley, director of ministerial standards and safe environment for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said Wenthe has been on leave from active ministry since he was charged in 2011 and will remain on leave pending an internal review of his clerical status. ISLAMIC CAB DRIVER Judge rules in favor of Islamic cab driver in St. Louis ST. LOUIS (AP) β A St. Louis judge has ruled that a Pakistani Muslim taxi driver can wear religious attire while driving his cab. For years, Raja Naeem of St. Louis and the Metropolitan Taxicab Commission have done battle over his clothing. The commission requires drivers to wear black pants and a white, button-down shirt. After a 2013 court ruling, the commission offered to let Naeem wear a kurta, the loose-fitting clothing worn on the torso, but said it must be white. He was also allowed to wear the kufi, a head garment. Naeem went back to court last year, saying the parameters still violated his freedom of religious expression. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Judge Robert Dierker on Monday agreed with Naeem.
