AU Students

The homelessness problem in DC is staggering, and it may get a lot worse, for no other reason than misapplied homophobia. The DC Catholic Church has threatened to punish the tens of thousands of people who use their services as a lifeline. Why? Because homosexual couples want full civil rights.

It’s no secret that United States prisons are overcrowded. Per capita, the USA incarcerates more people than any other country – some 756 citizens per 100,000.

The 'No On 1' campaign organized to prevent repeal of a newly-signed state law allowing for same-sex marriage fell short after election results showed the repeal narrowly passing 53% to 47%. It was a somewhat surprising result considering that advocates of the law were better organized, had more money, and had spent months working on the issue.

On October 28th President Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate-Crimes Prevention Act, which expands the 1969 federal hate-crimes law to include stricter penalties for crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. Sounds good, right?

Religious head coverings will now be permitted in Georgia’s state courtrooms pursuant to a unanimous vote by state court officials. The new policy, drafted by the ACLU of Georgia, was prompted by an incident last December in which a woman was found in contempt of court and made to serve ten days in jail for arguing with an officer upon being asked to remove her headscarf in a municipal courtroom.

ethicsdaily.com: Georgia to Allow Headscarves in Courtrooms

The Clackamas County Circuit Court acquitted an Oregon couple, Carl and Raylene Worthington, of all but one of the charges brought against them for the death of their 15-month-old daughter, Ava, due to untreated illness. The parents neglected to seek medical treatment for their daughter, who suffered from pneumonia and a blood infection, and instead relied on the faith-healing practices supported by their church.

The recent controversy concerning President Obama and Notre Dame is an excellent opportunity to see the interesting – and challenging – interaction between religion and politics. In this instance, the furor began when President Obama, a supporter of abortion rights, was invited to speak at Notre Dame, one of the country’s leading universities which also happens to be one of the world’s leading Catholic universities.

Here at Americans United, there's a number of issues which, no matter how persistently we try to educate people about, seem to exist on their own. The curious insistence by many that the United States was established as a "Christian nation" may speak more of ignorance on the issue than anything.

However, when those that should know better -- generally intelligent, reasonable people -- continue to insist that the United States was founded as some sort of Christian theocracy, it's time once again to go over the basics.

President Obama, overseas in Turkey, spoke on the importance of religious freedom not only in America, but also the world:

The University of Maryland senate has voted to eliminate the school's invocation at their commencement ceremony. Key:

Holum said it was understood that many people on the large and diverse Maryland campus "felt excluded or marginalized" by having any prayer and by the prayers that have been delivered, which they considered essentially Christian in form and motivation.

Washington Post: U-Md. Senate Votes to Eliminate Invocation