Recently, Americans United weighed in on a case that challenged discriminatory hiring practices at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
We sided with a Wiccan clergyman, Patrick McCollum, who was a qualified candidate for a paid chaplain position but could not be considered because of his religious beliefs. At the prison, those positions are only available to those […] Read More
Today, the Texas State Board of Education will debate and discuss what to do about the future of the state’s social studies curriculum, before taking the first of two votes on the issue tomorrow.
The Board’s discussion will likely incorporate the advice members heard in testimony yesterday from citizens who signed up to speak, all conveying thoughts on what […] Read More
The showdown in Texas over religion in the classroom continues this week.
The Texas State Board of Education is holding hearings on the social studies curriculum. And, as we have reported before, what should be a simple discussion based on recommendations from historians has turned into a debate fueled by the Religious Right to push “Christian nation” propaganda.
Leading the […] Read More
Some people in Alabama seem to have their priorities mixed up.
There’s a Republican gubernatorial primary currently underway in the state, and you would think that citizens would be focused on the candidates’ positions on issues such as education, health care and the economy. What has some people reeling, though, is a candidate’s views on the Bible!
Back in November, […] Read More
Happy New Year! After a break for the holidays, I’m back at work here at Americans United. And, as far as I know, it’s back to school for kids across the country today, too.
In an effort to make everyone’s lives easier in 2010 – including students, parents, teachers and school officials – we’d like to start things off by […] Read More
Over the weekend, Washington was slammed by a treacherous snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow in some areas.
Since I grew up in Ohio and went to college in Syracuse, N.Y., the snow didn’t really bother me much. But for others here, the blizzard was a difficult experience.
It apparently was very rough for Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. of […] Read More
A Florida appellate court ruled yesterday that public funding of a “faith-based” prison program may violate the state’s constitution.
The decision, Council for Secular Humanism, Inc. v. McNeil, serves as an important win for taxpayers who don’t want to be forced to support religion.
The case involves a challenge to contracts between the Florida Department of Corrections and two […] Read More
It’s 11 days until Christmas and as each day goes by, we continue to hear more “War on Christmas” rants from the Religious Right.
The latest comes out of Alvarado, Texas, where a pastor plans to put on a production called “A Politically Correct Christmas.”
Pastor Rick Hope of the First Baptist Church of Lillian told the Alvarado Post […] Read More
It’s always nice when we can end the week on a high note. News reports indicate that Congress seems to be on board with adding new regulations to the school voucher scheme in the District of Columbia and eventually closing it entirely.
According to The Washington Post, “buried deep within a thousand-page omnibus spending bill released Monday by a […] Read More
It’s been a little while since we’ve had an update on the Mt. Soledad cross controversy, but today, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is finally hearing oral arguments to decide if this cross is a religious symbol or a generic and secular emblem of death.
It seems like it would be such an obvious answer – the cross […] Read More