By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist church in Louisiana investigated numerous times for noise complaints has filed a lawsuit claiming intimidation by police and violations of religious liberty under both state and federal law. The lawsuit filed Dec. 10 in…
Coalition opposes taxpayer-funded discrimination
By Bob Allen American Baptist Home Mission Societies and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty are among 130 religious, education, civil rights, labor, LGBT, women’s and health organizations asking President Obama to review a Bush-era legal opinion allowing faith-based…
Church/state group attacks ‘bogus’ religious liberty claims
By Bob Allen Americans United for Separation of State unveiled a new initiative July 7 to counter attempts by the Religious Right to conflate religious liberty with the right to discriminate against LGBT Americans. The new Protect Thy Neighbor initiative…
Utah compromise worth consideration
By General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman Through our publications, blog, and website, the BJC regularly reports on state legislative action affecting religious liberty. Some of the most visible recent bills are state versions of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act…
Who’s really discriminating here?
Discrimination is a funny word. We hear it thrown around a lot today so it’s worth taking a minute and reflecting on what exactly it means. At the most basic level, discrimination is simply the process of choosing one thing…
Civility and tolerance when absolutes clash
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee My column this week is anchored by the wise insights of Professor Alan Brownstein, a constitutional law and church-state expert from the University of California at Davis. Professor Brownstein spoke at Mercer University the…
When God changes His mind*
It wouldn’t be the first time, you know. If Fox News wants to see what “fair and balanced” looks like they should check out National Public Radio. You know the folks at the helm are left of center, but they…
Religious freedom doesn’t require risking public health
By General Counsel K. Hollyn Hollman The recent measles outbreak and ensuing conversation about immunizations is not primarily a story about religion or religious exemptions. We are learning, again, that measles is a serious, and sometimes fatal, but preventable disease….
Do states need religious freedom legislation?
By Executive Director J. Brent Walker Click here to read Walker’s April 1 statement on Indiana and Arkansas RFRAs. Recently, state legislatures across the country have been making headlines for considering variously-named religious freedom bills. The proposed legislation currently attracting…