The Omaha-World Herald, on July 3, outed the identity of the man who brought that Ten Commandments lawsuit as a "John Doe"--an atheist who fears for his safety. The newspaper described the plaintiff's car and vanity license plate, as well as detailing his personal and professional life, some of his writings on religion and quoting from his deposition.

Church Graduations Nixed

Three high schools in Montgomery County, Md., announced in late June they will stop using churches for graduation ceremonies, following complaints about the display of Christian symbols. The graduations had been held at the 10,000-seat Jericho City of Praise Church in Landover under a sign proclaiming "Jesus Is the Lord."

"Faith-based" Bias Disclosed

A Christian adoption agency in Mississippi--which receives public money from "Choose Life" license plate fees--reversed its policy not to place children with Roman Catholic couples, after a couple exposed the discrimination in July.

Bethany Christian Services in Jackson, Miss., is one of 24 adoption and "pregnancy counseling" centers in the state receiving money from "Choose Life" tags. The plates generated $244,000 in 2004, of which Bethany received $7,053.

Left unanswered was whether nonChristians, including atheists and agnostics, who do not abide by their "Statement of Faith," may adopt there.

Church Day Care Abuses

The state of Florida in July suspended the licenses of two church-affiliated daycare centers in Jacksonville, where children allegedly were sexually assaulted and forced to eat worms and smell feet.

Former director Joshua Palin, son of the church's pastor, is charged with molesting 10 children during games of Truth or Dare.

Claudia Foster, daycare worker, is accused of making children eat worms, smell each other's feet and pick each other's noses during the game, but was not charged with a crime.

Study: Nothing Fails Like Prayer

A Duke University Medical Center study of 700 patients found that those prayed for were just as likely to have setbacks, be re-admitted to hospitals or die within six months as those not prayed for.

The study, published in the Lancet, the British medical journal, looked at 748 patients undergoing angiograms or other heart operations at nine U.S. hospitals between 1999 and 2002.

Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist prayer groups prayed for 371 of the patients; the rest had no prayer groups assigned. Additionally, 374 of the patients were assigned MIT therapy, involving relaxed breathing techniques and soothing music, some with or without prayer assignees.

Research found neither therapy alone, or combined, showed any measurable effect on serious cardiovascular events.

The large study contradicts an earlier, much-ballyhooed trial study of only 150 patients that suggested the opposite outcome due to "intercessory prayer."

"There's nothing that we know in the universe that could account for how prayer or the healing intention of one group of people could influence the health outcomes of another group at a distance," said Richard P. Sloan, professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

"It's preposterous," he told media.

Sept. 17 "Constitution Day"

Thanks to a rider tucked into last year's appropriations bill by U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), Sept. 17 will be celebrated as "Constitution Day," observing the date in 1787 on which the Constitution was signed.

The law requires that each of the 1.8 million federal employees in the executive branch receive "educational and training" materials about the Constitution. It also requires every school receiving federal funds, including universities, to show students a program about the Constitution.

Newdow Pledge Case Update

The judge hearing Michael Newdow's new challenge of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance announced in July he plans to throw out several parts of Newdow's lawsuit.

Newdow, a doctor and lawyer, is suing as a taxpayer against the religious pledge, and on behalf of eight co-plaintiffs, including atheist parents and their children in Sacramento, Calif.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton will bar Michael Newdow from seeking to declare unconstitutional the Pledge of Allegiance itself, and the words "under God."

Karlton said he will consider a narrow focus of whether reciting the pledge is constitutional in schools. Karlton refused to throw out the entire case, as urged by the Elk Grove Unified School District.

Believer Challenges Pledge, Too

A religious man from Virginia has taken a challenge of the recitation of the religious Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, and is awaiting a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Edward R. Myers, a Mennonite who is married with three children, lost at the district level, but has appealed the case. Mennonites traditionally oppose oath-saying. "To me, it's heresy," he told the Washington Post recently.

Judge Bars Koranic Oath

A judge in Guilford County, N.C., recently barred use of the Koran for courtroom oaths. County Superior Judge W. Douglas Albright invoked a 1777 North Carolina law stating that oaths must be made upon the "Holy Scripture."

Religious Charter Bid

A bid by the Mighty God Christian Academy in Chicago to open a public charter school next year has raised concerns.

"We understand as Christians that there is a separation between church and state, but you don't have to be in a pulpit to do God's will," an Academy official told The Chicago Tribune.

Tulsa Zoo Backs Down

The Tulsa Park and Recreation Board, citing a public outcry, reversed itself in early July by voting not to add a creationism display to the zoo's origins exhibit.

Pentagon Can't Fund BSA

A federal judge ruled on June 22 that the Pentagon can no longer spend millions of public dollars to prepare a Virginia military base for a national Boy Scout event.

U.S. District Judge Blanche Manning ruled in favor of the ACLU of Illinois, which called unconstitutional the sponsorship of the event, held once every four years, due to the Scouts' religious oath.

The cost was $6 million in 1997 and $8 million in 2001. This year's National Scout Jamboree, held in late July, expected to cost taxpayers $7.3 million, will not be affected. No other youth group receives millions of dollars of government support.

The U.S. Senate, by a 98-0 vote on July 26, voted to allow U.S. military bases to continue to host BSA events, as part of a massive spending bill.

Sharia in Constitution

The working draft of Iraq's new constitution would grant veto power to Islamic law, known as Sharia, over matters such as divorce and family inheritance. The draft, revealed by The New York Times on July 20, guarantees equal rights for women so long as those rights do not "violate Sharia."

Some Shiites have urged dropping the interim constitution requirement that women make up at least a quarter of parliament.

Sharia would bar women from being married without family permission, regardless of age, and permit husbands to divorce by verbal fiat. Women's groups are agitating to delete Sharia from the draft by the Aug. 14 deadline.

Christian Program for Florida Schools?

In late June, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced he wants every public school in Florida to host a Christian-based program to increase fathers' participation in families.

"All Pro Dad" uses professional athletes to promote a "biblical foundation" and the belief that "the father is the head of the household." The program urges men to rely on God and read the bible to make them better fathers and help their marriage.

The state's Department of Education website has a direct link to the overtly Christian program.

"All Pro Dad" is being used in a dozen public schools in the Tampa Bay area, and was recently touted to 67 school superintendents by Florida Chancellor Jim Warford in a June 17 memo. His memo did not disclose the program's religious orientation.

The program is being promoted with the help of fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A, run by a Southern Baptist.

Spain, Canada OK Gay Marriage

The Spanish parliament, over ardent opposition by the Roman Catholic Church but with the approval of a majority of citizens, legalized gay marriage on June 29, by a vote of 187-147.

On July 20, Canada followed suit, also despite strong religious opposition. Spain and Canada join the Netherlands and Belgium in offering equal marriage opportunity.

Air Force Update

Days after an Air Force task force found the Air Force Academy in Colorado had failed to accommodate diverse religious beliefs, Muslim and Jewish students were asked to choose between worship and required activity during basic training.

"Optional chapel service" for Jews and Muslims is scheduled at the same time reserved for "basic cadet time." Sunday "chapel/personal time" has no conflicting required activity.

Lt. Gen. Roger A. Brady, the leader of the lukewarm Air Force report, has identified himself as a born-again Christian. The report acknowledged "perceptions" of a pro-Christian bias, but dismissed widespread claims of religious proselytizing and discrimination. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., is asking the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to monitor the academy's response.

The New York Times(July 12, 2005) reported that the Air Force paid $300,000 for an overwhelmingly evangelical four-day "Spiritual Fitness Conference" in Colorado Springs in June for Air Force chaplains and their families.

Naval Prayer Challenged

A daily noon prayer before the mandatory weekday lunch at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., was challenged in July by the Anti-Defamation League. Prayers are given by Catholic, Protestant and Jewish chaplains on a rotating basis.

The Air Force Academy precedes lunch with 20 seconds of silence. West Point has no prayer or period of silence.

"Holy Land" Exemption

The Holy Land Experience, an expensive theme park in Orlando, Fla., recently won a four-year battle to be granted tax-exempt status.

The owner, Rev. Marvin Rosenthal, a Baptist, was spared a $1 million delinquent property-tax bill. The 15-acre amusement park opened in 2001.

Turin Shroud a Fake

Once again, testing shows the Shroud of Turin is a fake, according to the July issue of the French magazine, Science and Life. Carbon-dating in 1988, showing the linen cloth was made between 1260 and 1390, forced the archbishop of Turin to admit the garment was a hoax. The magazine employed an artist to duplicate the bas-relief rubbing, a technique used to make the image.

August 2005 Excerpts
News FFRF Wins Solid Legal Precedent State/Church Bulletin	Articles Damsels in Distress by David Pena God is Not My "Mommy" by Susan Harris All Quiet in the Church by Nadia Bulkin "So Here's to the Constitution" by Mike Newdow Other Letter Box Take Two Tablets And Call Me In The Morning by Yip Harburg Cartoon by Don Addis Fourth of July at Lake Hypatia In Their Own Words Overheard