Current Events

Atheist in Court to Fight References to God

Atheist Michael Newdow is back in federal court, this time challenging the mention of God in the U.S. national motto and the Pledge of Allegiance, as reported in CitizenLink. His demands will be decided by a court notorious for its liberal decisions—the 9th Circuit. A decision on the two cases could take several months. The reference to God on U.S. currency was authorized by Congress in the mid-1800s. Newdow claims in court documents that “In God We Trust” violates the religion of his atheist church and makes it difficult for him to tithe. “He also contends that, when he goes to other countries and he has to give U.S. currency to change over to other currency, he’s being forced to act like a missionary because it has the word ‘God’ on it,” said Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute. Calling “God” unconstitutional is an old tactic for Newdow; he has been stirring up these cases since 2000.

“What he’s trying to do is have the government operate on his behalf to dictate his beliefs, which is completely wrong,” said Judge Roy Moore, chairman of the Foundation for Moral Law.

Doug Napier with the Alliance Defense Fund said that references to “God” are constitutional. “America has a long tradition of recognizing beliefs and faiths, and our Founding Fathers attributed the nation's success to God,” he said. “One atheist shouldn’t spoil it for the rest of us.”

India: Christians throughout Country Finally Can Adopt Children

Ending a long era of absence of adoption rights for non-Hindus, the government has cleared the way for all religious communities in all Indian states to adopt legally, according to an article in Christian Observer. The government of the Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance gave notice of new rules under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act or JJA of 2006, making room for all communities to adopt, reported the national daily The Times of India. “This has ended a long wait by the Christian community which for many years has been urging the government to grant them the right to adopt,” a representative of the Christian Legal Association (CLA) said.

Christians from almost all denominations are happy with the government’s move. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, said, “The new [amended] law will help many more children waiting to be adopted by willing parents, both within India and abroad, thus giving them a new lease on life.”

The Rev. Dr. Richard Howell, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), said that his group welcomed “the significant move” by the federal government “to enhance the legal rights of adopted children and the couples who adopt them.” It is estimated that barely 5,000 children a year are adopted in the country, though there are more than 56 million orphaned and destitute children.

Senators Call for Suspension of Planned Parenthood Funding

Thirteen U.S. senators want to suspend federal funding to groups that promote abortion, primarily Planned Parenthood. The senators sent a letter to key members of Congress who have the power to block the funds. “We’re very encouraged to see the senators taking this strong stand that really would reflect what the majority of Americans want,” Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, told Family News in Focus. Recently, Focus on the Family and about 60 other pro-life organizations asked Congress to suspend Planned Parenthood funding following a 107-count indictment against the group’s Kansas affiliate. Rep. Mike Pence, Republican from Indiana, introduced a bill in the House that would stop federal funding.

Dawn Vargo, associate bioethics analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said, “Given these allegations of illegal practices on the part of Planned Parenthood, taxpayers should not be forced to fund an organization that may be engaged in criminal activity.”

Philadelphia Boy Scouts to Lose Historic Building for Not Accepting Homosexuality

Philadelphia, PA, December 11, 2007. The Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America will lose the lease on its historic premises for its refusal to bow to pressure from the homosexual lobby to accept homosexual members and leaders. The city has told the Boy Scouts that they will be evicted if they cannot come up with $200,000 (US) a year market value rent for the land on which their building sits. Until now, the Scouts had paid a nominal $1.00 per year lease fee although the youth organization had originally owned the premises in 1929. The Beaux Arts style building was built and paid for by the Scouts and turned over to the city with the understanding that the Scouts would be allowed to remain in it rent-free “in perpetuity.”

City Solicitor Romulo L. Diaz, Jr., gave Philadelphia’s “Cradle of Liberty Council” of the Scouts until Monday this week to renounce their policy. The Cradle of Liberty Council is the largest Scouts council in Pennsylvania and is the third largest in the entire Boy Scouts of America. The City of “Brotherly Love” has told the Scouts that they have until June 1 to vacate the historic building.

A US Supreme Court decision in 2000 said that the Boy Scouts is a private organization; as such, they have the right to bar anyone they choose from their ranks. The city of Philadelphia, however, has a policy that no organization that “discriminates” may receive public subsidies, and the City Council is backing Diaz’ interpretation of the law. Diaz, an open and practicing homosexual, told a local radio interviewer that he would begin looking for a new tenant immediately.

Gregg Shields, national spokesman for the Boy Scouts, told the New York Times, “Since we were founded, we believe that open homosexuality would be inconsistent with the values that we want to communicate with our leaders. A belief in God is also mentioned in the Boy Scout oath. We believe that those values are important. Tradition is important. Our mission is to instill those values in scouts and help them make good choices over their lifetimes.” A part of the Boy Scout oath says that a scout promises “to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” Scouting teaches boys to be trustworthy, helpful, kind, cheerful, brave, clean, and reverent.”

An editorial in the Philadelphia Daily News says that the attack on the Boy Scouts comes at a time in Philadelphia when the city is awash in blood and suffers one murder per day, “but City Hall thinks public enemy #1 is the Boy Scouts of America.”

An editorial in Investor’s Business Daily (online edition) asked, “Isn’t it hypocritical, though, to be intolerant in the name of tolerance, to say that it’s wrong to disapprove of the lifestyles of others but okay to condemn the religious and moral beliefs of others? How is it that an organization which has done immeasurable good for tens of millions of boys becomes one of Americas most notorious and dangerous hate groups?”

— R.V.S.

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