6th Circuit: Corporations Cannot Exercise Religion

Written by Don Byrd
The 6th Circuit yesterday joined the conversation about religious exemptions from the contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act. In a 3-0 ruling, the appeals panel rejected a corporation’s call for an injunction against the mandate. Holding that the corporation is not a person capable of exercising religion, the court reasoned, the mandate does not place a burden on the owners.

Religious Freedom Commission Warns of Increased Violence Against Christians in Egypt

Written by Don Byrd
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom today released a letter they sent last week to President Obama, urging him to speak more forcefully against a recent increase in violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt. On August 14, as many as 1,000 Egyptians were killed as protests were forcefully disrupted. Since then, the Commission says, organized attacks on churches are becoming more common.

Michigan to Consider Faith-Based Adoption Measure

Written by Don Byrd
Health care mandates aren’t the only area of government regulation generating controversy among some faith-based organizations. In Michigan, the legislature is poised to vote on a bill that would allow faith-based adoption services to refuse placement with a couple if doing so would violate the agency’s religious beliefs.

Texas Education Board Continues Creationism in Curriculum Push

Written by Don Byrd
The Texas Board of Education is under scrutiny yet again for attempting to insert creationism into the Biology curriculum in public schools. A review of current texts by a committee appointed by the Board is yielding concerns that there is not enough religion in the curriculum.

8th Circuit: Festival’s Bible Distribution Rules Too Strict

Written by Don Byrd
The 8th Circuit yesterday sided with a plaintiff who sought to distribute Bibles at the Twin Cities Pride Festival in Minnesota. Officials required him to distribute materials in an unmarked canopy on the outskirts of the festival area, prompting him to request an injunction on First Amendment grounds. The trial court refused the injunction request, but the 8th Circuit’s decision yesterday reverses that ruling, ordering the lower court to enter a preliminary injunction pending trial.