“Prayer Caravan” at Schools Raises Questions

Written by Don Byrd
Billy Coleman, the superintendent of Alabama’s Cullman County schools also happens to be Reverend Billy Coleman, a minister in a local church. When he organized a traveling community prayer event to be held outside each public school, it raised some church-state eyebrows. The Freedom From Religion Foundation accused Coleman of using his official public office to promote the prayer event, an allegation the school board

Where is the Limit of Corporate Religious Freedom?

Written by Don Byrd
As I posted last week, the 3rd Circuit recently ruled (in Conestoga) that for-profit, secular corporations cannot exercise religion. A few weeks before that, the 10th Circuit determined exactly the opposite (in Hobby Lobby) in halting the contraception mandate for a closely-held corporation owned by a family with strong religious beliefs.

Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick offers a helpful primer on the inevitable Supreme Court showdown over the religious freedom rights of corporations. Notably, she takes a step back to view this dispute in the larger context of employer-employee relationships and the neverending task of balancing interests.

Faith-Based Dorms at Public University Challenged

Written by Don Byrd
Troy University, a public institution in Alabama, is under scrutiny from church-state advocates for opening “faith-based dormitories” on campus for students who with to integrate their faith more fully into the college experience. The faith-based forms are being leased by private institutions, but some believe that may not be safeguard enough to ensure church-state separation.

Murfreesboro Mosque Opponents Still Trying

Written by Don Byrd
Efforts to halt the construction and opening of an Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee have failed at most every turn. Fortunately, courts have made clear that federal law protects the right of the facility to proceed. Congregants were able to move into the new building last year. But, opponents have yet to concede and are now taking their case to the state Supreme Court.