“No one is arguing that atheists do not have the same First Amendment rights of free expression as their neighbors of Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other faiths. This is not the subject of scrutiny. The central question here is how an atheist chaplain can be expected to fulfill a role that, by its very nature, is supposed to serve the religious needs of our service members.”

Read more here.

Prayer and Action

Living our faith means it impacts everything we do. Paul encourages unceasing prayer, and James makes a strong point that faith without works is dead. Have you considered how to positively impact your sphere of influence with the values and care that are derived from faith?

National Prayer Points  

21-Day Fast For Healing Of Our Nation

Faith-Based Adoption Agencies At Risk

“In Dumont v. Lyon, the ACLU is trying to stop the state of Michigan from working with private adoption agencies because they run their programs based on their religious beliefs. Nationwide, we face a crisis-level shortage of families willing to foster and adopt. But in 2017, the ACLU sued the State of Michigan to shut down its partnerships with faith-based foster and adoption agencies, putting at risk thousands of children who desperately need homes.”

Cross Marked For Demolition? Supreme Court Must Hear Case

“…the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit refused to save the historic cross-shaped Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial, which has stood since 1925 in honor of 49 Bladensburg-area men who gave their lives during WWI.” Now First Liberty appeals to the Supreme Court.

Big Cases To Watch At The Supreme Court In 2018

1. Decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop

“The justices heard oral arguments in Jack Phillips’ right-of-conscience case on December 5. The day after oral arguments, the justices met in their closed session, voted on the case, and assigned an author to write a majority decision. We don’t know how the justices voted or who is writing the majority decision. The justices will announce their decision sometime before the end of the term in late June. This will be one of the most-watched cases of the term.

2. Will the Supreme Court grant review in the Rowan County legislative prayer case?

The county board of Rowan County, North Carolina, varied the practice of prayer by rotating through the members of the board. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged this practice, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit initially upheld the practice, but on further review the full court agreed with the ACLU, 10-5, that the practice violated the Establishment Clause.

But in a second case, last September the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 9-6, upheld the practice of county board members praying to open a meeting.  The losing parties have asked the Supreme Court to hear this case, which is made more likely because of the split with the Fourth Circuit.  CPCF filed an amicus brief supporting the board in the Sixth Circuit.

‘Undeniable’ – Updated Religious Liberty Report