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Tufts University, a private school in Massachusetts, has now officially ceased to be a university. Tufts has a national reputation for heavy handed suppression of free speech despite its close proximity to places where many of our nation's first great free speech victories were fought and won. Few who are familiar with Tufts will be surprised to learn that their student government has initiated measures to de-recognize a Christian group because its leaders are required to adhere to "basic Biblical truths of Christianity." At Tufts, tolerance equals excluding people in order to be inclusive. At Tufts, discrimination is remedied...

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - To share the details of this weekend's rallies, Catholic Online sat down to talk to Eric Scheidler of the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Coalition. COL: Hello Eric. What's happening this weekend? SCHEIDLER: On Saturday, October 20, tens out thousands of faithful Americans will gather in 140 cities and town across the United States to protest the Obama administration's HHS Mandate, and raise the crucial issue of religious freedom before the public in advance of Election Day. COL: Why is this important? / Why should people care about this? SCHEIDLER: The HHS Mandate is...

Last week, a federal district judge in Missouri dismissed a case against the HHS mandate, ruling that forcing Catholics to pay for contraception and abortion-inducing drugs does not violate their faith, because they remain “free to exercise their religion, by not using contraceptives.” In her ruling, Judge Carol E. Jackson contended that the mandate does not prohibit a business owner’s religious worship or personal decision not to use contraceptives, echoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ contention that the new mandate does not “affect an individual woman’s freedom to decide not to use birth control.” “This Court rejects the proposition that requiring...

<p> 63 million page views 21 readers online now Go to Mobile Site Home Articles Blog Reviews Spoken Books Other Languages Biographical Middle East Forum About this site Mailing List Rampaging Islamists by Daniel PipesThe Washington Times September 19, 2012 http://www.danielpipes.org/11960/rampaging-islamists Print Send Comment RSS Share WT title: "Islamic violence advances Shariah law: Is U.S. ready to accept second-class status?"; includes updates When Muslims take to the streets in nearly 30 countries to engage in various degrees of anti-Western violence, something important is underway. Reflections on what this might mean:The Rushdie Rules have gone viral: Ayatollah Khomeini's 1989 masterstroke of...

The exchange below, between Representative Trent Franks and Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, occurred in late July, but is particularly relevant today. Representatvie Franks tries to extract an assurance from Perez that the Obama administration will not push a proposal to criminalize speech “against any religion.” He has a tough time doing so.

Landmark cases, brought by four British Christians, including two workers forced out of their jobs after visibly wearing crosses, have been heard today at the European Court of Human Rights David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has previously pledged to change the law to protect religious expression at work but official legal submissions on Tuesday to Strasbourg human rights judges made a clear “difference between the professional and private sphere”. James Eadie QC, acting for the government, told the European court that the refusal to allow an NHS nurse and a British Airways worker to visibly wear a crucifix at work...

(CNN) -- The Republican National Convention will make history Wednesday night. Ishwar Singh, wearing a turban and beard, will take the stage and lead thousands of conservatives in prayer. For the first time in U.S. history, a Sikh American will give the invocation at a Republican National Convention. The inclusion of a Sikh prayer on the stage comes just a few weeks after a gunman opened fire on Sikhs praying in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six and hospitalizing three more in what could be the largest racially motivated mass shooting in recent U.S. history. Many praise the invocation as a...

Christian minister accused of “Crime against Humanity” Scott Lively targeted by an international homosexualist plot By Julio Severo Two years ago, Scott Lively, author of “The Pink Swastika”, addressed members of the Ugandan Parliament, which was considering a bill criminalizing homosexuality. Lively urged an emphasis on therapy rather than punishment, and, after the bill was released he opposed the death penalty provision. Scott Lively: accused of “Crime against Humanity” Now, on March 14th a lawsuit was filed in an American court alleging that Lively committed the “Crime Against Humanity,” by speaking against homosexuality in Uganda. The plaintiffs say that his...

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Activists would have us believe that the issue of marriage is about the “rights” and “equality” of homosexuals. But in reality, the push to redefine marriage is about demanding public approval and celebration of homosexuality. There is a difference. Slot machines are legal in some areas, but if the COO of Chick-fil-a had expressed a personal disapproval of gambling, would slot-machine supporters have demanded a boycott of his restaurants? What about smokers? Would they have lambasted Dan Cathy for expressing that he personally does not approve of smoking? No. Because at the end of...

The homosexual lobby wants to outlaw Christianity. This is the real meaning behind the uproar over Chick-fil-A. The chicken sandwich franchise has become a lightning rod for the culture war. Liberals despise it; conservatives back it. Supporters of gay marriage want to prevent the Atlanta-based chain from expanding, demanding new restaurant permits be denied. The reason: Its CEO Dan Cathy opposes same-sex marriage. In an interview with the Baptist Press, Mr. Cathy was asked his views on the issue. He said that he supports the “biblical definition of the family unit.” Meaning — horror of all horrors — that Mr....

A 10-year-old Jewish girl may become a Christian after a judge rejected claims by her mother that she had been “brainwashed” and was too young to change faith. Judge John Platt said: “My job is to decide simply what is best for you and I have decided that the best thing for you is that you are allowed to start your baptism classes as soon as they can be arranged and that you are baptised as a Christian as soon as your minister feels you are ready.” But the judge stressed that it did not mean the girl would lose...

Photo gallery and article: "For many who went to eat at Chicago-area Chick-fil-As Wednesday amidst calls to support the company president’s anti-gay marriage stance, it didn’t come down to whether they agreed with him or not. Rather, they said, it was simply to show they supported Dan Cathy’s right to espouse his beliefs — beliefs that they said shouldn’t impact whether another Chick-fil-A should be allowed to open in the city. “I came out to support freedom of speech,” said Bob Matter, a paralegal and self-described atheist, liberal and supporter of gay marriage. Matter, like hundreds of others, flocked to...

Americus Reed, a marketing professor at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School who studies brand loyalty, says Cathy underestimated what might happen once his comments to a niche religious publication and a syndicated radio show spread to a wider audience. "I think this is part of the wake-up call for companies to understand that social media makes these decisions very, very risky," Reed said, "because it's much easier now for these messages to get out to consumers and consumers to virtually organize."

A federal court issued an order Friday that halts enforcement of the Obama administrationÂ’s abortion pill mandate against a Colorado family-owned business while an Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit challenging the mandate continues in court.The mandate has generated massive opposition from pro-life groups because it forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties.Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys obtained the first-ever order against the mandate on behalf of Hercules Industries and the Catholic family that owns it. The administration opposed the order, arguing, contrary to the U.S....

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Seven attorneys general trying to block the federal health care law's requirement for contraception coverage saw their lawsuit dismissed Tuesday by a federal judge who said they didn't have standing to file it. U.S. District Court Judge Warren K. Urbom ruled that the states failed to prove they would suffer immediate harm once that part of the law is enacted. The Nebraska federal judge also noted that President Barack Obama's administration has agreed to work with religious groups to try to address their concerns. The lawsuit was challenging a rule in the law that requires contraception...

In spring, bicycles come out of storage, newspaper photographers snap pictures of people riding them, and those photos generate letters of complaint to The Washington Post. “You do both bikers and wannabes a great disservice in illustrating this article with a photograph of a biker who is not wearing a helmet,” wrote a correspondent on May 19 . "This isn't the first time The Post has done this. Please give more consideration to issues of safety and awareness." A week later, a different writer added, “I would appreciate that The Post (in addition to publishing the helmet comments that have...

This speech was delivered last night in Indianapolis to a group of Catholic journalists on the eve of the “Fortnight for Freedom,” a national campaign of teaching, witness, and prayer against the abortifacient and contraceptive mandate and in favor or religious freedom. I’ve known Greg Erlandson as a friend for many years. So I was glad to accept his invitation to join you tonight. And I’m very glad to speak on the theme of religious liberty because events in our country have made it an urgent concern. I can sum up my remarks tonight in five simple points. First, religious...

FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION:Putting Beliefs into PracticeAn Open Letter from Religious Leaders in the United States to All Americans Dear Friends, Religious institutions are established because of religious beliefs and convictions. Such institutions include not only churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship, but also schools and colleges, shelters and community kitchens, adoption agencies and hospitals, organizations that provide care and services during natural disasters, and countless other organizations that exist to put specific religious beliefs into practice. Many such organizations have provided services and care to both members and non-members of their religious communities since before the Revolutionary...

Demonstrators gathered on Capitol Hill Friday afternoon decried the Obama administration's policy to require private health insurance plans to cover contraception as a violation of religious freedom. The rally was affiliated with more than 100 other demonstrations under the same name taking place across the country. The issue has united multiple faiths, with evangelical, Orthodox Jewish, Roman Catholic and Mormon leaders recently forming networks in every state dedicated to promoting religious liberty, starting with their opposition to the mandate. Last year, an advisory panel from the Institute of Medicine, which advises the federal government, recommended including birth control on the...

Religion once again stands on the front lines of liberty. LifeNews reports on a powerful new legal challenge to ObamaCare, launched by groups that have been given ample reason to take up arms against it: Notre Dame, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and dozens of Catholic hospitals and organizations have filed a total of 12 lawsuits today against Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Obama administration over the controversial HHS mandate. The lawsuit challenges the Obama administration’s unprecedented mandate that attacks the freedom to practice religion without government interference. Under the HHS mandate, employers must provide insurance coverage...