A counseling student who declined to advise a gay client might have been expelled from her university because of her faith, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday (Jan. 27).

Citing her evangelical Christian religion, Julea Ward disagreed with professors at Eastern Michigan University who told her she was required to support the sexual orientation of her clients. When the graduate student was assigned a client who sought counseling on a same-sex relationship, she asked to have the client referred to another counselor.

Ward was then expelled from the school.

A lower court sided with the university, but Ward appealed, saying the school had violated her First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and free exercise of religion.

On Friday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that Ward could have a valid claim, and sent the case back to a district court for another hearing.

“A reasonable jury could conclude that Ward’s professors ejected her from the counseling program because of hostility toward her speech and faith, not due to a policy against referrals,” the appeals court ruled.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has helped defend Ward, hailed the ruling as a victory for religious freedom.

“No individual should be forced out of their profession solely because of her religious beliefs,” said Eric Rassbach, the Becket Fund’s national litigation director.

The Ypsilanti, Mich.-based university issued a statement noting that the court has not ruled in favor of Ward, but rather called for more legal consideration.

“This case has never been about religion or religious discrimination,” the university said. “It is not about homosexuality or sexual orientation. This case is about what is in the best interest of a person who is in need of counseling.”

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“Radical secularism” is gaining ground in American society and poses a “grave threat” to the Catholic Church’s freedom of expression in the public square, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of U.S. bishops on Thursday (Jan. 19).

The delegation of bishops from the mid-Atlantic region, led by Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, is in Rome for a series of regular “ad limina” visit that occur once every five years.

Benedict said bishops must help Catholic politicians understand that it is “their personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith,” especially regarding the respect for human life.

Catholics must be on guard to confront a “reductive secularism,” Benedict said, which tries to “delegitimize the church’s participation in public debate.”

The pontiff warned that America’s “cherished” tradition of “religious freedom” is under threat as the nation’s moral consensus has been “eroded” by “powerful new cultural currents” that not only run counter to “Judeo-Christian tradition, but (are) increasingly hostile to Christianity as such.”

Benedict’s message echoed a recent campaign by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has warned of a “national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions” over same-sex marriage, contraception mandates and other issues.

Benedict warned that the separation of church and state must not be invoked to force the church to “be silent on certain issues,” or to sideline believers in “determining the values which will shape the future of the nation”.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the bishops’ conference, was not in Rome but thanked the pope in a statement for speaking “eloquently and powerfully on the threats to the church’s moral witness in public life.”

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An advocacy organization for persecuted Christians has asked the 2012 presidential candidates to sign a pledge stating they would make religious freedom a priority in the United States and overseas if they win the White House.

Open Doors USA joined with religious freedom activist Tom Farr of Georgetown University to draft the pledge, which was unveiled Monday (Nov. 28). As of Wednesday, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., was the sole signatory among the candidates.

“The right of religious freedom must be applied equally to all religious communities in America, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and others,” reads the pledge.

“At the same time, religious freedom does not mandate belief, but protects the right not to believe.”

The pledge, endorsed by prominent conservative organizations and individuals, defends the right to use religious arguments when debating laws about abortion and traditional marriage. It also supports “religiously motivated” charitable work.

“Tens of millions of human beings are subject to violent persecution because of their beliefs or those of their tormentors,” Farr said in a statement. “Whoever wins the presidency in 2012 should make religious freedom, at home and abroad, a high priority.”

The pledge calls for the candidate, should he or she become president, to nominate federal judges who support religious liberty. It also asks candidates to make religious freedom promotion a foreign policy priority and urges the appointment of a religious freedom ambassador “who is a person of stature, experienced in matters of religious freedom and diplomacy.”

The Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, a former New York minister, became ambassador last spring. When she was nominated, Farr told Religion News Service he was troubled that the post would not be filled with “an expert in international religious freedom with experience in foreign affairs.”

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The standoff between the White House and the nation’s Catholic bishops over gay marriage and other hot-button issues may be easing after a quiet Oval Office meeting between President Obama and the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Still, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York and other prelates made it clear at their annual meeting on Monday (Nov. 14) that they still see an array of threats that pose an imminent danger to the church’s freedom unless sufficient religious exemptions are granted.

Dolan, president of the bishops’ conference, described his Nov. 8 meeting with Obama — first reported on Saturday by the National Catholic Reporter — as “extraordinarily friendly.”

“It was very candid. I would say there were areas of agreement and disagreement,” Dolan told reporters at the bishops’ gathering.

“But I would say this: that I found the president of the United States to be very open to the sensitivities of the Catholic community that were worried about an intrusion into religious liberty.”

Dolan said Obama was “very sensitive” to the bishops’ concerns over gay marriage and insurance mandates to provide artificial birth control coverage as part of the new health care reform law.

“He was very ardent in his desire to assure me that this is something he will look long and hard at. And I left there feeling a bit more at peace about this issue than when I entered.”

That sentiment, coming after Dolan’s first face-to-face meeting with Obama since he was elected to lead the bishops last year, marks a sea change from tense relations between the U.S. hierarchy and the administration.

Beyond the administration’s decision not to enforce a federal ban against gay marriage, the bishops are worried that state efforts to legalize gay marriage or allow civil unions will force them to choose between the law and their moral beliefs.

That conflict grew deeper in August when the Department of Health and Human Services announced regulations that would require all health insurance policies to provide contraception at no extra cost. Catholic bishops and others say an exemption for religious groups is so narrow as to be meaningless.

The bishops say the decisions represent a pervasive hostility to religious groups, and they’ve established a new Committee for Religious Liberty to defend the church’s interests in Washington.

The policy jousting has been matched by escalating rhetorical broadsides from the bishops. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, Dolan’s immediate predecessor as head of the bishops’ conference, has called Obama’s White House “the most secularist administration in history.”

Last week, Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley of Denver told an anti-abortion group in Dallas that he believes the U.S. “is becoming what I would call an ‘atheocracy’ — a society that is actively hostile to religious faith and religious believers.”

The fight over religious freedom is a central theme of the bishops’ fall meeting. On Monday, Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., head of the new religious liberty committee, told the bishops that “both law and culture are indeed establishing un-religion as the religion of the land.”

“This and more have led to dramatic and immediate threats to religious liberty across our land,” Lori warned.

But Lori and Dolan both pointed out that they believe the church is facing strong cultural headwinds, not just a hostile administration.

“We see in our culture a drive to neuter religion,” Dolan said, warning of a campaign backed by “well-financed, well-oiled sectors, to push religion back into the sacristy.”

And, referring to the church’s own flock, he added, “We have to realize that a whole chunk of our people are not with us.”

In his opening speech Monday, Dolan issued a “mea culpa” of sorts for the church’s own contribution to their recent decline.

“With contrition and deep regret, we acknowledge that the members of the church — starting with us — are sinners, indeed,” Dolan told the 300 bishops. “One thing both sides of the Catholic ideological spectrum at last agree upon is the answer to this question: just who is to blame for people getting mad at or leaving the church?”

“Their unanimous answer?” He looked out at the gathering and spread his arms with a smile, saying, “Nice to meet you!”

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Question: “Should Christians celebrate Halloween?”

Answer: Whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween can be a very controversial topic. Some Christians celebrate Halloween simply by dressing up in a costume and having fun, seeing it as innocent and harmless. Other Christians are equally convinced that Halloween is a satanic holiday established to worship evil spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to celebrate Halloween without compromising their faith?

Halloween, no matter how commercialized, has almost completely pagan origins. As innocent as it may seem to some, it is not something to be taken lightly. Christians tend to have various ways to celebrate or not to celebrate Halloween. For some, it means having an “alternative” Harvest Party. For others, it is staying away from the ghosts, witches, goblins, etc., and wearing innocuous costumes, e.g., little princesses, clowns, cowboys, super-heroes, etc. Some choose not to do anything, electing to lock themselves in the house with the lights off. With our freedom as Christians, we are at liberty to decide how to act.

Scripture does not speak at all about Halloween, but it does give us some principles on which we can make a decision. In Old Testament Israel, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27). The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear.Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don’t mix. The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called Elymas a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and a perverter of the ways of God. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone (Acts 19:19).

So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up as a princess or cowboy and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be avoided? Absolutely! If parents are going to allow their children to participate in Halloween, they should make sure to keep them from getting involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior should still reflect a redeemed life (Philippians 1:27). There are many churches that hold “harvest festivals” and incorporate costumes, but in a godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the Gospel along with the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately ours to make. But as with all things, we are to incorporate the principles of Romans 14. We can’t allow our own convictions about a holiday to cause division in the body of Christ, nor can we use our freedom to cause others to stumble in their faith. We are to do all things as to the Lord.

Recommended Resource:  Halloween: What’s a Christian to Do?

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Roger Williams arrived in Massachusetts almost four centuries ago, just a decade after the first Pilgrims disembarked from the Mayflower. He joined that Puritan effort to build a “city on a hill,” to prove to the nations of the world how God’s people should live. How did things go for Roger? Not so good. He never got that Puritan thing figured out.

After beginning his role as pastor of the church at Salem, Massachusetts, it didn’t take long for Williams’ sermons to ignite an inferno of controversy. He was quickly branded as a heretic, persecuted by the government, put in constant fear for his life, forced to evade deportation back to Europe, and eventually exiled into the New England winter, an exile that remained law on the Massachusetts books until 1936.

What caused Roger so much trouble in the New World? He relentlessly preached liberty of conscience and believed that an individual should have the freedom to choose his or her religious expression, even the right to choose no religion at all. Roger Williams believed in the revolutionary idea that there should be a separation between church and state.

This was a novel idea four hundred years ago. In some circles it still is. Yet, Roger Williams believed in it and practiced it. Rhode Island, the tiny colony he eventually formed, became a safe haven for some of the first Jews, Quakers, Baptists, and other religious dissidents coming to the New World.

Williams didn’t share the beliefs of these variegated groups and often debated with them publically. But he believed they had the God-given right to practice faith as they saw fit, without outside interference.

Using a metaphor that should be repeated in our own day, Williams said the church was like “a garden.” Everything that was aligned with self-seeking power – governments, corporations, systems of control – he called these “the wilderness.” He believed that those churches that gave up their unique role as witnesses to Christ to join with power, even power that “worked,” were permitting the wilderness to intrude upon the garden.

As such, these churches would be manipulated, compromising on issues of love, justice, and mercy. Or those same churches would become the manipulators themselves, using civil power to force their beliefs on others. Such force was the worst of spiritual violations, “like compelling an unwilling spouse to enter into a forced bed,” Williams preached.

Either way, when church and state drank from the same cup, it would be the church that would be poisoned. Roger Williams’ counsel to the Christian church in his day is lasting: Learn to live in the world and bear witness to Christ in it, but do not become a part of it. Or he might say, “Plant a garden in a wilderness; but do not bring the wilderness into the garden.”

William Willimon strikes a similar chord. Once in an interview he was criticized for holding opinions that led Christians to shirk their social responsibilities and to withdraw from society. He responded that yes, Christians should live out their faith, but they should take great care not to force their faith. Faith should be practiced, Willimon said, “like porcupines making love…very carefully.”

All these years after Williams’ exile, I am thankful that we have the freedom and privilege to live out and practice our faith in this country. But like Williams, I do not believe that those privileges can become tools of coercion and force to accomplish some “spiritual” or Christian end.

Faith is an issue of the heart, not a public policy. Faith can empower believers to light a society with grace, love, goodness, and hope, but faith should not be used as a manipulative weapon in the dark, power-play systems of the world.

I know I’m not with the Puritan program either, but standing with Williams I believe that rulers have no right to enforce religion, and religions have no right to enforce rule. To take a different path is to plant the wild and wooly seeds of the wilderness in the garden of faith.

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Three countries, namely China, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam slammed recently a U.S. government religious freedom report which included two of them, China and Saudi Arabia, among eight Countries Of Particular Concern regarding religious freedom.

Vietnam was not included among the eight cited in the U.S. State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report, but was nonetheless mentioned for its treatment of Catholics in detention, including an ailing Catholic priest.

Religious groups backed by China’s government said the report was simply an attempt to smear the country’s image, and denied all of the report’s findings.

“The U.S. report … attempted to smear the image ofChina. The Chinese government has…protected the legal rights and interests of religious people,” a statement from five government-controlled religious associations said, according to the AFP.

“We feel greatly disturbed as the US has tried to interfere in China’s domestic affairs by targeting religion and create chaos among religious people in a bid to harm social harmony,” the AFP reported.

‘World police’

Legal activists and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia also censured the report, and said the US should stop acting as ‘world police’ by meddling in other countries’ internal affairs.

Dr. Muflah Al Qah’tani, chairman, National Society for Human Rights, KSA told Gulf News, “There is a need for those who prepare the report to be objective because there is much focus on individual cases, which are generalized in case of the country. The report ignores reference to any positive or reformatory steps taking place in the KSA.”

Biased, erroneous

Vietnam also rejected the report, and Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi told the government-controlled newspaper, Nhan Dan, that the report had “biased assessments” and “erroneous” information, according to World Community.

Nghi claimed that Vietnam’s constitution protects religious freedom and claimed that the nation’s practice of these rights has gained international recognition.

Especially troubling records

The U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom report covers the second half of 2010, and said that China and Saudi Arabia have especially troubling religious freedom violation records, while Vietnam has a “mixed record.”

The report cited methods of active repression in these and other countries, including the use of torture and violence against religious groups, laws on blasphemy and apostasy, restrictions on religious expression and anti-Semitism.

In China, some 500 Protestants were imprisoned in the past year, according to a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

China was also cited for imprisoning dozens of Catholic priests who did not register with the government, and for destroying places where Christians meet—all of which China denies.

Perhaps the highest incidence of persecution of Christians in China which has gained publicity internationally is that of Shouwang Church in Beijing, which has not been allowed to meet since Easter. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/06/more-members-of-shouwang-arrested-in-china-on-eighth-week-showdown-16180/).

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has been cited for disallowing the public practice of any faith except Islam. News reports have cited imprisonment of Christians, including two Pentecostal Indian nationals who were jailed in Saudi Arabia for six months on trumped up, faith-related charges. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/07/2-christians-released-from-saudi-jail-after-six-months-imprisonment-16808/).

Vietnam

In the case of Vietnam, the freedom report cited issues of religious harassment in provinces and villages, including the treatment of detainees arrested for protesting the closure of the Con Dau Parish Catholic cemetery, and the re-imprisonment of Catholic activist, Father Nguyen Van Ly who is frail after enduring a number of strokes while in detention.

Media reports often cite harassment, repression, and pressure on Christians and other people of different faiths to coerce them to renounce their religious beliefs.

Also mentioned in the report as Countries Of Particular Concern are Myanmar, Eritrea, North Korea, Sudan, Iran and Uzbekistan.

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“Religion is not just about what we do on Sunday morning in worship, it’s about how we live and love our neighbor, how we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God in our dealings with each other. But the law creates a climate of fear…” says the Right Reverend Henry Nutt Parsley, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama.

“We are people under the law and we have to be obedient to the laws, but laws have to reflect the morality of the culture.”

Episcopal, Roman Catholic and Methodist bishops have joined with civil rights groups to challenge an immigration bill signed into law in June by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley that has been described as the toughest enforcement measure in the country. The law makes harboring, transporting or shielding undocumented people a criminal offense. Yet faith communities are often transporting immigrants to church, hospitals, and events, while assisting them with food, shelter and school supplies—the very hospitality commanded by scriptures. “Is that against the law?” Bishop Parsley asks. “Is that a criminal act?”

Senator Bryan Taylor (R) claims the law is meant to crack down on employers who are knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and to provide more employment opportunities for the citizens of Alabama, one reason his constituents largely support it. “It’s not illegal for a church to provide a ride for an undocumented alien to go to a retreat, and it’s certainly not illegal to hold a foreign-language church service at which people who happen to be illegal immigrants might happen to attend.” But the bishops are not waiting to see how interpretation and application of the bill’s law actually manifests once it is in effect. The Federal Court has put it on hold, and is currently reviewing arguments both for against it.

Today Odyssey Networks releases an exclusive story illuminating the issues from the perspectives of both the church and the state in our video “The Immigration Debate: Alabama Bishops Unite to Fight Tough New Law.” One vision seeks to dissipate the fear of seeking spiritual and material support for the “least of these”; the other seeks to alleviate the fear of declining job prospects for the 10% of the state’s population who are unemployed.

Watch the story at www.odysseynetworks.org.

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A federal appeals court in San Francisco dismissed recently a lawsuit filed by a student who claimed that his high school history teacher made statements in class that ridiculed religion and promoted hostility towards Christians.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed last Friday a lawsuit filed by student Chad Farnan against his former instructor, James Corbett, saying that teachers should be able to discuss controversial subjects freely.

In its decision, the court said there is no need to determine whether Corbett’s remarks violate the constitutional requirement for government neutrality, and said there is no clear indication that anyone’s constitutional rights were violated.

The court decision stated, “We must be careful not to curb intellectual freedom by imposing dogmatic restrictions that chill teachers from adopting the [instructive] methods they believe are most effective.”

Farnan filed the lawsuit in 2007 when he was a  sophomore at Capistrano Valley High School. The 15-year-old student taped several statements that Corbett made in class that Farnan felt were offensive.

In his lawsuit, Farnan charged Corbett of “repeatedly promoting hostility toward Christians in class and advocating ‘irreligion over religion’ in violation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause.”

Some 22 statements that Corbett made were presented as evidence by Farnan to the lower court. However, the court ruled that only one statement could be considered, where Corbett referred to a former teacher’s belief in creationism as “religious, superstitious nonsense.”

When the lower court ruled on behalf of Corbett, Farnan appealed the case and requested that all 22 statements that he had recorded be given consideration.

However, the Appeals Court dismissed the case in a 3-0 decision and upheld the decision of the lower court.

Farnan is presently a college student at Pepperdine University. His attorney, Robert Tyler, told The San Francisco Chronicle, “This case is about establishing legal precedent concerning the rights of children to be able to sit in a public school classroom without having their religion attacked.”

Tyler added, “This ruling was a disservice to millions of public school children, parents and teachers,” The Orange County Register reported. “It’s quite ironic that while the Ninth Circuit complains in the decision that the law is unclear as to whether a public school teacher showed hostility in the classroom, it failed to bring clarity when it had the opportunity to do so. Instead of addressing the constitutionality of the case, the court abandoned it.”

Corbett, 38, is still teaching at Capistrano Valley. He told the Orange County Register that he was pleased with the ruling, saying, “The court’s opinion was more than gratifying, it was a victory for free thought and academic freedom. The Ninth Circuit affirmed that in America, no religion has a right to demand that teachers defer to their beliefs. If that were true, teaching would become a constitutional minefield.”

Among the statements Corbett made in the course of teaching lessons in his class was, “When you put on your Jesus glasses, you can’t see the truth.” Corbett also said in another instance, (referring to the 16^th century conflict between religion and science), that evidence of creationism is as plentiful as proof that “there is a giant spaghetti monster living behind the moon who did it.”

In its decision, the Appeals Court said, “In broaching controversial issues like religion, teachers must be sensitive to students’ personal beliefs and take care not to abuse their positions of authority. … But teachers must also be given leeway to challenge students to foster critical thinking skills and develop their analytical abilities.”

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Two Indian Pentecostal Christians who were imprisoned for six months in Saudi Arabia, for alleged attempted Christian conversions, were set free recently and allowed to return to their home country.

Nese Yohan, 31, and Vasantha Sekhar Vara, 28, members of the thriving house church Rejoice in the Church of the Lord in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, returned to India on July 24, after being released two weeks before by Saudi officials.

Vara and Yohan, who are members of a house church with some 70 members, were arrested in January while holding a Bible study in the house church apartment, attended largely by expat Indian workers.

“Saudi religious police and other police confiscated Bibles and other Christian literature as well as the church’s sound installation and instruments, such as guitars, during the [January] raid. They even broke furniture, suit cases, and painted what I believe were Koran verses on the walls,” an elder of the church told Worthy News.

The two men were initially placed on a “pre-trial detention” of 45 days and were severely beaten. Then they were transferred to an infamous and overcrowded jail in Riyadh and detained for months without trial.

When members of the church were allowed to see Vara and Yohan, they looked wan. An elder told Worthy News, “Our brothers’ head hair was shaved and they looked very thin.”

The two men were not allowed to pray or read the Bible. Yohan was coughing and there were concerns about tuberculosis, but he was allegedly denied medical treatment.

They also could not sleep well in the overcrowded cell. The elder told Worthy News that Vara and Yohan were “the only known Christians there imprisoned for their faith. The other inmates are criminals.”

Vara lost his job while in prison. He was also being pressured to convert to Islam, but he refused saying, “If I have to die for my God, I will die for him here,” Worthy News reported.

Their freedom on July 12 was unexpected but welcome news after a lengthy and often frustrating process of negotiations. The elder told Worthy News it was “a result of prayers. The world should know about their plight. Praise the Lord, God gives us victory.”

However, an anonymous source told Worthy News that local authorities have been exerting pressure on the house church, and the homes of members of the church have also been raided. Christians believe Saudi officials are trying to intimidate them so they will not worship in private homes.

False charges, false evidence

“These two Christians have faced false charges and false evidence, Logan Maurer of International Christian Concern told Christian Today. “The Saudi government continues to engage in an array of severe violations of human rights as part of its repression of freedom of religion.”

Saudi Arabia has been cracking down on Christians for many years. In 2004, some 28 Indian Christians were arrested for practicing their faith. In 2008, another 16 Indian workers were arrested and detained for three days. Two years later, half of them voluntarily left the country, and three were deported.

Officially, Saudi Arabia’s 26 million population is 100 percent Muslim, but there are some seven million foreign workers in the country, with 1.5 of them Indian nationals, many of whom are Christian.

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