The pope, Obama and religious freedom Published: Mon, Jan 30, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI cut to the chase when meeting with the visiting bishops from Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the U.S. Armed Services. The pope mentioned "religious freedom" in the third sentence of his Jan. 19 remarks at the Vatican and he never let up -- returning to this hot topic again and again. The bottom... Read More

Bishops change course on religious liberty Published: Tue, Nov 8, 2011 When it comes to changing course, ecclesiastical bureaucracies are like giant oceangoing vessels that struggle to turn quickly when obstacles appear in their paths. It took time, but the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has made a sea change in how it works on religious freedom issues. Faced with what they see... Read More

Terry Nichols challenges ruling on diet Published: Sat, Aug 28, 2010 DENVER (AP) — Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is challenging dismissal of his lawsuit over his prison diet and wants the judge disqualified. Nichols filed motions Thursday in federal court in Denver, claiming that U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello should be disqualified because of bias... Read More

Court rejects appeal from polygamous sect Updated: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's Supreme Court has rejected a petition from members of a southern Utah-based polygamous sect seeking a reversal of changes made to its communal land trust. In a ruling issued Friday, justices say members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints waited too long... Read More

Clergy express fear of unknown Updated: Thu, Oct 23, 2008 Fear of breaking the rules of separation between church and state at times can keep churches and schools from coming together for students. But Oklahoma religious leaders who participated earlier this year in the Educators and Clergy Conference in Norman said they were taking the initiative to aid neighboring... Read More

Interfaith Updated: Thu, Oct 23, 2008 Saad Mohammed feared the worst after the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Would his neighbors blame all Muslims for the misdeeds of an extremist few? Would Oklahomans turn against him and other members of the Islamic community? He needn’t have worried. Read More

Group files suit over 'I Believe' plates in SC Updated: Thu, Jun 19, 2008 COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A group that advocates separation of church and state filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to prevent South Carolina from becoming the first state to create "I Believe" license plates. The group contends that South Carolina's government is endorsing Christianity by allowing the... Read More

A wartime voice Updated: Sat, Jun 10, 2006 "C.S. Lewis in a Time of War" by Justin Phillips (HarperSanFrancisco, $21.95) Before World War II, C.S. Lewis was an Oxford scholar of modest renown. By its end, he was a popular broadcaster, a trusted voice who comforted Londoners through Hitler's bombings, and a champion of Christian ethics. What transformed... Read More

Iowa Prison Ordered to Close Bible Program Updated: Sat, Jun 3, 2006 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A judge has ruled that a Bible-based prison program violates the First Amendment's freedom of religion clause by using state funds to promote Christianity to inmates. Prison Fellowship Ministries, which was sued in 2003 by an advocacy group, was ordered Friday to cease its program... Read More