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Gingrich’s Anti-Secularism Greatest Hits

By Sarah Posner

…matically raise public awareness of threats to religious liberty.” Gilgoff reported that ReAL prepared a PowerPoint presentation to show groups like the Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Tax Reform that “politicians with the strongest socially conservative records also have the strongest antitax records.” And as Peter Montgomery reported here, just days after the 2010 midterms, Gingrich, Garlow, and Barton held a conference call with pators at…

Jesus Hates Taxes: Biblical Capitalism Created Fertile Anti-Union Soil

By Peter Montgomery

…cision to obey God, they are religious. And in April, religious right and Republican leaders will gather for the second year in a row at Liberty University at the invitation of the Freedom Federation, a collection of religious right groups launched in 2009 with a Declaration of American Values, which added opposition to progressive taxation to the religious right’s usual issue agenda. While the Freedom Federation refers to itself as a federation…

Quote of the Day

By Sarah Posner

The Hill reports that Republican Congressman Phil Gingrey of Georgia walked out of the president’s speech to the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday. Said his spokesperson: “He was disturbed and offended by the president’s use of prayer and reflection time for partisan politics and class warfare,” [Jen] Talaber said. “Rep. Gingrey enjoyed listening to the keynote speaker and found the breakfast to be inspiring until President Obama began politick…

No Space for American Islam?

By Mark Bergen

…who engages in religiously-based political advocacy, no matter how benign. Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican, has called for a probe into the center’s funding. It’s a tactic that many opponents have used, with varying degrees of intensity. In mid-July, the city’s Landmark Preservation Committee held a public hearing to consider the building that Park51 would replace. Opponents hoped to grant it landmark status to deter the center’s constru…

The Republicans’ Dangerous Quest to End Nonexistent Taxpayer-Funded Abortion

By Sarah Posner

…provision in a previous version of H.R. 3 was removed after public outcry, Republicans are using “a sly legislative maneuver to make sure that even though the language of the bill is different, the effect remains the same.” (Republicans are trying to narrow the definition of “rape” so that there would be fewer potentially federally funded abortions subject to the rape exception under the Hyde Amendment.) FURTHER UPDATE, 5/4/11: The measure passed…

Religious Leaders Pledge to Protect Religious Freedom—For Everyone

By Sarah Posner

…cials and political candidates to reject bigotry and protect religious freedom. These religious leaders were not advocating the religious right’s vision of religious freedom, such as calling for exemptions from participating in same-sex wedding ceremonies. The pledge that 50 religious leaders, including the 21 who were on the Cathedral steps, signed reads: I, ______________, pledge and commit to the American people that I will uphold and defend th…

Democrats Look to Conservative Evangelicals on Immigration

By Sarah Posner

…can play a vital role,” said Schumer. “You have great links to many of our Republican senators, they have great respect for you… Please, if you could help us get some Republicans to just sit in a room and talk with us, we could get a bill done this year.” What wasn’t discussed on the call with Conservatives for Comprehensive Immigration Reform was that Schumer had gained the support of conservative evangelicals in part by telling them that the Uni…

Why the King Hearings Should Matter to Mormons

By Joanna Brooks

Tomorrow, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, will use his authority and the sacred space of the US Capitol Building to put an entire religion on trial when he convenes a hearing on the “Radicalization of American Muslims.” King has a long track record of Islamophobic conduct, and the planned hearings are being decried by religious leaders and scholars as an abuse of government power, a blow to religious freedo…

Texas Textbooks, Kenyan Constitution, And Slurs Of “That Jew” and “Monkey God”

By Christopher Marchsteiner

…becomes law. President Nicolas Sarkozy defended the law, saying “Citizenship should be experienced with an uncovered face. There can be no other solution but a ban in all public places.” “Nobody? Nobody is for pornography? Well, I’m shocked,” said Rep. Bart Gordon. A New York Times editorial today calls the incident a “stunt” intended to cut spending on the National Science Foundation. “This is how things are now in Congress as partisans propose m…

Religious Left Prepares to Take On Obama Administration

By Daniel Schultz

…m is built upon balancing competing interests. To create that balance, the representatives of those interests need to speak up and press their case over and against the current leaders, regardless of the current leaders’ ideological bent. And to answer some criticism before it arrives: yes, it’s important to build broad, centrist coalitions to get the best possible deal currently available. At the same time, it’s important for activists to agitate…