http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:08:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25247/michigan-woman-faces-civil-rights-complaint-for-seeking-a-christian-roommate http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25247/michigan-woman-faces-civil-rights-complaint-for-seeking-a-christian-roommate#comments Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:35:13 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=25247 One has to wonder about the sanity of the folks at the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan... and of the person who filed this complaint in the first place:

A civil rights complaint has been filed against a woman in Grand Rapids, Mich., who posted an advertisement at her church last July seeking a Christian roommate.

The ad "expresses an illegal preference for a Christian roommate, thus excluding people of other faiths,” according to the complaint filed by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan.

"It's a violation to make, print or publish a discriminatory statement," Executive Director Nancy Haynes told Fox News. "There are no exemptions to that."

But Joel Oster, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing the woman free of charge, describes the case as "outrageous."

"Clearly this woman has a right to pick and choose who she wants to live with," he said.

"Christians shouldn't live in fear of being punished by the government for being Christians. It is completely absurd to try to penalize a single Christian woman for privately seeking a Christian roommate at church -- an obviously legal and constitutionally protected activity."

Haynes said the person who filed the initial complaint saw the ad on the church bulletin board and contacted the local fair housing organization.

The ad included the words, "Christian roommate wanted," along with the woman's contact information. Had the ad not included the word "Christian," Haynes said, it would not have been illegal.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/25247/michigan-woman-faces-civil-rights-complaint-for-seeking-a-christian-roommate/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24847/us-university-tells-christian-to-change-beliefs http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24847/us-university-tells-christian-to-change-beliefs#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:23:00 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24847 Christian student in the US has been told she will not be permitted to graduate unless she changes her beliefs.

Jennifer Keeton, 24, is studying for a degree in counselling at Augusta State University in Georgia. But University chiefs say her beliefs about sexual ethics do not conform to the prevailing views of the counselling profession, and she much change or get out.

She has been ordered to undergo a re-education plan involving “remediation” assignments and “diversity sensitivity training”.

She must report back on how the re-education has influenced her beliefs. If she refuses, she has been told she faces being thrown off her degree course.

She has also been urged to attend a homosexual parade in Augusta.

American pro-freedom group, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), has come to the student’s aid.

Supported by the ADF, she is suing the University for interfering with her religious liberty.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24847/us-university-tells-christian-to-change-beliefs/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24730/schools-told-no-swimming-in-ramadan-for-muslim-pupils http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24730/schools-told-no-swimming-in-ramadan-for-muslim-pupils#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:46:51 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24730 Islamization of Britain gets a lot of help from politically-correct looneys. Their next target: swimming. Yes, swimming:

Swimming lessons in some Staffordshire schools should stop during Ramadan to ensure Muslim pupils "do not swallow water", a council has suggested.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has issued an 11-page Ramadan guide for schools to help pupils who may be fasting when the school year starts in September.

It said swimming was acceptable to Muslims but posed a high risk of swallowing water that may break a fast. Islam requires Muslims to fast from dawn until dusk for one month per year.

The council said the document, produced by its Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education, was based on information from the Muslim Council of Great Britain, an umbrella organisation that claims to represent up to 500 Muslim groups in the UK.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24730/schools-told-no-swimming-in-ramadan-for-muslim-pupils/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24728/reinstated-the-foster-parent-struck-off-for-allowing-muslim-girl-to-convert-to-christianity-read-more-httpwww-dailymail-co-uknewsarticle-1293635reinstated-foster-parent-struck-allowing-muslim http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24728/reinstated-the-foster-parent-struck-off-for-allowing-muslim-girl-to-convert-to-christianity-read-more-httpwww-dailymail-co-uknewsarticle-1293635reinstated-foster-parent-struck-allowing-muslim#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:27:13 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24728 struck off after a Muslim girl in her care converted to Christianity has won the right to be reinstated.

Gateshead Council’s decision was quashed by a court in Leeds last week, prompting criticism of the former head of its children’s services, Maggie Atkinson, who is now Children’s Commissioner for England.

The carer, a devout Christian in her 50s, was asked to look after the Muslim teenager after the girl was threatened with an arranged marriage and faced violence from her family.

She said she never pressurised the girl to convert to Christianity and the council was aware that she was attending a Christian church, but her foster manager became ‘incandescent with rage’ when she was baptised.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24728/reinstated-the-foster-parent-struck-off-for-allowing-muslim-girl-to-convert-to-christianity-read-more-httpwww-dailymail-co-uknewsarticle-1293635reinstated-foster-parent-struck-allowing-muslim/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24470/hospital-bans-calling-stillborn-babies-angels http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24470/hospital-bans-calling-stillborn-babies-angels#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:16:36 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=24470 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/24470/hospital-bans-calling-stillborn-babies-angels/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23974/schools-criticised-for-replacing-baby-jesus-with-sheep-in-nativity-plays http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23974/schools-criticised-for-replacing-baby-jesus-with-sheep-in-nativity-plays#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:21:38 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23974 In the UK a growing number of schools have scrapped the traditional Mary and Joseph performances in favour of secular alternatives such as Snow White or Scrooge, writes the Telegraph.

Others have removed explicitly religious messages from their re-enactments of the birth of Christ for fear of upsetting pupils of other faiths.

Now vicars have spoken out against this watering down of the nativity, complaining that children are not being taught the spiritual message of Christmas. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23974/schools-criticised-for-replacing-baby-jesus-with-sheep-in-nativity-plays/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23953/trial-begins-of-christians-who-criticised-islam http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23953/trial-begins-of-christians-who-criticised-islam#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:55:46 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23953 In the UK(!) the criminal trial of a Christian couple charged with a public order offence for criticising Islam begins today.

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang of Aintree in Liverpool are being prosecuted for a “religiously aggravated” public order offence. [video]]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23953/trial-begins-of-christians-who-criticised-islam/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23669/christian-couple-face-losing-hotel-after-criminal-charges-for-offending-muslim-woma http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23669/christian-couple-face-losing-hotel-after-criminal-charges-for-offending-muslim-woma#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:56:13 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23669 A Christian Couple face losing their livelihood after being charged with a criminal offence for offending a Muslim woman by saying that Islamic dress is oppressive.

This attack on free speech is the latest example of religious persecution based on political correctness in the UK.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23669/christian-couple-face-losing-hotel-after-criminal-charges-for-offending-muslim-woma/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21022/religious-drawing http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21022/religious-drawing#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:26:27 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21022/religious-drawing http://www.religionnewsblog.com/21022/religious-drawing/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20424/islamification-23 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20424/islamification-23#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:08:29 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20424/islamification-23 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/20424/islamification-23/feed 0