News From The Week Of August 10 – August 14, 2020

Friend:

I’m filling in for Rachel while she’s on vacation with her family, and I’m happy to report that AU’s legal team scored an important victory this week in our ongoing efforts to stop religious discrimination against children and parents in the foster care system.

The U.S. District Court in South Carolina ruled that AU’s lawsuit on behalf of Aimee Maddonna will not be dismissed as both the state and federal governments had hoped, but can in fact proceed.

You might be familiar with Aimee’s story already: She is the mother of three from Simpsonville, S.C., who was turned away from helping children in foster care by a taxpayer-funded agency solely because she is Catholic – the “wrong” religion for the evangelical Christian Miracle Hill Ministries.

AU is fighting on Aimee’s behalf to ensure that no one in America faces that kind of religious discrimination again. Not only is it unconstitutional, but it also denies many children in foster care the loving homes that they deserve.

Click here to read the full statement issued by AU’s Senior Litigation Counsel Ken Upton: [link removed]

There’s a lot going on in the world today, but Americans United remains focused on ensuring that religious freedom is a shield to protect people, not a sword used to harm others – especially vulnerable children in foster care and the families who want to help them. That’s why your support of AU is so critical.

Thanks to you, even in times like these, we can keep up the fight for true religious freedom wherever it comes under attack.

Sincerely,

Rob Boston
AU Senior Adviser and editor of Church & State magazine

My Internship Is Ending, But My Commitment To Church-State Separation Is Not:
The work that Americans United does is always relevant as the Religious Right continues to attack the basic principles of our democracy outlined in the Constitution more than 220 years ago.
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Whether Christian Nationalists Like It Or Not, Religious Diversity Is The Future Of America:
While growing religious pluralism (which includes the right to be entirely non-religious) may alarm Christian nationalists, who react with dismay to any faith that is not their own, most Americans welcome it.
READ MORE » [link removed]

North Carolina Wants To Erect A Statue Of Billy Graham In The U.S. Capitol. It Should Consider Other Options.:
While Billy Graham certainly has his fans, his claim to fame is that he was an evangelist for fundamentalist Christianity. He spent his life trying to convert people to his brand of that faith. That’s great for conservative Christianity, but it didn’t do anything to advance the public interest.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Falwell’s ‘Indefinite Leave’ Gives Liberty University The Opportunity To Shed Its Partisan Image:
Liberty University's trustees should not get distracted by one strange photo. They need to examine Jerry Falwell Jr.’s behavior and statements over the years and ask themselves if those actions have been in the school’s best interests.
READ MORE » [link removed]

On Pandemic-Related Church Closings, Americans Agree With AU, Not Christian Nationalists:
The poll shows that most religious leaders are listening to the opinions of the American people as well as the health directives issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
READ MORE » [link removed]

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