Troubling the Water in Switzerland
This issue of A Public Witness takes you inside the modern debate about public baptisms in Switzerland to consider what this can teach us about balancing church and state.
Mississippi, Under Judge’s Order, Starts Allowing Religious Exemptions for Childhood Vaccinations
His ruling came in a lawsuit filed last year by several parents who said their religious beliefs have led them to keep their children unvaccinated and out of Mississippi schools.
After Quran Burnings, UN Rights Body Calls for More Action to Combat Religious Hatred
After the vote, Ambassador Khalil Hashmi of Pakistan insisted the measure “does not seek to curtail the right to free speech,” but tries to strike a “prudent balance” between it and “special duties and responsibilities.”
Court Sides With Amish Families in Case That Pits Septic Tank Rules Against Religious Beliefs
A three-judge panel ruled that the government “failed to demonstrate a compelling state interest” to justify overriding the religious freedom of the Amish families that challenged state regulations governing the disposal of gray water.
Faith in the Land of the Midnight Sun
This issue of A Public Witness travels to Norway to hear from Christians who are wrestling with what it means to live and witness as a Christian in a post-Christendom society.
The Supreme Court Rules for a Designer Who Doesn’t Want To Make Wedding Websites for Gay Couples
In a defeat for gay rights, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled Friday that a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples.
France’s Highest Administrative Court Says the Soccer Federation Can Ban Headscarves in Matches
The ruling is likely to refuel the lingering debate on secularism — still volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on separation of church and state that established it as a principle of the French Republic.
Supreme Court Solidifies Protections for Workers Who Ask for Religious Accommodations
The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who didn’t want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations.
Arizona’s Oak Flat Is Sacred Land to Some Native Americans, but It’s Endangered by a Plan for a Mine
A religiously diverse coalition — Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and other Native American groups — has backed the Apache Stronghold by filing amicus briefs.
Arabic ‘In God We Trust’ Signs Will Test Limits of Louisiana’s Law
Schools across Louisiana will also receive free LGBTQ+ Pride-themed posters to hang in their classrooms, though the designs might not be what some state lawmakers had in mind when they passed the new mandate Tuesday.