Religious News
The Daily Signal reports on faith and religion in America, covering Christian, Jewish, and other faith communities, with analysis and commentary on cultural trends, religious liberty, and moral issues that influence public life.
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Defender of Religious Freedom Sues Nonprofit Tracker GuideStar Over ‘Hate Group’ Labels
A conservative organization dedicated to upholding religious liberty has sued the leading tracker of U.S. nonprofits for publicly listing it as a “hate group.” “It is dangerous to label organizations as hate groups when they’re not, [and] people have used that information to commit acts of violence.”—@MatStaver Liberty Counsel is taking GuideStar to court after…Rachel del Guidice -
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Pro-Life Group Claims Twitter Has ‘Suppressed’ Its Message
A pro-life group is claiming Twitter has “suppressed” its ads. Live Action, a nonprofit organization founded by Lila Rose to promote the end of abortion, released a statement Tuesday about its clashes with the social media giant. Twitter censorship accusations have been growing increasingly frequent in recent years. “While Planned Parenthood is allowed to advertise…Katrina Willis -
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Christian Baker Fears Loss of ‘Everything’ Unless Supreme Court Upholds Right Not to Make Cakes for Gay Marriages
By deciding to hear the appeal of a Colorado baker, the Supreme Court could make its first ruling next year on whether government may coerce some Christians, Jews, and Muslims to use their creative gifts to celebrate same-sex marriage. The high court announced Monday that it would review the case of baker Jack Phillips, who…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Religious Liberty Scores a Win at the Supreme Court
In a big win for religious liberty, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favor of Trinity Lutheran Church’s case against the state of Missouri. The case involved discrimination by the state in giving out publicly funded grants. In an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, seven members of the court agreed that Missouri had…Elizabeth Slattery -
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Pro-Life Leaders Raise Concerns Over Senate Draft of Health Care Bill
Some national pro-life leaders say they are concerned that the Senate’s health care bill draft, released Thursday, which currently includes pro-life provisions, will ultimately fail to include pro-life protections once the bill is finalized. “The expectations of the pro-life movement have been very clear: The health care bill must not indefinitely subsidize abortion and must…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
Trump Nominee Not Hindered by Bernie Sanders’ Religious Litmus Test
No thanks to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., President Donald Trump’s pick for the Office of Management and Budget is one step closer to his new job. After a faith-based grilling that left Sanders red-faced and Americans in shock, Russell Vought’s nomination squeaked out of the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee by the narrowest…Tony Perkins -
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Circuit Court Win for Religious Freedom on Gay Marriage
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously on Thursday that a Mississippi law that protects religious liberty and the rights of conscience in light of the redefinition of marriage may go into effect. In the decision, the circuit court overruled a previous judgment from a district court judge who had declared the Mississippi…Ryan T. Anderson -
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Opposite Sides of Cultural War Meet to Debate Religious Liberty and Discrimination: Here Is What They Said
Amid the ongoing national debate about religious liberty and discrimination, two conservatives and a liberal wrote a book to present their views and discuss where Americans go from here. At an event last week at The Heritage Foundation, the three co-authors—Ryan T. Anderson, John Corvino, and Sherif Girgis—sat down to discuss their book, “Debating Religious…Christine Roe -
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Sanders’ Religious Test Goes Against Founders’ Vision
What does a man’s theology have to do with the U.S. economy? A lot, if you’re Russell Vought. The respected economist, President Donald Trump’s pick for deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget, thought he’d have to answer some tough questions at his Senate hearing last week. But like most of us, he…Tony Perkins -
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GOP Lawmakers Warn Trump That Obama Health Bureaucrat Could Hamper Pro-Life Agenda
Forty-one members of Congress sent a letter Monday to President Donald Trump asking him to replace the head of the National Institutes of Health, citing the current director’s support of embryonic stem cell research. The lawmakers, all Republicans, said the priorities of Dr. Francis Collins, appointed as NIH director in 2009 by President Barack Obama,…Rachel del Guidice -
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Kentucky Court Ruling Protects Artist’s Free Speech, Religious Liberty
When should a business owner’s decisions be condemned as illegal discrimination? Imagine a print shop owned by a devout atheist. A Muslim woman, wearing a hijab, walks into the shop and orders a sign saying, “Allahu Akbar! Allah is greater than all!” Scenario A: The shop owner sees the woman’s hijab when she walks through…Samuel Green -
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Students Sue Professor for Rubbing Out Pro-Life Chalk Messages
Students at the University of California, Fresno sued a professor Thursday for wiping away pro-life chalk messages that were approved by the university. The Students for Life group at Fresno and the group Alliance Defending Freedom are suing Dr. Gregory Thatcher, who teaches public health at the university, for scrubbing out pro-life messages the group had chalked…Rob Shimshock -
- Opinion
Blasphemy Conviction for Christian Governor Could Be Sign of Deteriorating Religious Freedom in Indonesia
Jakarta’s Chinese Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, more popularly known as Ahok, was found guilty of blasphemy by a panel of five judges in Indonesia and sentenced to two years in prison. This latest application of blasphemy laws calls into question the commitment to religious freedom in a country often held up as an example…Olivia Enos -
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Trump’s Executive Order Fails to Address Most Pressing Religious Liberty Threats
President Donald Trump said he’d promote commonsense policies that would “Make America Great Again” and would stand up to politically correct bullying from the left. So why isn’t he doing that in the case of religious freedom? Twice now, he has failed to stand up for commonsense policy on religious liberty when liberal opponents lashed…Ryan T. Anderson -
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Trump to Sign Executive Order on Religious Freedom
President Donald Trump will reportedly be celebrating the National Day of Prayer by signing an executive order to boost America’s first freedom. Trump is meeting with religious leaders for a dinner at the White House Wednesday night and is expected to sign the executive order Thursday morning in a Rose Garden event marking the National…Fred Lucas -
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Religious Freedom, Infrastructure Among Trump’s Plans for Next 100 Days
After wrapping up his first 100 days in the White House on Saturday, President Donald Trump plans to hit a new set of issues, including religious liberty, tax reform, and school choice, a White House official told The Daily Signal. “We want to have legislation that has a profound impact on religious liberty, one that…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
The Key Questions, Comments From Supreme Court Justices in Religious Liberty Case
On Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church’s case against the state of Missouri—a case involving discrimination by the state in giving out publicly funded grants. Missouri has a grant program to offset the cost of resurfacing playgrounds with rubber surfaces made from recycled tires. This helps the state reduce the…Elizabeth Slattery -
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4 Big Questions About the Supreme Court’s New Religious Freedom Case
Missouri’s new governor introduced a fresh dynamic into what was set to be the leading religious freedom case argued before the Supreme Court this year, and the first major case that new Justice Neil Gorsuch will hear. “We have hundreds of outstanding religious organizations all over the state of Missouri,” @EricGreitens says. The Supreme Court…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Religious Liberty Increasingly Under Threat in India Amid Surge of Hindu Nationalism
Last week on April 5, a mob of Hindu vigilantes beat a man to death for transporting cattle in northern India. Cows are sacred in the Hindu religion, but India is a multicultural country with many non-Hindu citizens. This incident, along with the recent appointment of Hindu nationalist priest Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of…James Di Pane -
- Opinion
Charges Against Pro-Life Investigators Show Government’s Double Standard on Investigative Journalists
The undercover Planned Parenthood videos published in 2015 made one thing abundantly clear: Big Abortion skirts the law for its own gain, going to great lengths to hide its illicit activities not only from the public, but even from its own employees. After such revelations, it seems like common sense that the government would defund…Kevin Theriot