Freedom From Religion Foundation Contests Religion Subsidy

The city of West Lafayette, Ind., cannot legally subsidize Faith Ministries' Faith West Project with $7 million in economic development revenue bonds, FFRF Co-President Dan Barker said in a May 21 letter of complaint to Mayor John Dennis and the City Council.

FFRF, with more than 18,000 members nationwide and 250 in Indiana, advocates for state-church separation. Multiple local complainants contacted FFRF about city Ordinance 11-12, which violates a clause in the Indiana Constitution that states "No preference shall be given, by law, to any creed, religious society, or mode of worship."

Cost of the complex is pegged at $11.5 million. It would house a student ministry, fitness and counseling centers, a cafe and apartments. The Plan Commission unanimously OK'd the project in March. A public hearing before the City Council is May 24.

Faith Ministries refers to the project on its website as “a new student and biblical counseling center.” Barker noted that since the bonds the city would issue benefit the project as a whole, the city would in fact be supporting biblical counseling.

FFRF was contacted by one of its members, who's a local resident, who said he took part in "reparative homosexual therapy" at Faith Ministries’ Faith Baptist Church as a teen. The complainant said:

"My sessions at Faith Baptist Church were the most hurtful, damaging and humiliating experiences of my life. I was forced to divulge any and all sexual thoughts and keep them in a journal. I was also interrogated about my masturbation habits and the sexual fantasies that accompanied them. All of this was performed by an unlicensed therapist and observed by three therapists-in-training. It has taken years to overcome the shame and self-loathing these sessions caused, and I’m still not there yet."

Faith Ministries says online that it's “motivated by the belief that God's Word is sufficient, and that people who follow its life-changing message can bring glory to God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This belief pervades how we worship together and serve others, and is the foundation for our ministries.”

Dennis has stated that he believes the religious mission of Faith Ministries can be “carved out” from the parts of the Faith West Project that the city would subsidize. Barker called that a fiction. "Money is fungible, and the funding used for one portion of the project is simply used to offset the costs of other components."

Barker added, "Faith Ministries’ evangelical mission extends to every corner of its work; it is the reason they exist.

"Has the city determined if the Covenant Student Ministry Housing will require residents to agree to a statement of faith or religious code of conduct? It does not seem possible to ferret out nonreligious components to the Faith Ministries programming."

Barker warned against bias in favor of preferred religious groups. "Of course the council would likely not give $7 million in economic development revenue bonds to a mosque or to an atheist organization."

FFRF's concerns include Faith West potentially receiving a property tax exemption (which doesn't help improve the city's tax base) and claims it will only create 16 permanent jobs and two internships.

"All but just a few of those jobs are lower level jobs, such as custodians and customer service workers. The large amount of the bond by the city is grossly disproportional to the quality and quantity of jobs that would be produced," Barker said. "Will those jobs be open to all in the community? Faith Ministries is not an equal opportunity employer."

Barker urged the council to reject the ordinance that would subsidize an exclusionary and discriminatory religious ministry.

Temptation in a Lingerie Store

Not any lingerie store, but one owned by reportedly Orthodox Jews (my guess this is what uninformed journalists call the Hasidim).  As reported by the New York Post,

Busty blond Lauren Odes says the Orthodox Jewish owners of Fifth Avenue lingerie company Native Intimates canned her because she was “just too hot” for their Midtown showroom filled with skimpy satin and lace underthings.

“I was working in a business that is not a synagogue but is instead selling thongs with hearts that are placed in the female genitalia area and boy shorts for women that say ‘Hot’ in the buttocks area,” fumed Odes yesterday in announcing her explosive Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the wholesaler.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/am_two_big_to_fail_fired_gal_9kvJEdrnS4R7tQMtHKYr6M#ixzz1vkMOzwCt

Hasids vs the Internet

Even the hot-sauce ads were too hot for the Hasids.
Orthodox rabbis yesterday declared such social-networking sites as Facebook off-limits, at a massive anti-Internet event that drew more than 60,000 to Citi Field and neighboring Arthur Ashe stadium.
Those who spoke were shown on the scoreboard at Citi Field between two ads for Cholula hot sauce — with the image of its matronly female trademark covered up.
“Enough with the schmutz — we want to be clean,’’ said Rabbi Waxman of Lakewood, NJ. Waxman, like all other rabbis who spoke, were identified by their last names only.

Michael Hicks

Speaking before 42,000 bearded men in black hats — no women allowed — at Citi Field and another 22,000 at Arthur Ashe, Waxman said that the Internet, “even with a filter, is a mine field of immorality.”
“Children are being turned into click vegetables . . . I’ve seen people with my own eyes giving 11-year-olds BlackBerrys and iPhones and cellphones. I can’t believe it,’’ he said.

Eytan Kobre, spokesman for the event, organized by The Union of Communities for the Purity of the Camp, insisted, “[Facebook] has left a trail of broken marriages.”

For the women, there were six live video feeds across the tri-state area.
Attendee Moshe Birmbaum, 19, of Toronto, said that he has a Facebook profile, but that after yesterday’s sermons, “I’m going to delete it now. I don’t think I’ll be losing anything.’’

Zev Munk, 19, of Passaic, NJ, said he’d already given up Facebook and Twitter. “Now, I’m clean,’’ he said.

Older attendees spoke of the Web’s dangers.
“Once you start it, you go from one page to another, but it’s empty. It brings you into a fantasy. It’s an addiction,” said Moshe Soffer, 28, of Brooklyn.

The Union of Communities raised more than $1.5 million for the event. Tickets sold for $10 and were given free to male high-school students. But once seats sold out, scalpers took to — what else? — the Internet.
An eBay posting for a single ticket drew a high bid of $117.50, while a Craigslist ad offered six tickets for $613.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/what_kvetch_at_citi_hvj7UcweRnsS7vKOingHFJ#ixzz1vY75MQTk

Atheist Alliance of America, Labor Day Weekend, Denver

The Atheist Alliance presents its 2012 national convention, entitled "Ascent of Atheism", during the Labor Day weekend in Denver.  It is hosted by the Boulder Atheists with COCORE (Colorado Coalition of Reason).  You can find out more on their website or Facebook page.

 

(the photo above is from their 2011 conference)

Center for Inquiry Urges Obama Administration Not To Retreat Any Further on HHS Regulation; Expresses Concern About Catholic Lobby’s Influence on Public Policy

Center for Inquiry Urges Obama Administration Not To Retreat Any Further on HHS Regulation; Expresses Concern About Catholic Lobby’s Influence on Public Policy

On Friday, Feb. 10, the Obama Administration announced that it would continue to require health insurance providers and organizations providing health care plans to cover preventive health services, such as birth control, without charging a co-payment. However, it indicated that it would allow religiously affiliated employers not to offer contraceptive coverage directly—although their insurers would still have to offer such coverage.

The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is pleased that the Obama Administration has continued to hold firm to the principle that employees must have access to contraceptive services as part of any employer-sponsored health plan and has decided to keep in place the substance of guidelines that require health insurance providers and organizations providing health care plans to cover preventive health services without charging a co-payment. Nonetheless, CFI is concerned that the administration has apparently felt obliged to modify its proposed regulation in the face of pressure, especially from the Catholic Church.
Specifically, the White House announced Friday that “if a woman works for religious employers with objections to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, the religious employer will not be required to provide contraception coverage, but her insurance company will be required to offer contraceptive care free of charge.” In other words, if employers object to providing free coverage for birth control, health insurance companies will have to fill in the gap.
The original regulation, initially issued in August 2011 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), faced fierce attacks from various religious organizations ever since HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius first announced it. Most notably, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has vigorously lobbied the HHS to either eliminate the new guidelines or widely expand the current exemption clause—which covers employers whose main purpose is to promote religious doctrine and who mainly employ people of the same faith—to also include religious hospitals, charities, and universities. At that time, the Center for Inquiry urged both President Obama and Secretary Sebelius to reject religious lobbying efforts and base their policies on science and reason.
Substantively, the administration appears to be holding steady, but it is unclear whether the accommodation it has recently offered religious employers is either wise or prudent. There was no need to change what was already a sound policy. It was certainly not necessary to change the rule from a constitutional perspective. Contrary to the objections of the Catholic Church and some other groups, the regulation in no way restricts the free exercise of religion. No one is being forced to use birth control. The rule merely requires that all employers that provide secular services follow the same rules.
Moreover, although the modification the administration has offered seems designed to mollify religious critics, it is unlikely to do so. To the contrary, it may only encourage these critics to apply further political pressure.
Collectively, the new rules—which go into effect August 2012—are an important step forward for reproductive rights. Regardless of the recent political maneuvering, it appears women will have free access to safe, preventative health care, and control over their reproductive systems.
Yet CFI is concerned that the Catholic lobby has been able to exert so much influence over a major public policy decision. This drawn out debate over something as basic as birth control is a perfect example of the harmful influence of religious institutions on public policy.

Center for Inquiry Charges Country Club with Religious Discrimination After Cancelled Dawkins Event

On April 30, 2012, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) filed suit against a Michigan country club for religious discrimination and breach of contract after the club cancelled an event because of the attendees’ lack of religious beliefs.

CFI is charging the Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and its owner with violation of the Civil Rights Act and with breaking its contract with CFI’s Michigan branch. The Wyndgate cancelled a scheduled CFI–Michigan event to be held October 12, 2011, that would have included an address by Richard Dawkins.

The Wyndgate justified breaking its contract by stating that “the owner does not wish to associate with certain individuals and philosophies,” referring to the “philosophies” of Professor Dawkins and other nonbelievers. The expressed reasoning for the cancellation specifically referenced Dawkins’ October 5, 2011, appearance on The O’Reilly Factor, during which Dawkins’ atheism was central to the conversation. Wyndgate thus denied use of its public accommodations entirely on the basis of religion. 

“This was to be an opportunity for friends to gather, enjoy each other’s company, and hear from one of their favorite authors, an internationally renowned professor; but the Wyndgate opted to breach its contract simply because atheists would be taking part,” said Steven Fox, Legal Director for CFI. “If this kind of discrimination was directed at any religious group there would rightfully be no end to the outrage. The fact that the victims are nonbelievers makes it just as wrong, just as unacceptable, and just as unconstitutional—and we will not let it stand.” 

Since filing suit, the case has been featured in media coverage by such outlets as The Detroit News, The Oakland Press, MLive, and WJR’s Frank Beckman Show.

Read the full complaint here.

Brooklyn DA Plays Sex-Abuse Politics

Michael Lesher writes in the New York Post (4/30/2012) that Brooklyn DA Hynes’ refusal to disclose almost any information about the arrest or prosecution of alleged sex offenders from the politically powerful Orthodox community is not only discriminatory; it’s also a cynical insult to the victims his office is pledged to support.  According to Mr. Lesher's very serious accusations, the DA discriminates in favor of the orthodox community in exchange for political support, refusing to prosecute sexual abuse crimes.

Here is the rest of the article:

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/brooklyn_da_plays_sex_abuse_politics_LsnRghMdPD2RFY6WVwtWfM#ixzz1uhHFkq6F

TAKE ACTION: Tell HHS to Stop Funding Abstinence-Only Sex Education

In April, the Department of Health and Human Services added Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education, an abstinence-only education program, to its list of evidence-based pregnancy prevention programs that receive government funding. This decision was based upon unpublished, unreliable, and biased research conducted at Brigham Young University.

Studies typically go unpublished because critical review would shine light on bias or skewed data. This study did not include the conflicts of interest disclosure required by most journals to publish research. This is likely because there is a clear conflict of interest for researchers at BYU, where the university honor code requires students and faculty “live a chaste and virtuous life.” This bias leads researches to draw conclusions based on their existing belief. 

The testing procedure calls the reliability of this study into question. Instead of randomly deciding which students would receive the abstinence-only education, researchers purposefully selected which students would participate in the abstinence-only program. Intentional selection allows researchers to fill the abstinence-only education group with students already more likely to abstain from sexual activity and then attribute their abstinence to the program. Additionally, only past studies by the lead researcher are cited when describing the reliability and validity of the testing measures. 

Government officials should rely on high quality research, not studies tainted by religious belief, when making health care and education policy decisions.

Please tell the Department of Health and Human Services to remove the Heritage Keepers Abstinence Education program from its list of evidence-based pregnancy prevention programs that receive government funding until they are supported by published, unbiased, reliable research. 

Thank you for all of your support.