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You are here: Home / Archives for Religion

Westboro Baptist Church to continue to challenge laws banning funeral protests

March 13, 2014 By Jessica Machetta

A state law that forces funeral protesters to stay 300 feet from has been upheld by the Federal District Court for the Western District of Missouri, but that won’t stop members of Westboro Baptist Church from picketing, nor will it keep them from filing suits that claim the law is unconstitutional.

Westboro in KCMO“The latest ruling was a teeny tiny skirmish in a bigger war,” said Margie Phelps, eldest daughter of Westboro’s leader, Fred Phelps. “The bigger issue that’s being litigated and will probably make its way back to the Supreme Court — either out of Missouri or Nebraska — is whether we’re going to gut the first amendment.”

Margie Phelps and her sister, Shirley Phelps-Roper, have led the legal challenges to the law, claiming it infringes on a right to free speech. The ACLU agrees with them.

“And by that I mean start putting massive distances between big mobs that are out engaged in patriotic pep rallies outside these death events and this little church with its picket signs with an opposing message, that’s really what the battle is,” Margie Phelps said. “And of course that’s against the backdrop of a bigger battle, which is the soul of this nation.”

She said the law is prohibitive because it allows certain groups to gather outside of funerals, but not others.

“It’s a misnomer that they’re there to block us,” she said. “That’s an urban legend that’s been perpetuated by the media. Long before we ever started going out with picket signs to these death events — for at least two years — these bikers and military and citizens were piling up en masse outside these events with a ‘God Bless America,’ flag something approach.”

Margie Phelps said members of the Westboro Baptist Church finally decided that their counter message would create balance.

“It is not a blessing for your young son or young daughter to come home in little pieces in a body bag,” she said. “So we joined the discussion. They’re not there to block us. They’re there to rage against God for what he’s doing to their soldiers.”

Now, she says, the question for the United States Supreme Court is, do they hate the church’s message so much that they will keep piling hundreds of feet onto where church members are allowed to picket.

“Meanwhile, everyone else and their uncle and their dog can be right outside the front door,” she said. 

Margie Phelps said as long as there is a first amendment, and the United States claims to be a nation of laws, members of the Westboro Baptist Church will continue to carry its anti-gay message to venues it deems appropriate.

“When you pass laws against us and they become prohibitive in how they’re applied, we’ll challenge the laws and hold your feet to the fire of your own laws,” she said. “But more important than that, you can put us a million feet away and we’re still going to stand out there with signs and work with social media that was invented for us, and in every lawful way, put these words before this generation’s eyes, because that’s our duty.”

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, Legislature, News Tagged With: LGBT, Religion, Westboro Baptist Church

Bond book points to importance of engaging Muslims in Southeast Asia

September 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond is now an author, having co-written a book on the importance of America working with Muslims in Southeast Asia. Bond, who has spent a good deal of time talking with elected officials and others in that part of the world, appeared on CSPAN to promote “The Next Front: Southeast Asia & the Road to Global Peace with Islam,” which is co-authored by Lewis Simons.

TheNextFrontBond says it is important to spread America’s influence in Indonesia and other Muslim areas of Southeast Asia through business opportunities – not through force.

“Smart power is the only way to reach out to Muslim countries, to convince them that the United States is not their enemy, to show them that we want to work with them on a broad range of issues, creating more jobs, building schools, teaching them, providing them better means in agriculture and providing investments that will help their economies grow and get people employed,” said Bond during his CSPAN interview.

Bond is convinced that opening doors to economic prosperity holds the key to convincing Southeast Asian Muslims that America wants to be a friend. He says the use of military force doesn’t really work.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Religion

Archbishop Raymond Burke to head Vatican Supreme Court

June 28, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

He’s now the former Archbishop of St. Louis – as of 5 o’clock this morning – but he’ll soon be off to Rome for a high profile position at the Vatican. Archbishop Raymond Burke, who headed the St. Louis archdiocese for more than four years, has been appointed to lead the Vatican’s Supreme Court.

Burke would be the first American to head the Apostolic Signatura – the highest judicial authority of the Catholic Church. Bishop Robert Hermann will serve as administrator of the St. Louis archdiocese until a permanent successor is named.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Religion, St. Louis

"Bodies Revealed" Exhibit Under Fire

February 27, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

The Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Diocese says church school field trips should not be taken to the "’Bodies Revealed" exhibit that opens Friday in Kansas City. The statement from the Diocese says Catholic moral teaching considers the person as a unity of soul and body and that respect for human dignity extends to the body even after the soul has left it.

The exhibit uses specimens of people who died of natural causes and donated their bodies to science. The exhibit will be at Kansas City’s Union Station. Organizers of the exhibit say it has great educational value that will be valuable to students of all faiths.

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Religion, St. Joseph

Inspirational Message Deliver with Humor at Prayer Breakfast

January 10, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

An inspirational message was delivered with plenty of humor at the annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast held at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City. A record crowd of more than 750 attended. They heard a keynote address that focused on prayer from Father Mike Coleman of St. Pius X Catholic Parish in Moberly.

Father Coleman gave seven steps to being directed and led by God, using each letter in the word "praying". Coleman told of the pact his 7 th Grade Religion class made to not begin the day without saying addressing God. He wove in humorous stories throughout the message to get across the necessity of repentance, asking, yielding and intimacy.

He ended his talk by urging the audience to never give up, but to turn to God and stating that the "g" in "praying" stands for glee, mirth and joy which should always be a part of prayer. 

Download/listen Father Mike Coleman, Moberly (30 minutes MP3)

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Religion

St. Louis Archbishop Demands Meeting with "Women Priests"

November 13, 2007 By admin Leave a Comment

The Archbishop of St. Louis is demanding a meeting with two women who claim to have been ordained as Catholic priests last weekend.  Archbishop Raymond Burke demands Elsie Hainz McGrath and Rose Marie Dunn Hudson appear before a church tribunal. They say they have no plans to attend the December 3rd meeting because their appearance will not change Burke’s mind. Burke had threatened to excommunicate the women if they went through with the ordination. He says the Catholic Church does not recognize women as priests.  The ordination was sponsored by an organization called Roman Catholic Women Priests.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Religion, St. Louis

Gov. Blunt Wants to Expand Work With Faith-Based Agencies

September 27, 2007 By admin Leave a Comment

Governor Blunt wants to see if cooperation between state government and faith-based agencies can be expanded.

Missouri government has around 2,300 contracts with both faith and community based agencies. State government relies on them to provide services such as care for children and drug rehabilitation for prisoners. Blunt says his initiative, Faith-Based Missouri, will look to expand that relationship. The governor says he understands concerns about separation of church and state and says the state will ensure that no agency that receive state funds will evangelize. Also, Blunt says Faith-Based Missouri won’t be restricted to any one denomination or faith.

A five person team will evaluate how Missouri uses faith-based agencies now; what the state is doing right, what it’s doing wrong and what can be done to encourage greater cooperation.

The five members of the team are Reynaldo Anderson of St. Louis, an assistant professor of education at Harris-Stowe University; The Rev. Andrew Rollins III of Kansas City, an ordained Itinerant Elder in the AME Church; Cole County Sheriff Greg White; Blunt’s Chief of Staff Ed Martin; and Angel McCormick Franks of St. Louis, Director of the Office of Supplier and Workforce Diversity.

The initiative springs from SB 46 approved this year.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:70 MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: Department of Corrections, Department of Health, Department of Social Services, Matt Blunt, Religion

House Tentatively Approves Religious Freedom Measure

April 6, 2007 By admin Leave a Comment

Members of the House have left Jefferson City for their Easter break, but not before approving a resolution that seeks to clarify the religious rights of public schoolchildren. HJR 19 is sponsored by House Speaker Pro Tem Carl Bearden (R-St. Charles). Bearden says it will guarantee that schoolchildren have a right to pray or otherwise express their faith while attending public school.

But Rep. John Burnett (D-Kansas City) sees something more sinister behind the resolution. Burnett confronts Bearden during House debate, accusing Bearden of pushing the proposal in an effort to drive more conservatives to the polls next November. Burnett says it’s a flawed strategy, but one Republicans have employed in the past.

Bearden denies the charge. He points out he pushed the same resolution last year and it would have been on the ballot outside a general election cycle. Bearden contends that recent court cases and some poor interpretation by school officials have lead to confusio

If the legislature approves the measure, it goes to a vote of the people.

The legislature will take Monday off. Lawmakers return to the Capitol Tuesday afternoon.

Download/listen Rep. Burnett challenges Rep. Bearden during floor debate. (:30 MP3)

Filed Under: Legislature, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Democratic Party, Elections, Religion, Republican Party

Faith-Based Organization Talks up Health Insurance Alternative

January 21, 2007 By admin Leave a Comment

Discussion of the effort to expand health care coverage is part of what we can expect from Governor M att Blunt when he delivers his State of the State Address on Wednesday. And, as the Governor and his aides have been finalizing their proposals, representatives of a faith-based organization have been making the rounds at the State Capitol, talking up their ideas to lawmakers. Samaritan Ministries administers its own health care cooperative in which members contribute a monthly gift the group describes as being similar to passing the hat in church. This money is then used to pay the costs of members’ health care needs. Vice President James Lansberry says membership is growing in Missouri, with about 600 families making up 1,800 individuals. Nationwide, about 33,000 people in 12,000 families are taking part. Lansberry points out this is not a health insurance policy, adding nobody involved in the program has his or her own medical insurance. He says Samaritan Ministries can keep the costs down by negotiating for the best prices and by cutting down on administration fees associated with health insurance.

Related web sites:
Samaritan Ministries

Filed Under: Health / Medicine Tagged With: Religion

Social Security Tax Cut Proposed

January 9, 2007 By admin Leave a Comment

A proposal to cut taxes on Social Security benefits will be proposed this legislative session. Whether it passes is very much up in the air. House Speaker Rod Jetton (R-Marble Hill) says it’s time for Missouri to eliminate its income tax on Social Security benefits. It is one of Jetton’s top priorities for the legislative session. Jetton believes the state budget is so robust, Missouri could see a $300-to-500 million surplus at the end of the fiscal year June 30th. He estimates that elimination of the tax on Social Security benefits would cost the state around $100 million. The top Democrat in the House, Representative Jeff Harris (D-Columbia) has been lukewarm to Jetton’s proposal at best and suspects he’s not the only one. Harris questions whether Republican senators share Jetton’s rosy budget outlook. Harris says Democrats aren’t opposed to tax relief. Democrats, in the past, have suggested making college tuition tax deductible. He says he wants to see details about Jetton’s proposal before endorsing it.

Filed Under: Legislature, Politics / Govt Tagged With: budget, Democratic Party, Religion, Rod Jetton

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