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Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith

Employment Division, Department of Human Resources of Oregon v. Smith

U.S. Supreme Court 1990 In Sherbert v. Verner, the Supreme Court had said that under some circumstances the government could not impose laws that burdened religion — even if that harm was incidental or accidental.  This issue reappeared thanks to the case of a man named Al Smith, who was definitely no relation to the Catholic New York governor but had other remarkable connections to earlier themes in religious history. Smith was a Native American who had been sent to…

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Address at the Cornerstone Laying of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church by Harry Truman

Address at the Cornerstone Laying of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church by Harry Truman

President Harry Truman April 3, 1951 […] There has never been a greater cause. There has never been a cause which had a stronger moral claim on all of us. We are defending the religious principles upon which our Nation and our whole way of life are founded. We are defending the right to worship God–each as he sees fit according to his own conscience. We are defending the right to follow the precepts and the example which God has…

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Cantwell v. Connecticut Majority Opinion

Cantwell v. Connecticut Majority Opinion

US Supreme Court Justice  1940 This was the case through which the U.S. Supreme Court “incorporated” the “free exercise” clause of the First Amendment so that state and local governments could no longer infringe on the rights outlined in the Constitution.  The case arose after Newton Cantwell and his son Jesse went to spread the gospel in a Catholic neighborhood in New Haven, Connecticut. They brought a portable hand-cranked phonograph and played bits of Rutherford’s book Enemies, which includes passages…

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The Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses

American Civil Liberties Union 1941 These are excerpts from a report done by the American Civil Liberties Union in 1941.  The ACLU represented the Witnesses in several of their cases. Only a recital of the extraordinary incidents which reached their peak in May and June of this year will indicate the extent of the persecution. The following instances are taken from the volume of testimony presented to the Department of Justice based upon affidavits and reports from the field, and…

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Sherbert v. Verner

Sherbert v. Verner

U.S. Supreme Court 1963 The Supreme Court’s first major twentieth-century religious liberty case involved Adele Sherbert, a textile worker in Beaumont Mills, South Carolina. The factory that employed her instituted a six-day workweek—Monday through Satur- day. But Sherbert was a Seventh-day Adventist, which teaches that the Sab- bath is Saturday (Exod. 31:15: “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he…

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Imprisoned Preachers and Religious Liberty in Virginia

Imprisoned Preachers and Religious Liberty in Virginia

Between 1760 and 1778, there were more than 150 major attacks against Baptists in the colony, most of them carried out by leaders of local Anglican churches. By one estimate, half of all the Baptist preachers in Virginia had been arrested by the time of the American Revolution. In “Imprisoned Preachers and Religious Liberty in Virginia”, we can see some on the many ways Baptists were persecuted for practicing and preaching their faith. Source(s): John A. Ragosta, Wellspring of Liberty:…

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American Muslims’ Special Obligation

American Muslims’ Special Obligation

Ingrid Mattson, former head of the Islamic Society of North America “Let me state it clearly: I, as an American Muslim leader, denounce not only suicide bombers and the Taliban, but those leaders of other Muslim states who thwart democracy, repress women, use the Qur’an to justify un-Islamic behavior, and encourage violence. Alas, these views are not only the province of a small group of terrorist or dictators. Too many rank-and-file Muslims, in their isolation and pessimism, have come to hold…

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Shariah: The Threat to America: An Exercise in Competitive Analysis

Shariah: The Threat to America: An Exercise in Competitive Analysis

Center for Security Policy, William G. Boykin et al., 2010 […] While detailed recommendations for adopting a more prudential and effective strategy for surviving shariah’s onslaught are beyond the scope of this study, several policy and programmatic changes are in order.  These include: U.S. policymakers, financiers, businessmen, judges, journalists, community leaders and the public at large must be equipped with an accurate understanding of the nature of shariah and the necessity of keeping America shariah-free.  At a minimum, this will…

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President George W. Bush at the Islamic Center of Washington, DC

President George W. Bush at the Islamic Center of Washington, DC

President George W. Bush September 17, 2001 A few days after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush decided to visit a local mosque. On September 17, he entered the Islamic Center of Washington, took off his shoes, and walked into the prayer room. He urged Americans to embrace their fellow Muslims and understand the difference between Islamic extremists and mainstream American Muslims.   […] We’ve just had a — wide-ranging discussions on the matter at hand.  Like the good folks…

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Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium

Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium

Evangelicals and Catholics Together May 1994 As the Second Millennium draws to a close, the Christian mission in world history faces a moment of daunting opportunity and responsibility. If in the merciful and mysterious ways of God the Second Coming is delayed, we enter upon a Third Millennium that could be, in the words of John Paul II, “a springtime of world missions.” (Redemptoris Missio) As Christ is one, so the Christian mission is one. That one mission can be…

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