Gresham, Oregon — An Oregon baker is under investigation by the state for notifying a lesbian woman that he does not make cakes for homosexual ceremonies. Aaron Klein is the owner of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a bakery he operates with his wife. Last month, Klein was approached by a mother and her daughter as […]
Cranston, Rhode Island — An activist humanist group has filed a lawsuit against a Rhode Island florist for refusing to deliver flowers to a teenager that succeeded in having a 50-year-old prayer banner removed from the walls of her high school. The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) states that last year, after 16-year-old Jessica Ahlquist […]
Washington, DC — A New Jersey Congressman has proposed a bill in the House of Representatives to designate February 12th as national Darwin Day. Representative Rush Holt, a Democrat and a professing Quaker, recently submitted the proposal to Congress as a way to honor Darwin, who he calls “an amazingly creative man.” “Charles Darwin’s theory […]
Montpelier, Vermont — A legislative panel in Vermont has unanimously approved a bill that seeks to legalize assisted suicide in the state. The Health and Welfare Committee of the Vermont Senate applauded the outcome of the vote, with Chairman Claire Ayer remarking that she was “pleased with the results.” However, some who attended the recent […]
Washington, DC — The Obama administration released the revised version of its contraceptive mandate on Friday, redefining the phrase “religious employer,” while still mandating for-profit religious business owners to cover what many contend are abortion-inducing drugs. In outlining the redefinition, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) ensured that all churches and their related entities […]
Little Rock, Arkansas — Senators in Arkansas overwhelmingly passed a bill this week allowing pastors to decide whether to permit their congregants to carry handguns in church. Arkansas is one of ten states across the nation that prohibits citizens from entering a church with a gun at any time. However, the Church Protection Act of […]
Visalia, California — An elder at a California church has filed suit against a local mall for threatening him with arrest if he did not stop sharing his faith with shoppers. John Vadnais had regularly visited the Visalia Mall to shop and eat, and sometimes to also share his faith at the same time. However, […]
Richmond, Virginia — The Virginia Senate Committee unanimously approved a bill this week that seeks to do away with parts of a state law criminalizing cohabitation. Currently, only four states in the nation — Michigan, Mississippi, Virginia and Florida — have laws on the books prohibiting unmarried couples from living together. The Virginia statute dates […]
Parker, Florida — A small city in Florida is considering enacting a ban against establishing new churches near businesses that sell alcoholic beverages. City council members in Parker, Florida state that the ordinance would bar the construction or conversion of a building into a house of worship within 500 feet of any beer-selling business, including […]
Mexico City, Mexico — Officials in Mexico have broken up an alleged sex slave cult that involved a man who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. According to reports, the cult ran a ring right on the United States border, and sought to recruit women to have sexual relations with a man who […]