Ed Brayton is a freelance writer and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
There are a couple of interesting new lawsuits that involve church/state issues. The first is in California, where the ACLU is representing a religious group that was prevented from feeding the homeless in a state park. They've filed suit against the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
The second is in Pennsylvania, where the ADF is representing a Christian student group in a suit against Shippensburg University, claiming that the college is violating free speech rights through their anti-harassment/hate speech code. In 2004, the ADF had settled with the university in a similar case but they are arguing now that the university isn't holding up their end of that settlement.
Comments
The those pinko atheistic Darwinists at the ACLU supporting a relgious group the relgious right's tiny brain is going to explode! :D DJ
Hear that tiny sound? Guess that was it.
Posted by: DingoJack | May 13, 2008 9:21 AM
It's no surprise that the ADF would defend a student group that seeks to subjugate its female members because of certain Biblical injunctions (1 Cor 11:3, 14:34-35; 1 Tim 2:11-12; among many others). Don't most Christians think that their god has grown up over the last two millenia?
Posted by: Catman | May 13, 2008 11:59 AM
Posted by: The Schwa | May 13, 2008 12:03 PM
Schwa - Just like all those relgious right types keep having unprotected, extra-marital, homosexual sex in toilets to cover thier "good" agenda, I suppose! -LOL DJ
Posted by: DingoJack | May 13, 2008 12:11 PM
Ha! Good one, Ed. You had me going there for a second.
Posted by: Deepsix | May 13, 2008 1:36 PM
>> It's no surprise that the ADF would defend a student group that seeks to subjugate its female members because of certain Biblical injunctions (1 Cor 11:3, 14:34-35; 1 Tim 2:11-12; among many others). Don't most Christians think that their god has grown up over the last two millenia? >>
As is typical with those who hate Christianity, you've constructed your own boogeyman to slay. In no way does Christianity call for the subjugation of women. Your assertion is based on your own complete ignorance of the Bible, not on actual truth. Why don't you attend an evangelical church some Sunday and ask the women how "subjugated" they are?
Posted by: mroberts | May 13, 2008 1:54 PM
mroberts said:
"Your assertion is based on your own complete ignorance of the Bible, not on actual truth."
Sir, unless this is an example of Poe's law in action, you owe me a new irony meter, as it just overloaded and exploded. Catman gave chapter and verse references from the New Testament Bible to back up his assertion.
I'm familiar with the practice of evangelical women "choosing to submit" to their husbands and to God (and they do indeed refer to the scripture mentioned by Catman). Now try to look at this practice through the eyes of someone who is unfamiliar with scripture, or who reject it. Do you see how it could appear that these women have been "subjugated"?
Posted by: lonelyShoes | May 13, 2008 3:44 PM
The problem with asking someone who is subjugated if they are subjugated is that if they are successfully subjugated, they will say no, because extreme subjugation involves the person being so under the thumb that they won't dare to admit it, and may not even realise it, especially if they are in a community that does circular reinforcement (which is typical for folks in evangelical communities built up around their church).
Posted by: QrazyQat | May 13, 2008 9:07 PM
Re: QrazyQat
Even better, ask someone who chose *not* to "submit" how they were treated after their choice was made known. Ostracism is mild -- physical abuse and even death are not uncommon. (Worldwide, that is, not restricting my comment to US evangelicals.)
Posted by: PoxyHowzes | May 13, 2008 10:09 PM
Hate Christianity? mroberts, you jump to conclusions. You certainly know less about me than I know about the position of women in certain Christian denominations. What makes you think I'm ignorant of the Bible? Or that I've never attended an evangelical church?
Posted by: Catman | May 13, 2008 10:44 PM
- I personally believe that the Holy Spirit flows through me as I am feeding someone. -
So not only are they doing this for their own selfish needs, they also make it sound like feeding the pigeons or something. How respectful.
Still i'm confused why it was stopped, that wasn't made clear in the article.
Posted by: Richard Eis | May 15, 2008 8:56 AM