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Dobson responds to Bishara Awad
When Bethlehem Bible College President Bishara Awad issued an open letter to James Dobson, calling him "an instrument of hate and division" for his characterization of Palestinians and of Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi, Weblog promised to link to Dobson's response. We've done better than that. Since Dobson's open letter won't appear on the Focus on the Family site, and Weblog can't find it anywhere else, we're running the full text, along with Awad's letter and the press release that started it all. There's clearly disagreement between the two men about what their disagreement is all about.

Church and state:

• Isle group protests use of word 'God' in Honolulu Police Department oath | The group claims that the wording violates the state constitution (Associated Press)
  
  
• Libraries can display U.S. motto | Despite a warning about possible lawsuits, Montgomery County commissioners have agreed to post donated plaques bearing the national motto "In God We Trust" at county libraries (Houston Chronicle)
  
  
• Was church/state separation part of the original Constitution? | A review of Philip Hamburger's provocative recent book on separation's history (Marci A. Hamilton, Findlaw.com)
  
  
• Crucifix battle heats up in Italy | A proposed bill to hang crucifixes in public offices, schools and train stations throughout Italy has sparked protests by Muslim and Jewish groups (SAPA)

Politics and law:

• House should reject bill on church politics | Imagine going to church and finding a politician's campaign banner displayed above the pulpit. It could happen if a bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law. (Florida Today, Melbourne)
  
  
• Religious noise a city issue | The council is now engaged in a debate over how to balance the freedoms of assembly and religion with preserving peace and quiet in the community (The Times-Journal, Fort Payne, Ala.)
  
  
• Dole's trail runs through pulpits | More than any North Carolina candidate in recent memory—more than even U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms—Elizabeth Dole, a Methodist, routinely weaves religious themes into stump speeches in her campaign to succeed Helms (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
  
  
• Politics threaten academic freedom | The University of Maryland's decision to assign freshmen to read a play on the killing of gay college student Matthew Shepard comes on the heels of a successful resolution of a similar controversy at the University of North Carolina (Richard T. Ingram, The Baltimore Sun)
  
  
• Baptist Foundation indictments thrown out | Superior Court Judge Frank Galati ruled that some evidence presented by the state Attorney General's Office in obtaining a grand jury indictment was improper and prejudicial (The Arizona Republic)
  
  
• Pork at the pulpit | Some Republicans are leading church groups to think they can win a chunk of federal money under the Bush "faith-based" initiative if their flock of believers votes for GOP candidates come November. (Editorial, The Christian Science Monitor)
  
  
• Malaysia recognized as an Islamic state, says PM | But it's not in the Constitution (The Star, Malaysia)
  
  
• Church ought to have a pass on domestic partner ordinance | A religious institution is not a business, and while that may be obvious to most people, it is not recognized by Portland's new domestic partner ordinance (Editorial, Portland [Maine] Press-Herald)
  
  
• Undertaker given parking ticket for parking hearse outside church | "I don't think you can expect us to drive the hearse to a car park and than carry the coffin all the way on foot," driver says. (Ananova)
  
  

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September (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46