Michael Newdow's daughter "loves the Lord," says pastor Chuck Smith Conservative online media are abuzz this week with word that the second-grade daughter of atheist Michael Newdow, who sued a California school district over the Pledge of Allegiance on her behalf, wasn't troubled by the words "Under God" in the Pledge at all. "The little girl, over whom the suit was filed, happens to attend Calvary Chapel, in Elk Grove," Pastor Chuck Smith told his congregation at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California. "She is Christian, her mother is a Christian . …This whole suit was filed on a totally false premise." (Audio of many of Smith's sermons are available here, but Sunday night's sermon hasn't been posted yet.)
The story was apparently first reported by CPINews.net, then picked up by WorldNetDaily. It doesn't appear to have hit the mainstream media yet, though the child's mother, Sandra Banning, was reportedly scheduled for an appearance on CBS's Early Show.
"[Newdow] lied to the court under oath. This is a crime," Austin Miles says in an Assist News Service commentary. "The public must demand that The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco charge Michael Newdow with perjury and punish him to the full extent of the law."
Perjury charges or not, legal scholars were already doubting whether Newdow had sufficient standing to file the suit. This development increases the chances the appeal will be decided on standing rather than on the merits of the case. The full 9th Circuit or the Supreme Court wouldn't have to decide whether "Under God" violates the First Amendment's prohibition on establishing religion. It could just say that Newdow didn't have the right to file the suit.
More Pledge news and analysis:
The judge the Supreme Court loves to overturn | Judge Stephen Reinhardt was notorious long before his 9th Circuit's Pledge of Allegiance decision (The Weekly Standard, May 5, 1997)
Allegiance to the pledge | Authority says it always has been a political football (The Baltimore Sun)
State will fight for Pledge | Government: Idaho officials, public rally against appeals court ruling (Idaho Press-Tribune, Nampa)
Pledge opinion:
The founders and God | The last thing the founders of the American republic wanted was a public square scrubbed free of God (Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe)
The pledge fireworks | For all the wrangling and strife and the culture wars, I'm most proud when we manage to define and defend our diversity as all-American (Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe)
No independence from God | Whether we acknowledge God's presence in the world, God is nonetheless in our very midst, actively involved in everyday life (Timothy E. Schenck, The Baltimore Sun)
The pledge flap: Let's brush up our civics | Many of us need to relearn that respecting the flag means respecting the rights of others, even those with whom we deeply disagree (Charles Haynes, Freedom Forum)
Having it their way, or no way | Burger King democrats insist that they, and they alone, have a constitutional right to have things their way (Peter Rowe, The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A higher authority is what it's all about | The pledge is both historically and philosophically accurate. It is true, and it is necessary (Ruth Ann Baker, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Intimations of America's mortality | If one nation is ''under God,'' it is only because every nation is (James Carroll, The Boston Globe)
The school-voucher debate | Parents "want good schools in their communities" — but parents are tired of waiting for the "good" schools to come to their perhaps not-so-good neighborhood (Editorial, The Washington Times)
Voucher split reflects generation gap | About 75 percent of blacks age 35 or younger support vouchers, while 69 percent of black elected officials oppose them (UPI)
Education reform in the abstract | The Supreme Court's decision declaring school vouchers constitutional could ignite a more honest national debate on education. Don't hold your breath. (E. J. Dionne Jr, The Washington Post)
Bush blends patriotism, religion | Holiday: President, in Ripley, W.Va., for the 4th of July, focuses on U.S. unity amid terrorism and the nation's debt to one deity (Los Angeles Times)
Believe it or not, Bush celebrates 4th in Ripley | The most striking characteristic of the ceremony, an expanded version of tiny Ripley's annual Fourth of July celebrations that began in the mid-19th century, was the steady profession of faith (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Ventura's church-state proclamation criticized | Ventura declared "Indivisible Day" on the suggestion of a group called Atheists of Minnesota for Human Rights (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.)
Also: Bush backs religious charity and a shaky incumbent | President Bush lent his support to Gov. Scott McCallum of Wisconsin, as he promoted a bill to give federal money to religious charities (The New York Times)
Faith vs. patriotism | Deciding whether a flag flies in a church or synagogue often splits along lines of religious and state separation (The Ann Arbor [Mich.] News)
Objection sustained | A board of inquiry established by the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled in 2000 that Christians were only free within their homes and churches to live according to the tenets of their faith. Elsewhere, whenever that faith conflicted with the rights of homosexuals, Christians were "not free to ... practice those beliefs" (Editorial, The National Post)
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Court-seal appeal planned | A federal judge has ruled that the Ten Commandments image on the Superior Court seal of Richmond County, Georgia, doesn't violate the Constitution. But the legal battle will continue (The Augusta [Ga.] Chronicle)
Religion ban: ACT Govt backs down | Religious education will continue to be taught by teachers in class time (The Canberra Times, Australia)
Onward Christian Socialists | Moderate supporters of the Labor party have argued their organization owes more to Methodism than to Marx, but under Tony Blair what was once a piece of conjecture has become an empirical fact (The Scotsman)
Bishops clash with Blair | Britain's Prime Minister is facing his biggest confrontation with the Church of England since coming to power over the Government's plans for reform of the House of Lords (The Daily Telegraph, London)
Also: Bishops furious at exclusion | The bishops in the House of Lords launched a strong attack on the Labour and Liberal Democrats in anger at their exclusion from the joint parliamentary committee on the future of the Lords (The Guardian, London)
Also: Belorussian religion law criticized | Bill will spark religious war against Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, say detractors (Nezavisimaia Gazeta)
Catholic priest killed in Colombia | Hilario Arango, who was critical of leftist rebels, was gunned down in front of a church where he had just performed Mass (Associated Press)
Signs of Christian-Muslim clashes abundant in Indonesia | Six months after Muslim and Christian community leaders signed a peace agreement at the Sulawesi resort of Malino, sectarian tensions continue to simmer (The Dallas Morning News)
Princeton bioethicist argues Christianity hurts animals | "One of the things that causes a problem for the animal movement is the strong strain of fundamentalist Christianity that makes a huge gulf between humans and animals, saying humans have souls but animals do not," says Peter Singer (The Washington Times)
States add clergy to sex-abuse laws | A growing number of state legislatures are ordering church officials to report allegations of sexual abuse of minors (USA Today)
Ruling on diocese's privacy may open flood of material | Rhode Island justice ruled that the First Amendment could not be construed as a blanket shield protecting the church from requests for information in inquiries into priestly assaults on children (The New York Times)
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Crime:
Pastor's wife may face trial | Jacalyn L. Altman, whose husband, the former Grace Christian Ministries pastor who has been sent to prison for bilking tens of thousands of dollars from members of his congregation, has rejected a plea agreement and may be placed on trial in the fall (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Also: Stalker jailed | She gets two years for harassing Rev (Daily Record, Scotland)
Blunder over sword nut | A senior official blundered over the case of freed samurai sword maniac Eden Strang, it was revealed last night (The Sun, U.K.)
Also: Hunt for new way to cage samurai attacker | Police are trying to find a way to have freed Samurai sword attacker Eden Strang locked up again (The Daily Record, Scotland)
Methodist transgender minister resigns | Rebecca A. Steen, previously Richard A. Zamostny, submitted resignation in the opening minutes Friday of a church hearing on reinstatement (The Baltimore Sun)
Lesbians' firing fuels outrage | Alumna and parents say they are disappointed by an all-girls Catholic school's decision to force a lesbian couple from their jobs (New Haven [Conn.] Register)
For adults only | For once, loony anti-gay conservatives are making sense (Michelle Cottle, The New Republic)
On bended knee | Pro-marriage revivalists praise matrimony as the way and the light. But are they bowing to a false god? (Heather Havrilesky, Salon.com)
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Gay-adoption ban defended | The Florida Legislature has the authority to forbid homosexuals from adopting children, lawyers for the state wrote in a brief filed in a federal court (The Orlando Sentinel)
Study links spanking to aggression | After analyzing six decades of expert research on corporal punishment, a psychologist says parents who spank their children risk causing long-term harm that outweighs the short-term benefit of instant obedience (Associated Press)
New Westminster:
Same-sex blessings go ahead | Bishop Michael Ingham says he'll meet with Anglican leaders to explain, but plan will continue (Canada.com)
Should we let tradition be damned? | When the Anglican diocese of New Westminster voted to bless same sex unions, and when Bishop Michael Ingham gave this decision his approval, the diocese ceased to be part of "one holy, catholic and apostolic church" (Ian Hunter, The Globe and Mail, Toronto)
Greek Orthodox Church backs charter | Delegates said the move signaled a yearning for an independent church that would remain linked to the mother church, headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, but not completely controlled by it (Associated Press)
Protestants say it's time to stop being so white | After a steady drop in membership over the years, leaders of seven predominantly white Protestant denominations — from liberal to conservative — have joined forces to try to reverse the trend (Associated Press)
Free money for churchgoers | A pastor in Western Australia has stunned his parishioners by handing out $100 notes during a sermon (AAP)
Preaching everywhere, even in her dreams | Suzan Johnson Cook dares you to resist, but her charismatic oratory, formidable appearance, bracing self-confidence leave their mark (The New York Times)
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Missions & ministry:
Jim Bowers still wants an apology | More than a year has passed since a single bullet took the lives of the missionary's wife and daughter (Associated Press)
Cuban emissary visits Abilene church sponsor | In 1984, Juan Monroy told Castro he had tried to go to Cuba to preach, but had been denied the opportunity. Try again, said the Cuban leader. (The Abilene [Tex.] Reporter-News)
Spiritual caregiving | Conference aims to help the clergy sustain their post-9/11 ministry (Newsday)
New directions | Billy Graham's mission was to bring a message of reconciling love to a city and to people longing to hear of love and in need of redemption (Editorial, The Cincinnati Post)
Religious activists to patrol desert | The move comes after Arizona's deadliest month on record for border crossers. But questions are being raised about the legality of the group's intentions (Tucson [Ariz.] Citizen)
Painterly sermons mix severe and sensual | The North Carolina Museum of Art is showing works depicting heaven and hell by a little-known painter who spent most of his life as an evangelical preacher (The New York Times)
His love for Jesus more than skin deep | Timothy West spent 178 hours under the tattoo artist's needle to have his body covered in biblical imagery (The Cincinnati Post)
Making a joyful noise | After years of being dismissed as bland and clumsy, Christian music is booming (The Washington Times)
Religion and sport:
Let them pray, says FIFA | Football's world governing body FIFA on Monday said they are "not shocked" by the Brazil delegation's outpouring of religious fervour after they beat Germany 2-0 in the World Cup final (AFP)
A divine carnival of victory | Brazil's World Cup Win a Chance to Celebrate Religion of Soccer (The Washington Post)
Religion news in brief | Episcopal Church's Kansas diocese will allow clerical blessings of homosexual couples and unwed heterosexuals, and other stories (Associated Press)
Barre Cox case moved to new court | Minister who claims amnesia says he's asking for the return of his estate because he "owes it to his family." His family disagrees (The Abilene [Tex.] Reporter-News)
Relic of St. Alban returns | Bone allegedly from Britain's first Christian martyr had been in Germany since 10th century (BBC)
Teens put expertise of Scriptures on display | About 300 teenagers from across the country converged on Seattle Pacific University last week for the National Free Methodist Bible Quiz Finals (The Seattle Times)
Methodists lose faith in online society | The increasing use of mobile phones and the Internet is making life impersonal and undermining human relationships, according to the leader of the Methodist Church (BBC)
Higher power helps bereaved heal | Losing someone you love is never easy, but people who have strong spiritual beliefs recover from loss faster than those who don't (Health24, South Africa)
Christian ferment in Third World | By becoming evangelical—and chiefly Pentecostal—Protestants, residents of the developing world are undergoing a "process of individuation." (UPI)
The writing life | On writing about religion for the past 40 years (Garry Wills, The Washington Post)
Faster pastor's hearse power | Motorcycle-mad minister Paul Sinclair has built what he has hailed to be the world's fully enclosed sidecar hearse (BBC, video also available)
Twenty years ago, Republicans, Democrats, evangelicals, gay activists, and African leaders joined forces to combat AIDS. Will their legacy survive today’s partisanship?
One formed me. The other entertained me.
Twenty years ago, Republicans, Democrats, evangelicals, gay activists, and African leaders joined forces to combat AIDS. Will their legacy survive today’s partisanship?
Unless seminaries leave the ivory tower for local leaders in the public square. Like these ones have.
