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Satanic Temple offers religious program to Ohio students

December 4, 2024
The Satanic Temple is now offering a new religious program to Ohio elementary students. Parents have asked for an alternative to a current Christian release program already offered to students.

Students at Edgewood Elementary School in Marysville, Ohio, can attend an off-campus religious program once a week.

The LifeWise’s Evangelical program lasts about an hour and teaches students about the Bible. Teachers apply each passage to character traits and life lessons, according to LifeWise’s website.

Hellion Academy of Independent Learning (HAIL) announced it plans to do the opposite. During its program, students will learn without religious connotations, The Satanic Temple wrote in a Facebook post.

HAIL’s learning mission focuses on:
- Creative expression
- Critical thinking
- Good works in the community
- Problem-solving skills
- Self-directed learning
- Inspirational guest speakers
A parent who learned about the program requested that the Marysville School District make HAIL available to students.

“We wanted to make sure that we had a program that was teaching compassion and empathy and also inclusion,” parent Betty Elswick said. “Several parents had expressed concerns about their kids coming home and being bullied or made fun of and teased for not participating in the other programs in the area.”

The HAIL’s program director, June Everett, said school districts should realize once the door is opened for religion, the door is open for all beliefs.

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes The Satanic Temple as a non-theistic church.

“When they hear it, it’s initially shocking, ‘Oh, the Satanic Temple.’ They automatically think evil and awful things. We are not devil worshipers,” Everett said.

Joel Penton, CEO of LifeWise, released a statement in response to the new program. He said they’re not fearful of other organizations that release programs such as HAIL.

“We believe all families should have the opportunity to choose religious study during school hours and we trust parents to make the best choice for their children.”
Statement by LifeWise CEO Joel Penton

Penton supported a bill in the Ohio House requiring schools to allow students to attend religious instruction programs.

Beginning in 2018, LifeWise slowly began introducing its Bible-based teachings in schools. It quickly grew to hundreds of programs in dozens of states as of last year.

HAIL’s program, which started in December, is voluntary. Kids can sign up using a permission slip signed by their parents.
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Catholic woman fired over COVID-19 vaccine refusal awarded $13 million

November 13, 2024
A Michigan court has awarded nearly $13 million to Lisa Domski, a Catholic woman who was fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in 2021. She was fired after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.

Domski sued her former employer after her request for a religious exemption was denied. She had worked for the company for 38 years.

She argued that the company violated her rights by firing her after she submitted a written statement from her priest. The complaint explained the vaccine conflicted with her Catholic beliefs.

A jury ruled in Domski’s favor, determining that Blue Cross Blue Shield failed to accommodate her religious beliefs. They also found that the company unlawfully terminated her.

Domski’s legal team hailed the decision as a major victory for religious freedom. Attorney Jon Marko represented Domski. He emphasized the case highlighted Americans’ right to practice their religion without government or corporate interference.

Blue Cross Blue Shield expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating that its vaccine policy was designed to protect the health of its workforce. The policy required all employees to be vaccinated or seek an accommodation.

The company maintains that its accommodation process complied with state and federal law and respected employees’ religious beliefs. BCBSM said it is reviewing additional legal options.

Some Catholics have voiced strong opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, citing concerns over the use of cell lines from aborted fetuses in vaccine development.

While Pope Francis has supported vaccination, calling it “an act of love,” the church has emphasized that Catholics shouldn’t be obligated to get vaccinated.
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Appeals court rules barring pregame prayer does not violate First Amendment

October 29, 2024
A federal appeals court ruled that the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) did not violate First Amendment rights when it blocked a Tampa Christian school’s request to broadcast a pregame prayer over the loudspeaker at a 2015 football championship. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling, finding that announcements over the stadium PA system were “government speech” and not subject to free speech protections.

Cambridge Christian School argued that the ban infringed on its religious freedom and free speech rights, but the court maintained that the FHSAA was regulating its own communication. Since the announcements were scripted and controlled by the FHSAA, blocking the prayer did not violate the school’s rights, the ruling concluded.

Getty Images

The lawsuit arose from a championship game between Cambridge Christian and University Christian School at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. While players prayed on the field before the game, the loudspeaker remained off for spectators, which led to the lengthy legal battle.

Getty Images

The case also prompted legislative action. In 2023, Florida lawmakers passed a law allowing high schools to deliver “brief opening remarks” before state championships — including prayers, if they wish — with restrictions on length and derogatory content. Under the law, the FHSAA cannot control or monitor what is said in these opening remarks.

While the court upheld the ban, Cambridge Christian also sought an injunction to prevent similar restrictions in the future. However, the panel ruled the school lacked standing, as the team hasn’t returned to a championship game since 2015, making a repeat scenario unlikely. The court’s decision and the new law effectively render the FHSAA’s earlier prayer ban moot.
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Judge weighs Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in schools

October 21, 2024
A federal judge will hear arguments Monday, Oct. 21, over Louisiana’s new law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public schools statewide by Jan. 1. Lawyers for parents seeking to block the law will argue it violates the United States Constitution by infringing on students’ religious freedom.

State lawyers argue the lawsuit should be thrown out – not only because the posters haven’t even gone up yet, but because they say the Ten Commandments have historical significance and influence on American law.

The Louisiana law applies to all public K-12 schools and state-funded university classrooms and requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed on a poster or framed document at least 11 inches by 14 inches where the text is the central focus and “printed in a large, easily readable font.”

Each poster must also be paired with a four-paragraph context statement that says the Ten Commandments “were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries,” among other things.

School systems will not have to use public money for the posters. Instead, the displays will be paid for by donations or the posters themselves will be donated by groups or organizations. Meanwhile, questions still linger about how the requirement will be enforced if a teacher refuses to hang up the Ten Commandments and what happens if there are not enough donations to satisfy the mandate.
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Va. school board to pay $575k to teacher fired for not using preferred pronouns

October 4, 2024
The West Point Public School Board in Virginia has agreed to pay a former teacher, who was fired in 2018 for refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronouns, $575,000 to settle a lawsuit. Peter Vlaming was a French teacher for the district for nearly seven years. The district fired him when he refused to use male pronouns for a transgender student, citing religious convictions.

Vlaming stated that he agreed to use the student’s new name but not preferred pronouns. His lawyer with the Alliance Defending Freedom argued that Vlaming “couldn’t in good conscience comply with the superintendent’s demand that he refer to one of his students using pronouns inconsistent with the student’s sex.”

The Alliance Defending Freedom claimed the school district fired Vlaming because using the student’s name rather than pronouns was not a sufficient compromise.

Vlaming sued for wrongful termination, but a lower court dismissed the case. The Virginia Supreme Court later reinstated the lawsuit.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s, R, administration has significantly altered the state’s approach to transgender student accommodations.

New policies were implemented in June 2023. These policies permit teachers to use names and pronouns that correspond to a student’s sex assigned at birth and any changes to a student’s name or pronouns require parental approval. The policies also stipulate that students must participate in activities and use facilities based on their biological sex, with only a few exceptions allowed.

The settlement includes damages, attorneys’ fees, removal of Vlaming’s termination from his record, and policy changes aligning with new state guidelines on transgender students.

Similar legal challenges regarding transgender pronouns and rights in schools have emerged across the United States, including in Florida, Colorado and North Dakota.
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Judge orders UCLA to ensure equal campus access for Jewish students

August 14, 2024
A federal judge ruled Tuesday, Aug. 13, that the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), cannot allow protesters to block Jewish students from certain parts of campus and must ensure equal campus access. UCLA is expected to appeal the ruling to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

“In the year 2024, in the United States of America, in the state of California, in the city of Los Angeles, Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith,” U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi wrote, describing the situation as “unimaginable” and “abhorrent.”

In June, three Jewish students filed suit against UCLA. The lawsuit alleged discrimination on campus during pro-Palestinian protests when protesters blocked them from accessing classes, buildings and services. The suit claimed UCLA failed to ensure access for all Jewish students.

UCLA argued it has no legal responsibility because protesters, not administrators or staff, are the ones who blocked the Jewish students.

Judge Scarsi issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the Jewish students, condemning their exclusion from areas on UCLA’s campus as a violation of religious freedom.

Judge Scarsi ordered UCLA to ensure access for Jewish students to all campus facilities or else cancel all activities and face potential shutdowns.

Classes at UCLA resume in September.
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Why some school districts won’t comply with Oklahoma’s Bible mandate

July 25, 2024
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters released guidelines on the state’s mandate that all schools teach the Bible on Wednesday, July 24. Walter’s memo included instructions on how to incorporate the Bible into classroom discussions and said that teachers will emphasize the Bible’s historical, literary and secular benefits.

However, more than a handful of Oklahoma school districts said that they will not implement the mandate and will instead keep their current curriculum. Some schools also argue that their studies already include discussions on the impact of religion on society.

The Oklahoma attorney general has said that state law allows for the Bible to be taught in schools but also noted that doing so is a district-by-district decision. Most districts refusing the superintendent’s directive are using the attorney general’s statement as grounds for their decisions.

Meanwhile, the Center for Education Law said that Walters’ mandate is not legally enforceable. The firm previously won a case against Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education that challenged the board’s authority to restrict certain content from school libraries. The judge in that case ruled that decision is to be made by a local school board — not the state Board of Education.

However, Walters maintained that he would enforce the Bible mandate by using “every means to make sure of it.”

“The radical leftist mob has tried to rewrite history in Oklahoma,” Walters. “It stops today, and Oklahoma schools will refocus our kids’ education, so they know the value of the Bible in its historical context.”

The directive by Walters told teachers to present the Bible in a “neutral way.” However, how to present it in that manner is not explicitly outlined in the guidelines and which version or translation of the Bible to be used has not been specified. Additionally, how schools are supposed to pay for the extra books is still unclear.

The mandate is likely to be challenged in court as opponents have argued that the mandate in Oklahoma is a clear constitutional violation of the separation of church and state.

The guidance from Walters comes after Oklahoma tried to implement the country’s first religious charter school. However, the implementation was struck down in court. The move also comes as Louisiana has required that the Ten Commandments be place in every classroom, which has been delayed until at least November while it faces challenges from Louisiana parents in court.
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Ten Commandments law in Louisiana schools put on hold amid legal challenge

July 22, 2024
A judge approved an agreement by Louisiana to delay a law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in all of the state’s public-school classrooms on Friday, July 19. The judge’s decision to delay the requirement until at least November came as a lawsuit brought against the state plays out in court.

In June, parents of students in Louisiana public schools filed a lawsuit that argued the law violates the First Amendment, which prevents the government establishment of religions and guarantees the right to religious liberty.

However, proponents of the law contend that the Ten Commandments belong in public schools because they are historical and part of the foundation of United State law.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jeff Landry, R-La., defended the use of taxpayer money to fight against lawsuit brought against the law.

“I think that the benefit of what we’re trying to do certainly outweighs any expenditures,” Landry said in an interview with Nexstar Media.

Landry also used the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump to further push his defense of the law.

“Maybe, if the Ten Commandments were hanging on Crooks [sic] wall of the school that he was in, maybe, he wouldn’t have took [sic] a shot at the president,” Landry added.

The United States Supreme Court struck down a similar law to Louisiana’s Ten Commandments in 1980 on the grounds that it violated the establishment clause in the U.S. Constitution. The clause states that Congress “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

The court found that the law clearly served a religious purpose and not a secular one.
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Oklahoma orders biblical teachings in classrooms

June 28, 2024
In a recent directive, Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters ordered public schools in Oklahoma to integrate biblical teachings into lessons for students in grades five through 12. The Ten Commandments will also be required in the curriculum.

“Every teacher, every classroom in the state will have a Bible,” Walters stated. “And they will be teaching from the Bible in the classroom.”

Walters clarified that teachers would not teach the Bible from a religious perspective, but rather from an historical context. For instance, historical figures like the pilgrims and Martin Luther King Jr. often quoted the Bible in their writings. Walters said teaching students excerpts from the Bible is essential to understanding the country’s history.

The changes take effect immediately, however, some civil rights and religious groups are voicing criticism. The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the directive, calling it a “clear violation of the Constitution’s Establishment Clause” and “a dangerous encroachment on the separation of church and state.”

This development follows a recent decision by the state’s high court, which ruled that a planned Catholic charter school — a first of its kind in the nation — is unconstitutional. Additionally, Louisiana became the first state to require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom, prompting the ACLU and other civil liberties groups to file a lawsuit against Louisiana and its governor.
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Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate

June 28, 2024
The first presidential debate is in the books. We have a full recap, as well as what the reaction has been like. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, June 28, 2024.

Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate

Thursday night, June 27, saw the first time a current U.S. President debated a former U.S. President. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump took the stage at CNN’s Atlanta studios for the first presidential debate of the 2024 election.

Per CNN’s rules, there was no live audience and the candidate’s mics were muted when the other one talked. But that did not stop both from firing back at one another while discussing topics like the economy, abortion, immigration, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and their overall aptitude.

Thursday’s debate began with the presumptive nominees walking on stage, forgoing the traditional handshake.

The first topic was on the economy, with Biden focusing on Trump’s record as president, but seeming to lose his train of thought as his response went on.

“We’d be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do — childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do — with the COVID — excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look…we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said.

When it came to immigration, Trump highlighted the crisis on the border, calling the Biden administration’s recent legislation limiting asylum access a “nothing deal” and “insignificant.”

“He decided to open up our border, open up our country too,” Trump said. “People that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists. We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now. All terrorists, all over the world, not just in South America, all over the world. They come from the Middle East, everywhere, all over the world. They’re pouring in.”

President Biden fired back, “I’m not saying that no terrorist ever got through but the idea they’re emptying their prisons, where we’re welcoming these people, that’s simply not true, there’s no data to support what he said. Once again, he’s exaggerating. He’s lying.”

On the subject of abortion, Trump commended the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade while Biden vowed to reinstate it.

“You had Roe v. Wade, and everybody wanted to get it back to the states,” Trump said. “Everybody without exception — Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, conservatives. What happened is we brought it back to the states and the country is now coming together on this issue. It’s been a great thing.”

“It’s been a terrible thing once you’re done,” President Biden rebutted. “The fact is that the vast majority of constitutional scholars supported Roe was decided support it Roe that was this idea that they were all against it. It just ridiculous.”

As for American veterans, Trump claimed he took care of them during his presidency, as Biden took exception to reported comments made by Trump — which the former president denies.

“Our veterans are on the street,” Trump said. “They’re dying because he doesn’t care about our veterans. He doesn’t like the military at all, and he doesn’t care about our veterans. Nobody been worse. I had the highest approval rating for veterans taking care of the VA he has the worst he’s gotten rid of all the things that I approved.”

Biden responded, “I was recently in France for D-Day and I spoke at all about those heroes had died. I went to the World War II cemetery, World War I cemetery, refused to go to he was standing with his four-star general and he told me said, ‘I don’t want to go in there because they’re bunch of losers and suckers.’ My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”

Trump denied Biden’s claim, calling that a “made-up quote.”

On foreign policy, Trump argued Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan showed America was weak and inspired Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. Biden called that “malarkey” and warned that Putin must be stopped.

To the war in Gaza, Trump said, “Let Israel finish the job.” Biden remarked that the U.S. is providing Israel with “all the weapons they need and when they need them.”

And while hearing the difference in policies was the goal of the debate, the two presidential candidates did not hold back on personal attacks.

“The only person on this stage who’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said. “And the fact of the matter is he is what he’s telling you is simply not true.”

Trump responded, “When he talks about a convicted felon, his son as a convicted felon at a very high level, his son has convicted going to be convicted probably numerous other times should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations laps. And the most important things. But he could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office, you could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done.”

When discussing their abilities to handle the presidency at their respective ages — Biden 81 years old and Trump 78 — the two began arguing over their golf game.

As the debate ended, Trump said he would accept the results of the election if it’s “a fair and legal and good election.” In his closing statements, Trump said America is a failing nation under Biden and he’ll make it great again in a second term. Biden, meanwhile, said he made significant progress after what he called was a debacle left by Trump.

The two are set to debate again in September.

Reports: Some Democrats calling for Biden to step aside after debate

The response to the first presidential debate has been swift on both sides. Fact checkers have issued corrections for statements made by both candidates, but it’s President Biden’s performance getting the most attention.

His performance on the debate stage has put in question his future ability as president, as some Democrats are reportedly calling for him to step aside.

News outlets in their recaps of the debate describe Biden as stumbling and seeming to ramble during his responses. The Biden campaign acknowledged the president came into the debate with a cold, admitting he had a slow start. Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on news programs following the debate to vouch for the president.

At one point, former President Trump questioned whether Biden understood his own response to a question on the border.

Trump replied, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

David Axelrod, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama, spoke of the concerns from Democrats during CNN’s post-debate coverage.

“There is a sense of shock at how he came out at the beginning of this debate,” Axelrod said. “How his voice sounded; he seemed a little disoriented. There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”

The Trump campaign declared victory after the debate, issuing a statement saying Biden was unable to defend his “disastrous record on the economy and the border.”

Former Uvalde schools police chief facing charges in deadly shooting

In a historic move, the former Uvalde school police chief has been indicted over his role in the slow police response to the 2022 mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Former Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was indicted by a grand jury on 10 counts of felony child endangerment or abandonment.

He was briefly booked into the county jail before he was released on bond Thursday, June 27.

A former school officer at Robb Elementary was also indicted on similar charges.

More than two years later, they’re the first officers to face criminal charges in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department released a report that said law enforcement officers had many opportunities to reassess their response.

More than 300 law enforcement officers responded to the school that day, some waiting in the hallway outside the classroom, even as the shooter could be heard firing shots inside. It took them 77 minutes to shoot him and put an end to the killing.

Oklahoma’s top educator orders the Bible be taught in schools

Oklahoma’s top education officials have ordered schools to teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom. In a memo, the state superintendent of public schools said effective immediately, the Bible must be added as part of the curriculum in grades five through 12.

The directive was immediately condemned by civil rights groups and supporters of the separation of church and state, with some calling it an abuse of power and a violation of the Constitution.

Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and lets teachers use them in instruction. It’s not clear if the state has the authority to mandate that schools teach it.

This is the latest church versus state case in public schools. On June 19, a Louisiana law was passed requiring the Ten Commandments be shown in all public school classrooms, another action civil rights groups are looking to stop.

NFL fined $4.7 billion in ‘Sunday Ticket’ anti-trust case

The NFL has been ordered to pay nearly $5 billion in damages after a jury found it broke anti-trust laws. The jury said the league conspired with DirecTV and network partners to increase the price of the exclusive “Sunday Ticket” package.

The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses who paid for the package from the 2011 through 2022 seasons. The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $ 96 million to the commercial class.

The lawsuit claimed the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling its “Sunday Ticket” package at an inflated price and restricted competition by only offering it on a satellite provider.

The NFL said it will appeal the decision.

NBA draft: Bronny James joins dad on Lakers

Like father, like son. The Los Angeles Lakers have drafted Bronny James.

After going unselected in the first round, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James was drafted with the 55th overall pick Thursday, June 27.

If they should go on the court together, they’ll make history as the first father-son duo to play on the same team at the same time.
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