Older Articles on Religious Liberty

LAWSUIT: LOS ANGELES CO. FIRE DEPT. ‘RETALIATED’ AGAINST EMPLOYEE WHO REFUSED TO RAISE PRIDE FLAG. Veteran county employee Captain Jeffrey Little alleges that the fire department violated his religious freedom when it ordered him to raise the so-called “Progress Pride” flag after he requested a religious exemption. Read more here.

 

LA CHRISTIAN LIFEGUARD SUSPENDED FOR REFUSING TO FLY A PRIDE FLAG. Los Angeles lifeguard Jeffrey Little has been suspended for refusing to choose between his faith and flying a pride flag at Will Rogers Beach. Read more here.

 

STUDY: SPAIN SPENDS THE LEAST ON FAMILY POLICY. A study found that Spain fared poorly on indirect aid such as education spending that “contributes to the well-being and future of children, as well as to the ability of parents to reconcile work and parenting.” Read more here.

 

‘PRO-PEDOPHILE’ ACTIVIST GROUP CELEBRATES AS GERMANY DECRIMINALIZES CHILD PORN POSSESSION. Germany’s Parliament removed a section of the Criminal Code that made the possession of child sexual abuse materials a felony crime, and the possession of child pornography will be reduced to a misdemeanor. Read more here.

 

MORE STATES MOVE TO MAKE PORN SITES VERIFY USERS’ AGES. One-third of states—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Virginia—have enacted legislation to protect children from accessing pornography websites, and the state legislatures of Arizona and Alaska are in the process of passing similar legislation. Read more here.

 

NEW YORK COURT FORCES CHRISTIAN GROUPS TO FUND ABORTIONS. New York’s highest court upheld legislation requiring insurance companies to cover abortions, and the Catholic Diocese of Albany announced it will appeal the ruling which goes against religious freedom. Read more here.

 

MAJOR PHARMACY CHAIN SETTLES WITH CHRISTIAN NURSE OVER CONTRACEPTIVES CASE. CVS Health Corporation settled with Nurse Practitioner Robyn Strader who sued the company after it stopped providing religious accommodations regarding “pregnancy prevention services.” Read more here.

 

FAMILIES CHALLENGE CALIFORNIA BAN ON PUBLIC FUNDING FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS. Families in California are challenging a state ban which prevents public school funding from going toward sectarian schools, arguing that it discriminates against religious families. Read more here.

 

WIN FOR CHURCH AUTONOMY IN MEXICO: COURT PROTECTS CATHOLIC BAPTISMAL RECORDS FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY. The Twenty-second Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Mexico has upheld the constitutional autonomy rights of the Querétaro Catholic Diocese in Mexico to reject a demand from the Mexican National Institute for Data Protection to alter church records according to a transgender-identifying individual’s self-identification. Read more here.

 

CATHOLIC SCHOOL CAN LEGALLY FIRE TEACHER IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, APPEALS COURT RULES. Charlotte Catholic High School, North Carolina, was within its legal rights to dismiss a substitute teacher because he was in a same-sex marriage, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. Read more here.

 

PROSECUTOR DISMISSES CASE AGAINST FRENCH PRIEST WHO SAID HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS ARE A SIN. French priest Matthieu Raffray disclosed that the Paris prosecutor’s office has dismissed a case initiated against him for stating that homosexual relations are a sin and for calling homosexuality a “weakness.” Read more here.

 

SUPREME COURT’S HISTORIC DECISION IN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CASE. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of a postal worker requesting religious accommodation to not deliver packages on Sundays, which he observes as the Sabbath. Read more here.

 

BIBLICAL BELIEFS ON TRIAL: PÄIVI RÄSÄNEN ‘HATE SPEECH’ CASE APPEALED TO SUPREME COURT. Former Finnish Interior Minister Päivi Räsänen, who has been tried for her biblical beliefs and unanimously acquitted by two courts, has had her free speech case appealed to the country’s Supreme Court, where she faces a charge that could punish her with tens of thousands in fines. Read more here.

 

CATHOLIC PRIEST IN SWITZERLAND FACES ‘HATE CRIME’ TRIAL OVER ARTICLE CRITICIZING HOMOSEXUAL CLERGY. Fr. Manfred Hauke, who teaches theology at the University of Lugano, Switzerland, is accused of violating a ban against “discrimination” and “inciting hatred” against homosexuals for publishing an article as the publisher of the magazine Theologisches. Read more here.

 

METALWORKER FIRED FOR OPPOSING COMPANY’S PRIDE SYMBOL. Daniel Snyder was fired from his job as a metalworker because he objected to his employer’s use of a rainbow to promote pride month, and he is suing his former employer, Arconic, for religious discrimination. Read more here.

 

OVER 100 ADVOCATES URGE SENATE TO DESIGNATE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM A ‘FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT.’ ADF International was among 113 religious freedom advocates and organizations under the International Religious Freedom Roundtable that signed onto a letter sent to U.S. Senate leaders urging them to pass the bipartisan Senate Resolution 569 “quickly.” Read more here.

 

CHRISTIAN STUDENT PUNISHED FOR WEARING ‘HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SIN’ T-SHIRT WINS SETTLEMENT FROM SCHOOL. A Christian student in Tennessee who was compelled to change out of a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Homosexuality is a Sin” or face leaving the school grounds in 2020 has won a settlement from the school district. Read more here.

 

FIRED BIOLOGY PROFESSOR FIGHTS BACK AND WINS. Dr. Johnson Varkey and his attorneys at First Liberty Institute announced he has won his adjunct professorial job back at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas after being fired in 2023 “for teaching standard principles about human biology and reproduction.” Read more here.

 

CANADIAN BILL WOULD REMOVE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION FROM ‘HATE SPEECH’ LAWS, CRITICS WARN. The proposed Bill C-367, currently under review in Canada’s House of Commons, would repeal “religious exemption” in Section 319 of the Canadian Criminal Code, which critics say could open up Christians and other religious groups to “hate speech” charges over any comments or criticisms of the LGBT movement. Read more here.

 

CONSERVATIVE LEADERS URGE LAWMAKERS TO BACK AMENDMENT PROTECTING TRADITIONAL VIEWS ON MARRIAGE. Conservative leaders urged House Republicans to protect religious freedom by prioritizing passage of the so-called Roy Marriage Amendment, named after Cong. Chip Roy, R-Texas. Read more here.

 

GEORGIA BILL AIMS TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. OPPONENTS SAY IT’S A LICENSE TO DISCRIMINATE. Georgia lawmakers are revisiting a nearly decade-old fight over whether the state needs to protect religious rights from being trampled by state and local governments. Read more here.

 

FIRE CHAPLAIN SAYS HE WAS FIRED FOR SHARING RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. Dr. Andrew Fox, an ordained minister in the Austin, Texas fire department, was terminated for expressing the view that males should not compete on female sports teams. Read more here.

 

TENNESSEE GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW ALLOWING PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO DECLINE TO PERFORM MARRIAGES THEY DISAGREE WITH. Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill allowing public officials to decline to perform marriages based on their “conscience or religious beliefs.” Read more here.

 

U.S. SUPREME COURT ISSUES DECISION IN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CASE. The Court unanimously ruled in favor of a postal worker requesting religious accommodation to not deliver packages on Sundays, which he observes as the Sabbath. The Court rejected a previous 1977 standard that mandated employers must “reasonably accommodate” religious practices unless it poses an “undue hardship.” Read more here.

 

UTAH SENATE PRESIDENT APPLAUDS PASSAGE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PROTECTIONS. Utah could become the latest state to enshrine religious liberty protections in code, after the state Senate voted unanimously to advance a version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Read more here.

 

CHRISTIAN BAKERS MELISSA & AARON KLEIN APPEAL TO OREGON COURT AGAIN. The former owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa have once again made their case before the Oregon Court of Appeals to allow them to bake cakes without endorsing messages that violate their beliefs, less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated an earlier decision by the state court that had effectively forced them out of business. Read more here.

 

IOWA DOCTORS COULD REFUSE PATIENTS OVER RELIGIOUS BELIEFS UNDER NEW BILL Senate Study Bill 3006 would make health care workers immune from liability for damages if they do not wish to undertake or pay for treatments that would go against their conscience. Read more here.

 

INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM SUMMIT UNITES DIVERSE VOICES AGAINST GLOBAL PERSECUTION. Religious freedom is under threat across cultures, nations, religions and political systems globally, and unexpected cases are emerging even in established democracies like Japan and Finland. Read more here.

 

CHRISTIAN BAKER CONTINUES LEGAL FIGHT OVER LESBIAN WEDDING CAKE. Cathy Miller, owner of the Bakersfield-based bakery Cathy’s Creations, does business as Tastries, has been battling litigation after she refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in 2017. Read more here.

 

CHURCH PRESCHOOL WON’T BE BARRED FROM GOV’T FOOD PROGRAM. A California church and its preschool program will be included in a federal program that helps feed the poor after initially being barred because of the church’s theologically conservative stance on LGBT issues. Read more here.

 

CRIMINAL PROSECUTION DRAGS ON FOR BRITISH ARMY VET WHO SILENTLY PRAYED NEAR UK ABORTION CLINIC. Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor was fined by English authorities for silently praying on a street for a son he lost to abortion last November, and Alliance Defending Freedom UK’s attempts to gain legal justice for him have been delayed for several months. Read more here.

 

RELIGIOUS AMERICANS’ LIVES POSSIBLY AT RISK IN 2024, NEW REPORT BY U.S. BISHOPS SAYS. The bishops said the coming year holds some significant threats to the rights of religious Americans that will likely be further exacerbated by the election year, most especially because of the emphasis on abortion, gender ideology and immigration. Read more here.

 

MOM FIGHTS OREGON AFTER STATE BANS HER FROM ADOPTING BECAUSE SHE’S CHRISTIAN. Jessica Bates, a single Christian mom attempted to apply with the state to adopt children in 2022, but Oregon officials denied her application because her Christian beliefs would not allow her to “respect, accept, and support … the sexual orientation, gender identity, [and] gender expression” of the children in her care as the department’s adoption regulations require. Read more here.

 

‘DEEPLY DISTURBING’: GOP SENATORS SLAM BIDEN ADMIN FOR USING SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER ON ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM.’ “Since January 2021, the Biden administration has consistently attempted to weaponize the federal government against its political opponents,” Sen. Katie Britt (Rep-Ala.) said, adding it “would turn to the SPLC to do so is disturbing, but unfortunately not surprising, given their shared animosity towards religious freedom and parental rights.” Read more here.

 

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DROPS PROTECTIONS FOR RELIGIOUS HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS. The Biden administration announced a new rule change Tuesday that experts are saying threatens the rights of religious doctors and health care providers to refuse to perform abortions and transgender surgeries. Read more here.

 

AUSTRALIAN STATE GOVERNMENT BANS PRAYERS TALKING ABOUT AN LGBTQ PERSON’S ‘NEED TO REPENT.’ The Australian state of Victoria has trodden on the sacred space of one’s own inner prayers, all in the name of protecting people who identify as LGBTQ, by banning the “carrying out a religious practice, including but not limited to, a prayer-based practice, a deliverance practice or an exorcism.” Read more here.

 

CHRISTIAN PARENTS ASK SUPREME COURT TO HELP AFTER GENDER-CONFUSED TEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM. Two Indiana parents are seeking the intervention of the United States Supreme Court after the state’s Department of Child Services took their gender-confused child away from them due to their Biblical beliefs about sex and gender. Read more here.

 

IOWA REPUBLICANS LOOK TO BROADEN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Iowa’s Republican leaders say they are not planning to expand on the list of laws passed last year addressing conservative social issues and regulating gender and sexuality issues in schools, but lawmakers may revive a push for religious liberty protections — causing concerns among LGBTQ rights groups. Read more here.

 

New York Wedding Photographer Won’t Share Her Beliefs About Marriage Because Speaking Out Could Put Her in Jail. Emilee Carpenter, a Christian wedding photographer, filed a lawsuit challenging New York law forcing commercial photographers to photograph same-sex weddings. Read more here.

 

UK Christian Teacher Who ‘Misgendered’ Student Banned From Profession. Christian teacher Joshua Sutcliffe is banned from teaching in England after he accidentally misgendered a student and was honest about his thoughts on same-sex marriage when a student asked. Read more here.

 

Parents Sue Maryland School District for Prohibiting Opt Outs of LGBT Lessons. Parents in Montgomery County, Maryland have sued their school district over a policy that prohibits parents from opting their children out of lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation, even for religious reasons. Read more here.

 

California Officials to Pay Churches Over Abortion Healthcare Mandate. California officials are reportedly preparing to pay out $1.4 million to four churches after attempting to force them to provide abortion health care coverage for their employees. Read more here.

 

German Christian School Takes Case Against Homeschool Ban to High Court. The Association for Decentralized Learning, a Christian hybrid school provider in Germany, filed a lawsuit at the European Court of Human Rights after government officials refused to grant the entity approval to open new schools. Read more here.

 

U.S. HHS Abandons Catholic Hospital Accreditation Threat. The Department of Health and Human Services has dropped its accreditation ultimatum to a Catholic hospital after the medical center threatened legal action. Read more here.

 

Irish Citizens Could Soon Be Jailed for ‘Possessing Material Likely to Incite Violence.’ A bill under consideration by the Irish government could jail citizens for merely possessing religious and other materials that criticize certain protected characteristics, including gender identity and sexual orientation. Read more here.

 

U.S. HHS Threatens Medicare Accreditation of Catholic Hospital. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is requiring Saint Francis Health System in Oklahoma to either extinguish the sanctuary candle in its chapel or risk losing the ability to serve Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP patients. Read more here.

 

USCIRF Releases Annual Religious Freedom Report. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its annual report on violations of religious freedom, noting that the state of religious freedom around the world is “very grim.” Read more here.

 

UK Mom Pledges Appeal After Court Dismisses Lawsuit Over Child Forced to Attend ‘Pride March.’ A Christian mother in the UK who sued after claiming her 4-year-old son was forced to participate in an LGBT “pride march” at his school without her consent is appealing after a court dismissed her case. Read more here.

 

Jack Phillips Appeals Transgender Cake Case to Colorado Supreme Court. Colorado baker Jack Phillips has appealed to the state supreme court after a lower court ruled that the devout Christian violated discrimination law by refusing to create a cake celebrating a “gender transition.” Read more here.

 

Quebec Education Minister Wants to Ban Prayer in Classrooms. Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville intends to forbid prayer in the province’s classrooms and will send a directive to school boards outlining his decision. Read more here.

 

School’s Transgender Policy Trumped Teacher’s Religious Rights, U.S. Court Rules. An Indiana high school did not break the law by allegedly forcing a music teacher to quit after he refused on religious grounds to use transgender-identifying students’ preferred names, a U.S. appeals court ruled. Read more here.

 

Lawyers Demand Virginia School District Allow Teacher to Quote Bible Verse in Email. A high school teacher in Virginia was allegedly told to remove Bible verses from her work email signature, prompting a demand letter from her lawyers alleging violation of her First Amendment rights. Read more here.

 

Christian Mother Sues Oregon for Denying Adoption Over Her Gender Beliefs. An Oregon mother of five claims her religious beliefs on gender barred her from adopting a pair of siblings in her state, and now she’s taking to the courts to fight for her First Amendment rights. Read more here.

 

U.S. State AGs Back Christian College’s Lawsuit Against Biden Admin Ban on Single-Sex Dorms. Nineteen states have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court backing the College of the Ozarks’ lawsuit against the Biden administration’s rule banning single-sex dorms. Read more here.

 

Church Sues Maine for Requiring Schools to Adhere to LGBT Policy to Be Eligible for Tuition Program. Crosspoint Church in Maine is challenging a state law prohibiting religious private schools from receiving funds from a tuition program unless they adhere to a state LGBT antidiscrimination policy. Read more here.

 

Virginia Gov Signs Bill Protecting Churches From Discrimination During Emergencies. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill that ensures churches are allowed to remain open during a state of emergency on the same or better terms as other businesses and services. Read more here.

 

UK School Worker Fights Firing Over Objecting to Grade School Transgender Lessons. A UK woman who was allegedly fired from a Church of England primary school for raising concerns about compulsory sex education and lessons about transgenderism had her appeal heard before an employment tribunal. Read more here.

 

Christian Man Facing Jail for Ex-LGBT Testimony Reported to Police by EU Equality Official. A police report accusing a Christian man in Malta of illegally advertising “conversion therapy” by recounting how he left a homosexual lifestyle was reportedly filed by a top equality official in the European Union. Read more here.

 

Scottish Catholic Student Group Blocked for Encouraging ‘Prayer for the Unborn.’ Stirling University’s Roman Catholic society has been suspended for encouraging students to join a prayer gathering for the unborn outside a Glasgow hospital. Read more here.

 

NY Employee Fired for Skipping LGBT Training on Religious Grounds Loses Appeal. A federal appeals court rejected the case of a former account clerk in New York who alleged he was fired for refusing to attend a required LGBT training session in 2018. Read more here.

 

West Virginia Gov Signs Religious Freedom Bill. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed the “Equal Protection for Religion Act,” a law which stipulates the government cannot “substantially burden” someone’s constitutional right to freedom of religion. Read more here.

 

Christian Ministry Sues Rhode Island District for Blocking After School Meetings. Good News Club, a longtime elementary school ministry, has filed a lawsuit against a Rhode Island school district for prohibiting the student group from meeting on equal terms as secular clubs. Read more here.

 

UK Street Preacher Reported as Terrorist for ‘Misgendering’ Wins Appeal. A Christian who was the first street preacher to be prosecuted and reported to a UK counterterrorism watchdog for allegedly “misgendering” a transgender-identifying person won his appeal. Read more here.

 

Students Demand DePaul ‘Eliminate’ Christian Group From Campus Over LGBT Views. Students at DePaul University, a private Catholic university in Illinois, are circulating a petition demanding the elimination of a Christian group after it posted a Q&A on social media denouncing LGBTQ lifestyles. Read more here.

 

UK Woman Arrested Again for Praying Silently Outside Abortion Clinic. A pro-life activist was arrested for the second time for the “offense” of silently praying in her head near an abortion facility in Birmingham, England. Read more here.

 

NY to Pay Settlement After Trying for Years to Shut Down Faith-Based Adoption Agency. New York state officials have agreed to pay $250,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs after trying to shut down New Hope Family Services adoption agency because of its religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Twenty-One States Unite in Support of Kentucky Photographer’s Religious Freedom. Twenty-one states filed amicus briefs with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Chelsey Nelson, a Kentucky photographer who successfully challenged a city law that required her to create photographs and write blogs expressing a view of marriage that contradicted her beliefs. Read more here.

 

Missouri Christian College Asks SCOTUS to Uphold Its Freedom to Have Sex-Specific Dorms. College of the Ozarks asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court decision refusing to block a Biden administration directive that requires the college to open its dormitories, including shared shower spaces, to members of the opposite sex. Read more here.

 

Washington Homeless Shelter Sues State Officials Preventing It From Hiring Christian Employees. Yakima Union Gospel Mission, a Christian homeless shelter, filed a lawsuit against Washington state officials alleging that the state’s anti-discrimination law prevents the shelter from only hiring employees that agree with their faith-based worldview. Read more here.

 

Michigan Muslim Group Warns State That LGBTQ Bill Might Be Unconstitutional. The Council of American Islamic Relations has objected to the Michigan Senate’s passage of an expanded version of state human rights law protecting LGBTQ groups, on the grounds that it might be unconstitutional and could undermine religious freedom. Read more here.

 

NYC Threatens Yeshiva University Funds for Failure to Make ‘Supportive Space’ for LGBT Students. Yeshiva University, an Orthodox Jewish university, is at risk of losing public funding if they don’t recognize an LGBT club, according to a letter sent to school officials by the city’s Comptroller Brad Lander. Read more here.

 

West Virginia Passes Bill Aimed at Protecting Religious Liberty. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed the West Virginia Senate and will now head to the governor’s desk in a bid to protect religious Americans from being discriminated against by the government. Read more here.

 

UK Chaplain Reported as Terrorist for Questioning LGBT Activists Digs in for Legal Battle. A school chaplain in the United Kingdom who claims he was left unemployable after he was fired and reported as a terrorist for questioning LGBTQ activists is set to appeal a legal ruling against him. Read more here.

 

Oklahoma AG Says Faith-Based Charter Schools Violate Constitution. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond rescinded his predecessor’s decision to allow publicly funded religious charter schools, claiming they are unconstitutional. Read more here.

 

City’s Law Illegally Forces Catholic Bookstore to Violate Religious Beliefs, Lawsuit Alleges. A Catholic bookstore filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Jacksonville, Florida for a law that allegedly prevents the business from expressing religious views on traditional marriage and gender. Read more here.

 

Biden Admin Looking to Remove Religious Student Groups’ Protections on Campus. The Department of Education announced a proposal rescinding a policy that prohibits universities from receiving federal funding if they restrict religious student group activities. Read more here.

 

British Woman, Priest Acquitted of Charges for Praying Outside Abortion Clinic. A British woman and a local priest, both arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, have been formally acquitted of all criminal charges. Read more here.

 

Whistleblower: FBI Has Found a Gateway to Declare Christians as Criminals. An internal document from the FBI’s Richmond, Virginia field office allegedly vowed to spy on “radical traditionalist Catholics and their ideology,” a move one whistleblower says is a gateway to declaring Christians as criminals. Read more here.

 

UN to Push Religious Communities to ‘Fully Comply’ With Human Rights Law to Empower LGBT People. The UN will release a report regarding “perceived contradictions” between freedom of religion and LGBT rights, through which they aim to push governments to “fully comply” with international human rights law to “protect and empower” the participation of LGBT+ people in religious communities. Read more here.

 

Arizona Library That Banned Christian Story Hour Backs Down After Legal Challenge. A Pinal County, Arizona library that censored a local resident from hosting a Christian book reading is backing down after a religious liberty law firm’s demand letter. Read more here.

 

Charges Dropped Against British Woman Arrested for Praying Outside Abortion Clinic. Charges have been dropped against a British woman who was arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic in England, though she has decided to pursue a verdict in court to clear her name. Read more here.

 

Dutch Court Rules Banning ‘Conversion Therapy’ Violates Religious Freedom. According to the formal opinion of the Dutch Council of State, a total ban on so-called “gay conversion therapy” would violate the constitutional right to religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Catholic School Students Kicked Out of Smithsonian Museum for Pro-Life Caps. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum kicked out a dozen Catholic high school students and their chaperones for wearing beanies inscribed with pro-life messages. Read more here.

 

UK Mom Sues After Child Was Forced to Participate in LGBT ‘Pride March.’ A Christian mother in the UK is having her case heard in London after she took legal action when her 4-year-old son was allegedly compelled to participate in his school’s LGBT “pride march” against her will. Read more here.

 

Masterpiece Cakeshop Baker Loses Appeal Over ‘Gender Transition’ Cake. Christian baker Jack Phillips lost his appeal in a case that stemmed from his refusal to make a cake for an individual’s “gender transition.” Read more here.

 

UK PM Warned That ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Likely to Criminalize Church Leaders. Church leaders have called on the UK government to drop its plans to ban “conversion therapy,” claiming the ban is likely to “criminalize innocent parents, teachers and church leaders.” Read more here.

 

Christian Charity Worker in Malta Prosecuted for Speaking Against Homosexuality. A Christian charity worker in Malta is facing prosecution for sharing his personal testimony about rejecting homosexual activity on the radio. Read more here.

 

Alabama Gov Adds Another Layer of Protection to Religious Freedom. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed an executive order to ensure the enforcement of the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment. Read more here.

 

Georgia Police Officer Resigns After Superiors Suspend Him for Traditional Marriage Beliefs. A police officer in Georgia resigned from the Port Wentworth Police Department after he said superiors attempted to suppress him from sharing his religious beliefs on social media. Read more here.

 

UK Man Fined for Silently Praying Outside Abortion Clinic. A UK man was reportedly fined after he admitted he was praying in front of an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England. Read more here.

 

Yeshiva University Pushes LGBT Club Dispute to New York’s Highest Court. Yeshiva University is one step closer to getting its case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after the school appealed a lower court ruling that it must recognize an LGBT club on campus to New York’s highest court. Read more here.

 

GEORGIA POLICE OFFICER RESIGNS AFTER BEING PUT ON LEAVE FOR FACEBOOK POST ON TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE. Port Wentworth, Georgia police officer Jacob Kersey has resigned after he was told by superiors that he could not share his religious views on marriage in a private social media post. Read more here.

 

Christian NHL Player Refuses to Wear LGBT ‘Pride’ Jersey, Citing His Faith. Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov declined to wear the team’s LGBT warmup jersey for “Pride Night,” citing his desire to stay true to his Russian Orthodox faith. Read more here.

 

Attempt to Amend UK Online Safety Bill Could Threaten Work of Churches. A UK MP has introduced an amendment to the Online Safety Bill which would brand as harmful any content promoting so-called “conversion therapy,” a move which could threaten the ability of churches to reach out to those with sexual identity concerns. Read more here.

 

In Courts Across America, Religious Liberty Is on the Docket in 2023. Religious liberty is set to be a hot-button issue in American courts in 2023, with several cases in particular that could set important precedent for the rights of religious Americans in the future. Read more here.

 

U.S. Judge Rules Christian Colleges With Biblical Views on Sexuality Can Receive Title IX Funds. A federal court ruled that Christian colleges and universities with traditional views on sexuality and marriage can continue to receive funding through Title IX, rejecting LGBT students’ efforts to strike down a religious exemption to federal discrimination law. Read more here.

 

Minnesota Poised to Ban Christians, Muslims, and Jews From Teaching in Public Schools. Minnesota will soon ban faithful Christians, Muslims, and Jews from teaching in public schools by requiring that every state-certified teacher “fosters an environment that ensures student identities such as … gender identity … are … affirmed.” Read more here.

 

U.S. Catholic Charity Fights Court Ruling Challenging Its Status as a Religious Organization. The Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior filed a petition for review with the Wisconsin Supreme Court after it was unable to obtain religious exemption status for unemployment benefits due to an appeals court ruling the charity wasn’t “religious enough.” Read more here.

 

U.S. Faith-Based Schools Should Be ‘Very Concerned’ About Biden Accreditation Plans. A former Department of Education official is concerned that a new regulatory agenda released by the Biden administration could have adverse effects on religious colleges and universities that participate in the federal student loan program. Read more here.

 

Catholic Hospital Can’t Refuse to Remove Uterus From Transgender-Identified Patient, Judge Rules. A federal court ruled the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center broke the law by refusing to remove the uterus of a transgender-identified patient due to the religious beliefs of the institution. Read more here.

Australian Christian Couple Awarded Damages After Their Foster Parent Application Was Rejected. A Western Australian tribunal found that a Christian couple was discriminated against when their application to foster a child was rejected over their view that homosexuality is a sin. Read more here.

 

Catholic Parish, Families Sue Michigan Over LGBT Interpretation of Civil Rights Law. A Catholic parish and a group of families have filed a lawsuit against Michigan over concerns that a state civil rights law will be used to force the parish’s school to violate its religious views on marriage and biological sex. Read more here.

 

British Woman Arrested for Praying Silently Near Abortion Facility. A British pro-life activist was arrested and is facing criminal charges for silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham while it was closed. Read more here.

 

Nearly 30 Pro-Abortion Attacks Against Churches Have Occurred Since Roe Was Overturned. Dozens of U.S. churches have been targets of pro-abortion “hostility” since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, a Family Research Council report found. Read more here.

 

Christian Doctors Sue New Mexico for Law Forcing Participation in Assisted Suicide. Christian doctors filed a lawsuit against the state of New Mexico for enacting a law that requires doctors to facilitate physician-assisted suicide in ways that violate their religious convictions. Read more here.

 

New York Appeals Court Rules Yeshiva University Must Recognize LGBTQ Club. A New York appeals court ruled that Yeshiva University must formally recognize an LGBTQ student group, rejecting the Jewish school’s claims that doing so would violate its religious rights and values. Read more here.

 

Texas Veterans Affairs Sued by Nurse Over Compelled Abortion Services. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs rule that requires its facilities to offer abortion counseling and procedures is being challenged in court by health professionals who said it violates their religious liberties. Read more here.

 

ECHR Condemns Bulgaria for Discriminating Against Christians. The European Court of Human Rights has condemned the government of Bulgaria for violating the right to religious freedom of Evangelical Christians in the country. Read more here.

 

Court Lifts Sanctions on Korean Christian TV. A South Korean court lifted government sanctions on a Christian broadcaster over their on-air remarks on the proposed anti-discrimination law and same-sex issues during an interview in 2020. Read more here.

 

U of Idaho Pays Settlement for Censoring Students’ Views on Marriage. The University of Idaho has agreed to pay $90,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by three Christian students given “no contact orders” after expressing their religious beliefs in opposition to same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Blocks Biden Mandate Forcing Religious Hospitals to Facilitate Gender Transitions. A federal court blocked a Biden administration mandate that would force religious hospitals and doctors to facilitate gender transitions against their sincerely held moral convictions. Read more here.

 

Illinois Displays Satanic Temple Alongside Nativity Scene in State Capitol Building. A display at the Illinois State Capitol shows the “Serpent of Genesis” from the Satanic Temple alongside a Christian nativity. Read more here.

 

U.S. House Blocks Religious Liberty Amendment to Same-Sex Marriage Bill. House Democrats have blocked an amendment that would have strengthened religious liberty protections in the Respect for Marriage Act. Read more here.

 

Judge Orders Southwest Airlines to Reinstate Flight Attendant Fired for Expressing Religious Views. A federal judge has issued an order requiring Southwest Airlines to reinstate an employee previously fired for expressing her pro-life and religious views. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Justice Accuses Colorado of Forcing Christian Baker to Undergo ‘Reeducation.’ Justice Gorsuch slammed the state of Colorado for forcing a Christian baker to undergo a “reeducation program” after he refused to create a custom cake celebrating a same-sex marriage because it violated his religious convictions. Read more here.

 

Philippines Passes Law to Protect Religious Freedom. The Philippine Congress passed the Magna Carta of Religious Freedom Act, which lawmakers say aims to protect every citizen’s right to religious freedom. Read more here.

 

U.S. Congressman Introduces Amendment to Protect Religious Objectors to Same-Sex Marriage. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas introduced an amendment to the Respect For Marriage Act that would add legal protections for those who believe in traditional marriage. Read more here.

 

UK Charity Apologizes to Chaplain Threatened With ‘Re-Training’ for Wearing Cross Pin. Marie Curie, a UK-based charity, apologized “unreservedly” to a Christian chaplain after he fought back when he was threatened with “consequences” and “re-training” if he did not stop wearing a small cross pin. Read more here.

 

Deadline Passes for Biden Admin to Appeal Ruling Against Transgender Mandate. The deadline has passed for the Biden administration to appeal a federal court ruling that religious healthcare networks cannot be required to carry out “gender reassignment” surgeries in violation of their beliefs or professional medical judgment. Read more here.

 

Wyoming’s Largest Homeless Shelter Secures Right to Hire Christians. A Christian nonprofit organization that serves as Wyoming’s largest homeless shelter recently secured a favorable settlement with state and federal government officials that will allow the shelter to hire only those who share its Christian beliefs. Read more here.

 

U.S. Senator Urges Colleagues to Protect Religious Freedom. Senator Mike Lee is urging colleagues to attach his amendment, which protects the right of religious people and religious institutions from predatory actions of the federal government, to the Respect for Marriage Act. Read more here.

 

South Carolina Gov Fights as ACLU Targets Faith-Based Foster Agencies. South Carolina’s governor has asked a federal court to protect the state’s right to partner with faith-based foster care groups to provide homes for children in need. Read more here.

 

Free Speech Concerns Surround Ireland’s Hate Crime Bill. Critics of proposed hate crime legislation in the Republic of Ireland remain skeptical about the bill, fearing the law will be used to censor religious views on gender and sexuality. Read more here.

 

U.S. Faith Leaders Warn Respect for Marriage Act Will Damage Religious Freedom. Leaders of faith-based institutions warned that the Respect for Marriage Act would “hack away” at the religious freedom of faith-based groups. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Poised to Issue Blockbuster Decision on Free Speech. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments December 5 in the case of 303 Creative, LLC v. Elenis, an appeal brought by a Colorado website designer who claims she has a First Amendment right to refuse to make websites for same-sex weddings. Read more here.

 

YouTube Bans Norwegian Prayer Channel. YouTube has banned a Norwegian prayer channel, stating that the channel violates its guidelines and falls under the category of “online spam, deceptive practices and fraud.” Read more here.

 

Greek Sports Star to Be Jailed for ‘Transphobic’ Message on Biblical Sexuality. Greek football legend Vassilis Tsiartas received a jail sentence and a fine for posting allegedly “transphobic” social media messages citing the Bible’s creation account. Read more here.

 

Christian Schools Threatened by Proposed Australian Bill. Christian schools in Australia’s Northern Territory could soon lose the freedom to only employ people who share their Christian beliefs if proposed amendments to the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act are passed. Read more here.

 

Boston Pays Out Millions to Settle Christian Flag Legal Case. The city of Boston, Massachusetts has agreed to pay more than $2.1 million to the Christian legal organization that backed a court challenge after the city refused to fly a Christian flag outside City Hall. Read more here.

 

New UN Treaty Would Make ‘Homophobia’ a Crime Against Humanity. The UN General Assembly is discussing a treaty on crimes against humanity that could be used to fine and jail religious conservatives and anyone who objects to the homosexual and transgender agendas. Read more here.

 

Kroger Settles With Employees Fired for Refusing ‘Rainbow’ Logos on Their Uniforms. Supermarket chain Kroger will create a religious accommodation policy and implement new training after settling a lawsuit from two former employees who objected to wearing a logo they believed signaled support for the LGBT community. Read more here.

 

Judge Rules Washington State Can Investigate Evangelical University’s Hiring Practices. A federal judge in Washington state has tossed a lawsuit by a Christian university seeking to stop a state inquiry into the school’s hiring practices that block LGBTQ individuals from full-time roles. Read more here.

 

Washington HS Football Coach Fired Over Prayers to Be Reinstated. A Washington high school football coach who was fired by the district over postgame prayers must be reinstated to his old job by March 2023, court documents say. Read more here.

 

California Court Rules in Favor of Baker Who Declined to Bake Cake for Same-Sex Wedding. A California court ruled in favor of a Christian baker following a years-long legal battle after she refused to bake a custom cake for a same-sex wedding in 2017, citing her religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

WMA Backs Conscience Freedoms for Pro-Life Medical Providers. The World Medical Association issued an update to the International Code of Medical Ethics, calling for the protection of the conscientious objection rights of medical providers. Read more here.

 

CA Woman Sues Childcare Company for Allegedly Firing Her for Refusing to Read LGBT Books to Kids. A childcare teacher in California is suing her former employer after she was allegedly fired for refusing on religious grounds to read books to children that featured same-sex couples. Read more here.

 

UK Catholic Media Commentator Arrested for Speaking Out Against Radical Gender Theory. Catholic media commentator and mother of five, Caroline Farrow, had Surrey Police come into her home without a warrant, seize all her electronic devices, and arrest her over statements she made on Twitter against radical gender theory. Read more here.

 

P.A. Sues Michigan Hospital for Religious Discrimination Over Transgender Stance. A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a physician assistant who was fired from University of Michigan Health-West after she sought a religious exemption from referring patients for “sex-reassignment surgeries” and hormone interventions. Read more here.

 

Michigan Wedding Venue Investigated for Refusal to Host LGBT Ceremonies. A wedding venue in Michigan is being investigated for violation of a local human rights ordinance after the owners refused to host LGBT ceremonies because of their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Colorado Baker Challenges Ruling Over ‘Gender Transition’ Cake. Colorado baker Jack Phillips is challenging a ruling that he violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to bake a cake celebrating a “gender transition.” Read more here.

 

SNP Ministers Sent ‘Chilling’ Recommendation for ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. The findings of expert advisors on a potential law banning so-called “conversion therapy” in Scotland have shocked campaigners who claim the recommendations are an attack on parental rights and religious liberty. Read more here.

 

Appeals Court Rules Against Kentucky Official Who Denied Same-Sex Marriage Licenses. An appeals panel ruled that a Kentucky county official is not protected from being sued personally for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Rules for Catholic School That Fired Teacher in Same-Sex Union. A federal court in Indiana ruled in favor of a Catholic private school that fired a teacher who had entered into a same-sex union in violation of her contract with the institution. Read more here.

 

Michigan Health Accused of Wrongfully Firing PA for Refusing to Perform ‘Gender-Affirming’ Procedures. The University of Michigan Health has been accused of wrongfully firing a physician assistant who sought a religious exemption from participating in “sex-change” procedures. Read more here.

 

U.S. Court Upholds Courtroom Prayer Tradition, Overturns Lower Court Ruling. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a Texas judge sued for allowing religious leaders to begin court sessions with invocations. Read more here.

 

LGBT Student Club Agrees to Delay Forcing Recognition From Yeshiva University. An LGBT student group has agreed to hold off on forcing Yeshiva University to formally recognize it while the Jewish school in New York City appeals a judge’s order requiring it to do so. Read more here.

 

Spanish Minister Assures That Transgender and Abortion Laws Will Not Restrict Freedom of Conscience. The Minister of the Presidency in Spain made assurances that the new transgender law and the changed abortion legislation will not violate religious freedom or interfere with freedom of conscience. Read more here.

 

U.S. University Ends All Student Groups After Court Orders It to Recognize LGBT Group. After receiving a court order to formally recognize an LGBT student group, Yeshiva University in New York City determined it would be optimal to “hold off on all undergraduate club activities” while determining how to protect the school’s religious freedom. Read more here.

 

UK College Cancels Christian Group’s Event Over Its Beliefs on Marriage. A college at Cambridge University has canceled an event for young Christian professionals, saying that the values of the organizers, who do not support same-sex marriage, are “not compatible with the values of the college.” Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Denies Jewish University’s Request to Block LGBT Student Group. The Supreme Court denied Yeshiva University’s emergency request to block a lower court order requiring the New York-based school to recognize an LGBT club on campus, saying the matter can return to the high court after it has exhausted state court channels. Read more here.

 

Washington Christian College Sued by Students, Staff Over LGBTQ Hiring Ban. Seattle Pacific University in Washington state has been sued by more than a dozen students and staff members over its LGBTQ hiring ban based on its religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Christian College Continues Legal Battle Against Biden Admin Discrimination Policy. A Christian college in Missouri has filed an en banc appeal to the 8^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seeking protection from a Biden administration policy that its officials believe will force the institution to allow biological males to live in dormitories and use showers reserved for women. Read more here.

 

Court Rules NY Can’t Shut Down Adoption Provider for Its Christian Beliefs. A federal district court issued an order permanently preventing the state of New York from shutting down a faith-based adoption provider targeted for its policy of placing children in homes with a married mother and father. Read more here.

 

Bakers Petition SCOTUS Again to Overturn Penalty for Refusing to Bake Same-Sex Wedding Cake. Two Christian bakers from Oregon who are fighting a financial penalty for their shop’s refusal to make a same-sex wedding cake have asked the Supreme Court again to overturn a state decision they claim violates their religious rights. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Sides With Yeshiva University in LGBTQ Club Case. The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a New York judge’s order to force Yeshiva University to recognize a club for LGBTQ students until the college’s religious freedom case is completed. Read more here.

 

Dutch Christian Insurance Forced to Cover Abortion and ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’ Starting January 1, a Dutch Christian health insurance company will be forced to cover abortion and “gender-affirming care” in order to stay in business. Read more here.

 

California Blocked From Forcing Christian Doctors to Assist Suicides. A federal district court in California has ruled that physicians who object to assisted suicide on religious or ethical grounds can’t be required to participate in the procedure. Read more here.

 

Kentucky City Can’t Force Christian Photographer to Shoot Same-Sex Weddings, Court Rules. Louisville, Kentucky cannot punish a professional Christian photographer for refusing on religious grounds to photograph same-sex wedding ceremonies, a federal court has ruled. Read more here.

 

Fired Nurse Files Religious Liberty Suit Against CVS Over Providing Abortion Drugs. A nurse practitioner has sued CVS Health, claiming she was fired for refusing to provide or prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to customers at MinuteClinic facilities in Virginia due to her Catholic faith. Read more here.

 

Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Firing of Catholic Teacher Over Same-Sex Marriage. Indiana’s Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of upholding the termination of a former Catholic high school teacher due to his same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

U.S. Legal Group Warns ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ Is Potential Threat to Religious Liberty. The Respect for Marriage Act is disrespectful of biblical beliefs on marriage and potentially poses a threat to the religious liberty of millions of Americans, warns Alliance Defending Freedom. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Asked to Block Michigan Enforcement of Gender Identity Care Rules at Christian Clinic. A faith-based Michigan health care operation filed suit to block new state-mandated rules on care for transgender-identifying individuals that the organization says would force its staff to violate their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

CA School District Must Recognize Religious Student Group, Court Rules. A federal appeals court ruled that a Northern California school district must officially recognize a religious student group that holds beliefs contrary to the district’s so-called “nondiscrimination policy.” Read more here.

 

U.S. Federal Court Upholds Conscientious Objection Rights of Doctors. A federal appeals court blocked a Biden administration plan that would coerce doctors to perform “gender transition” medical procedures and abortions that violate their conscience. Read more here.

 

Finnish Christian Politician’s Appeal Proceedings to Be Delayed One Year. The appeal proceedings against Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen, accused of inciting hatred for expressing Biblical views of sexuality, will take place in August of 2023. Read more here.

 

Christian School Admin Defends Institution’s Policies on LGBT Issues. A private Christian school in Florida is standing behind its policies of referring to students by their biological gender and not accepting students who participate in LGBTQ lifestyles. Read more here.

 

Fire Chaplain Sues City of Austin for Firing Him for Sharing Religious View on Personal Blog. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed suit in federal court on behalf of Dr. Andrew Fox against the city for firing the former volunteer chaplain of the Austin Fire Department for sharing his religious view on men competing in women’s sports on his personal blog. Read more here.

 

USDA Says Religious Schools Will Be Granted Automatic Title IX Exemptions. Religious schools will not be required to follow new Title IX regulations on sexual orientation and gender identity in order to receive federal meal funding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in new guidance. Read more here.

 

Florida Private School Granted Religious Exemption to Biden LGBT Policy Changes. A private religious school in Florida is exempt from adhering to new federal policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and will continue to receive funding for a free meal program for its students. Read more here.

 

Judge Rules Against Wisconsin Prisons Over Visitation. A Wisconsin judge ruled against the state prison system saying its pandemic visitor policy that barred Catholic clergy from meeting with inmates for more than a year violated state law and the state constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Court Rules Idaho Law Students Free to Share Their Religious Views on Campus. A federal court ruled that three Christian law students are likely to prevail in their case against the University of Idaho and are free to speak in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs while their lawsuit proceeds. Read more here.

 

Advisory Panel Recommends Significant Limitations for Canadian Military Chaplains. Religious groups in Canada are asking the Minister of National Defense to reject an advisory panel’s recommendation for severely limiting who the military can hire as chaplains. Read more here.

 

Anglican UK Chaplain Fired for Preaching Biblical Sexuality Warns of ‘Soft Totalitarianism.’ An Anglican chaplain who was fired for preaching Christian doctrine on sexual ethics is warning about the totalitarian ideologies actively at work in the West. Read more here.

 

Criminologist Warns Scottish ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Will Undermine Freedoms. Dr. Stuart Waiton has warned that the proposed “conversion therapy” ban will treat parents in Scotland like criminals for expressing their moral values and beliefs to their children. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Praying Football Coach. In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Joe Kennedy, an assistant football coach for a Washington state high school who was fired by his district for praying on the field after games. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Strikes Down Maine Law Barring State Funds for Religious Education. The Supreme Court has ruled that prohibiting parents from using subsidies for schools engaging in religious teaching violates the religious freedom of students and their parents. Read more here.

 

Judge Rules Jewish University Isn’t ‘Religious Corporation,’ Must Recognize LGBT Club. The Jewish Yeshiva University in New York City is not a “religious corporation” and must recognize an LGBT club as the city’s anti-discrimination law demands, a judge has ruled. Read more here.

 

SC Gov Signs Bill to Protect Conscientious Objection to Abortion. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed a bill that protects medical professionals from being forced to participate in procedures, such as abortion, that violate their conscience. Read more here.

 

UK Worker Successfully Sues Employer After Being Fired for Wearing Cross Necklace. A Christian factory worker in the UK has been awarded compensation after being fired for wearing a cross necklace at work. Read more here.

 

UK Govt Blocks Attempt to Include Atheism in RE. An attempt by secular humanists to include atheist teachings in Religious Education lessons has been blocked by the UK government. Read more here.

 

Graphic Designer Asks SCOTUS to Allow Her to Say No to Same-Sex Weddings. The Supreme Court next fall will hear arguments in the case of a Colorado graphic designer who says a state law forces her to supply services for same-sex weddings in violation of her religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Finnish MP Legal Fight Over Bible Tweet on Homosexuality Continues as Case is Reopened. The Helsinki Court of Appeals in Finland will reopen the case against MP Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola, both of whom were accused of hate speech for publicly sharing their thoughts on biblical sexual ethics. Read more here.

 

MLB Players Refuse to Wear LGBT Uniform Logo. Several Tampa Bay Rays baseball players declined to wear customized uniforms worn by their teammates for the annual LGBT “pride night,” citing the LGBT activism as a conflict with their Christian faith. Read more here.

 

Australian Christian College Referred to Human Rights Commission Over Enrollment Contracts. Former students of Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane, Australia are filing a discrimination complaint over contracts which affirm biological sex and biblical principles of sexuality. Read more here.

 

SPU Employees Must Refrain From Same-Sex Activity, Board Decides. Seattle Pacific University’s Board of Trustees decided to keep employee conduct expectations that ban employees from same-sex sexual activity, extramarital sexual activity, and cohabitating before marriage. Read more here.

 

Muslim Soccer Player Receives Pushback After Refusing to Wear Rainbow Jersey. An activist group is calling for the investigation of a French Muslim soccer player who refused to wear a jersey adorned with rainbow-colored numbers in support of an LGBT agenda. Read more here.

 

U.S. Lawsuit Claims Employee Fired After Voicing Concern With LGBT ‘Pride’ Promotion. A terminated employee of Arconic has filed a lawsuit claiming the manufacturing company fired him for voicing opposition to the company’s promotion of LGBT “pride” month. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Halts Biden Mandates Forcing Religious Employers to Pay for ‘Gender-Affirming’ Surgeries. A federal court has temporarily blocked President Biden’s mandates requiring both healthcare providers and religious employers to provide ‘gender-affirming care’ against their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

U.S. Court Weighs Whether Catholic School Can Fire Teacher in Same-Sex Marriage. The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the case of a Catholic school sued for not renewing the contract of a teacher in a same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

Alaska Airlines Sued for Firing Flight Attendants Over Equality Act Criticism. Two flight attendants are suing Alaska Airlines, accusing the company of firing them for questioning the airline’s official support of a proposed LGBT anti-discrimination bill. Read more here.

 

European Parliament Passes ‘Hostile’ Report on Persecuted Religious Minorities. The European Parliament has adopted a report which describes religion as a threat to free society by criticizing it as “an important driver of conflict worldwide.” Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Rules Boston Violated First Amendment by Refusing to Fly Christian Flag. The Supreme Court ruled that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment by refusing to fly a local organization’s Christian flag in front of city hall, though it had flown other groups’ flags. Read more here.

 

UN Delegates Consider Resolution to Punish Christians. UN delegations that promote the LGBT agenda privately circulated a resolution that would punish conservative and Christian critics of homosexual and transgender ideology. Read more here.

 

Christian Students Sue Idaho University Over ‘Censorship’ for Same-Sex Marriage Beliefs. A group of Christian students is suing the University of Idaho after claiming they were censored for expressing their religious beliefs on same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

Arizona Gov Signs Law Protecting Faith-Based Adoption, Foster Care Agencies. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a bill prohibiting discrimination against faith-based adoption and foster care organizations. Read more here.

 

U.S. Report Identifies Worst Violators of Religious Freedom. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2022 Annual Report has identified fifteen countries who are engaging in “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Top Human Rights Court Fails to Uphold Religious Autonomy, Parental Rights. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has issued a ruling which failed to uphold the right of parents to have their children educated in accordance with their convictions. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS to Hear Case of Football Coach Fired Over Praying. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of a former Washington state high school football coach who was fired after kneeling in prayer following football games. Read more here.

 

Ohio City Sues State Over Allowing Medical Providers to Exercise Conscience Protections. The Columbus City Attorney is suing the state of Ohio over a law which provides medical professionals legal protections for denying any care or treatment that violates their conscience. Read more here.

 

Biden to Roll Back Conscience Protections for Healthcare Workers. The Biden administration will soon propose an end to a religious conscience rule that allowed healthcare workers to object to performing services that contradicted their religious or moral beliefs. Read more here.

 

Arizona Gov Signs Law Protecting Faith-Based Adoption, Foster Care Agencies. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a bill prohibiting discrimination against faith-based adoption and foster care organizations. Read more here.

 

UK Online Safety Bill Risks ‘Draconian Censorship,’ Activists Warn. The UK’s Christian Institute is warning MPs that the government’s Online Safety Bill needs radical amendments to prevent it from trampling on free speech and religious liberty. Read more here.

 

Prosecutor to Continue Campaign Against Finnish MP. The Finnish state prosecutor has publicly indicated her intent to push criminal proceedings against an MP and bishop who shared faith-based views on marriage and sexual ethics, despite a unanimous court decision clearing them of charges. Read more here.

 

TN Bill Protecting Religious Orgs During Times of Crisis to Be Heard in Senate. A Tennessee bill which would prohibit religious organizations from being affected during a state of emergency will be heard in the Senate after passing the House. Read more here.

 

UK ‘Online Safety Bill’ Could Curb Free Speech, Civil Liberties Groups Fear. Civil liberties groups in the UK have expressed concern about a bill aimed at censoring harmful speech online, believing that it could be used to censor unpopular opinions on issues like sexuality and gender. Read more here.

 

UK Church Leaders Tell PM Continuing With ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Is a Mistake. Church leaders have written to Boris Johnson to express “considerable concern” over the government’s decision not to abandon its proposed “conversion therapy” ban. Read more here.

 

Finnish MP Wins on All Charges in Major Religious Liberty Trial. All charges against a Finnish MP charged with “hate speech” for sharing her faith-based views on marriage and sexual ethics have been dismissed. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Rejects Case Involving Hiring Rights of Religious Organizations. The U.S. Supreme Court says it won’t review the case of a Seattle-based Christian organization that was sued after declining to hire a bisexual lawyer who applied for a job. Read more here.

 

Two SCOTUS Justices Express Support for Hiring Rights of Religious Organizations. Two justices on the U.S. Supreme Court voiced their support for the hiring rights of religious organizations, arguing they should not be compelled to employ individuals who do not share their religious views. Read more here.

 

U.S. Judge Rules Against Kentucky Clerk Who Denied Same-Sex Marriage Licenses. A U.S. judge ruled that a former county clerk from Kentucky knowingly violated the rights of same-sex couples by denying them marriage licenses in 2015. Read more here.

 

Backing for ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban in Scotland Fuels Religious Freedom Fears. MSPs overwhelmingly spoke in favor of a ban on so-called “conversion therapy” during a Holyrood debate, fueling strong religious freedom concerns should the law be passed. Read more here.

 

UK Churches Experience ‘Hostile’ Backlash for Opposition to ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. Ministers who signed a letter raising concerns about the UK government’s potential “conversion therapy” ban say they have experienced backlash in a “coordinated and hostile” campaign by LGBT activists. Read more here.

 

Web Host Drops UK Church Over Opposition to ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. A church in Morecambe, Lancashire has had its website suspended because the hosting firm objected to the pastor raising concerns about the government’s upcoming “conversion therapy” ban. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Rules U.S. Foster Parents Who Lost License Over Biblical Beliefs May Sue. The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court decision dismissing a New Jersey couple’s lawsuit against the state after it suspended their license to foster children because of their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Rejects Christian College’s Bid to Halt Pro-LGBT Professor’s Discrimination Lawsuit. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a Christian college in Massachusetts that tried to use a ministerial exception to end a lawsuit by a former professor whom lower courts ruled could sue for alleged discrimination. Read more here.

 

Ohio Governor Signs Athletes’ Religious Expression Bill. Ohio schools can no longer require advance waivers or otherwise restrict participants’ religious apparel unless it causes a “legitimate danger” for fellow competitors, under a bill signed into law. Read more here.

 

UK Tribunal to Hear Appeal of School Worker Who Questioned Sex Ed and Transgender Ideology. A UK tribunal is set to hear the appeal of a Christian school worker who says she was fired after expressing concern about sex education and transgender ideology on her private Facebook page. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS to Hear Case of Web Designer Who Refused to Create Sites for Same-Sex Weddings. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case of a Colorado web designer who has refused to create wedding websites for same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Nebraska City’s ‘Fairness Ordinance’ Triggers Firestorm. A “fairness ordinance” in Lincoln, Nebraska has triggered a firestorm, with one state pro-family organization claiming it will trample on First Amendment rights. Read more here.

 

Lawmaker on Trial in Europe for Religious Views a ‘Cautionary Tale’ for the U.S., Says Lawyer. A criminal case involving religious expression in Finland may have a chilling effect on free speech around the world, according to a lawyer involved in the case. Read more here.

 

Virginia House Passes Bill to Exempt Religious Organizations From Non-Discrimination Laws. The Virginia House of Delegates approved a bill that would excuse certain religious and religious-affiliated organizations from following state nondiscrimination laws. Read more here.

 

Parents Opposed to School Pronoun Policy Granted Judicial Review in UK. A judge in the UK has granted a request for judicial review filed by two Christian parents who say they were forced to pull their children out of school over policies requiring teachers and classmates to use the preferred names and pronouns of transgender-identified students. Read more here.

 

UK Church Leaders Present ‘Conversion Therapy’ Letter to Downing Street. More than 2,500 Christian ministers and pastoral workers have presented a letter to Downing Street, calling on the UK government not to outlaw ordinary Christian activity in its proposed “conversion therapy” ban. Read more here.

 

Federal Investigation of LGBT Dating Ban at BYU Dismissed. The U.S. Department of Education has dismissed a civil rights investigation into how LGBTQ students are disciplined at Brigham Young University, saying it doesn’t have the authority to enforce the matter at the private religious school. Read more here.

 

Coalition Shelves Australian Religious Discrimination Bill. The Australian Coalition has shelved its proposed religious discrimination law after receiving backlash over the consequences to religious schools. Read more here.

 

Closing Arguments to Be Heard in Finnish MP’s Criminal Trial Over Bible Tweet. Closing arguments are expected in the trial of a Finnish MP accused of engaging in “hate speech” for publicly voicing her deeply held beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics. Read more here.

 

UK Online Safety Bill May Risk Censorship of Religious Teachings. The UK government’s push to clamp down on illegal and harmful content online could have unintended consequences for churches and people of faith, according to The Christian Institute. Read more here.

 

Australian Religious Discrimination Bill Passes House of Representatives. The Australian government’s religious discrimination bill passed through parliament’s lower house after a marathon all-night debate. Read more here.

 

UK Humanist Group Wants Religious Practices Banned Under ‘Conversion Therapy’ Law. In its response to the government’s consultation on a proposed conversion therapy ban, Humanists UK said practices such as confession and fasting could cause “direct harm” to LGBT people and should be forbidden. Read more here.

 

U.S. Christian Student Suspended After Sharing Beliefs on Sexuality and Gender, Lawsuit Says. A Michigan student is suing his high school and school district after reportedly being punished for sharing his religious views on LGBT issues. Read more here.

 

KY City to Pay $75K to Cop Suspended for Off-Duty Prayer Outside Abortion Clinic. Louisville, Kentucky is paying $75,000 to a police officer who says he was suspended for four months after offering an off-duty prayer outside an abortion clinic. Read more here.

 

Michigan Settlement Lets Faith Agencies Deny Adoptions to LGBT Couples. Faith-based adoption agencies that contract with the state of Michigan can refuse to place children with same-sex couples under a proposed settlement filed in federal court. Read more here.

 

Court Overturns $135K Fine for Christian Bakery. An Oregon appeals court told a state agency to reconsider its order for a Christian couple to pay $135,000 in damages for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. Read more here.

 

UK EHRC Calls for Securing Religious Liberty Amid ‘Conversion Therapy’ Debate. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has told the UK government that any proposal to ban “conversion therapy” must only target harmful practices and not the ordinary work of churches. Read more here.

 

Former Finnish Minister on Trial for Bible Verse ‘Hate Speech.’ A Finnish MP who previously served as the country’s Interior Minister has gone on trial for alleged “hate speech” over an online post that included a bible verse. Read more here.

 

Scottish Equalities Committee Demands ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Include Traditional Christian Views. The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities Committee is recommending that religious teaching, prayer or other speech aimed at groups or individuals which does not affirm their view of gender or sexuality should be criminalized. Read more here.

 

Christians Threaten MSPs With Legal Action Over ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. The Christian Institute is reportedly ready to take legal action against the Scottish Parliament if it moves ahead with a proposed ban on so-called “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

Australian Churches Want Religious Liberty Bill to Protect ‘Hard Truths.’ Church groups in Australia have told the federal government that religious truths should not be barred from the public arena simply because they upset others. Read more here.

 

Noem’s School ‘Prayer’ Bill Rejected by House. A South Dakota House committee rejected Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposal to require public schools to have a moment of silence for prayer or meditation to start the day. Read more here.

 

BYU Under Federal Investigation Over Homosexual and Transgender Policies. The Biden administration is conducting an investigation into a private religious university in Utah over its policies on homosexuality and transgenderism. Read more here.

 

UK Christian Teachers Warn ‘Conversion Therapy’ Proposals Will Harm Children. The UK government’s proposals for a broad “conversion therapy” ban will harm children who seek out support, the Association of Christian Teachers has warned. Read more here.

 

YouTube Labels Christian Sermon on Biblical Sexuality ‘Hate Speech.’ YouTube has censored a Bible-based sermon on sexuality, labeling it as “hate speech.” Read more here.

 

Canadian Law Could Put Parents in Prison If They Resist Child’s ‘Gender Transition.’ A new Canadian law forbids any counseling or advising against a transgender or nonbinary identity or non-heterosexual sexuality, with up to five years in prison for those who disobey. Read more here.

 

UK Pastor Claims He Was ‘Forced Out’ of Job After Allegedly ‘Homophobic’ Tweet. A Christian pastor claims he was “forced out” of his primary school job after tweeting that “gay pride” events were harmful to children, a tribunal has heard. Read more here.

 

Thousands of Churches Raise Alarm About Scope of New Canadian ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. Thousands of clergy in North America devoted their Sunday sermons to affirming biblical sexual morality in response to a new Canadian law that could effectively criminalize such teachings. Read more here.

 

Appeal Sought in Ruling Against NY Photographer Who Refused to Shoot Same-Sex Weddings. An appeal has been filed in the case of a New York wedding photographer who claims she acted within her right in refusing to photograph same-sex marriage ceremonies. Read more here.

 

U.S. House to Vote on Bill Which May Restrict Religious Leaders From Entering Country If They Uphold Biblical Views on Sexuality. Leaders in the House of Representatives are preparing to vote on the Global Respect Act, which could impose sanctions on foreign political and religious leaders who may oppose the homosexual/transgender agenda. Read more here.

 

Canadian Preachers to Push Back on Ban Against ‘Conversion Therapy.’ An estimated 300 Christian pastors in Canada are planning to deliver Sunday sermons on the Bible’s definition of gender as a reproach to a new ban against so-called “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

China Upholds Seven-Year Jail Term for Christian Bookstore Owner. An appeals court in China has upheld a seven-year jail term for a Christian online bookstore owner who was sentenced in 2020 on charges of illegally selling Christian religious books. Read more here.

 

Northern Ireland Bakers Win Supreme Court Appeal. The UK’s highest court has ruled that a Christian-owned bakery’s refusal to make a cake with a slogan supporting same-sex marriage was not discriminatory. Read more here.

 

Proposals Protecting Religious Freedom Presented to Chile’s Constitutional Assembly. Three proposed articles protecting religious freedom will be discussed by Chile’s constitutional assembly after being supported by 18,000 citizens. Read more here.

 

UK Nurse Fired for Wearing Cross Necklace Wins Discrimination Case. An employment tribunal in the United Kingdom ruled that the NHS Trust harassed and directly discriminated against a Christian nurse for wearing a cross necklace at work. Read more here.

 

Finnish Bishop and Politician Face Trial for LGBT Statements. A Lutheran bishop and a politician in Finland are accused of “violating the equality and dignity of LGBT people” after affirming principles of Biblical sexuality. Read more here.

Court Ruling Protects Faith-Based Women’s Shelter in Alaska. A federal court has ruled that the city of Anchorage, Alaska cannot enforce a city ordinance to require a faith-based women’s shelter to admit males and let them sleep alongside women. Read more here.

 

Court Dismisses Christian Photographer’s Case Challenging NY Law Requiring Her to Service Same-Sex Weddings. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York dismissed a case brought by a Christian photographer who sought to challenge state laws that would prohibit her from refusing to provide her services at same-sex weddings. Read more here.

 

SD Gov Introduces Bill to Restore Protection for Prayer in Schools. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has introduced a bill that would require a daily moment of silence in public schools so that students may pray if they so choose. Read more here.

 

Chinese Couple Loses Appeal Against Seven-Year Sentence for Selling Christian Literature. A court in China has upheld the seven-year sentences against booksellers Chang Yuchun and his wife for “inciting subversion of State power” by selling Christian literature. Read more here.

 

NCAA’s Draft Constitution Could Force Religious Colleges to Embrace ‘Gender Equity,’ Critics Fear. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is doubling down on a commitment to “gender equity” as concerns grow about the impact of allowing biological males who identify as females to compete in women’s sports. Read more here.

 

U.S. Faith-Based Hospitals Head to Court Over HHS Transgender Mandate. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear arguments over whether a Health and Human Services mandate can force religious-based hospitals to perform “sex reassignment” procedures. Read more here.

 

UK Govt Amends ‘Easy Read’ Version of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Over Religious Freedom Concerns. A simplified version of the UK government’s “conversion therapy” ban consultation document has been changed after concerns were raised that its wording suggested teachers and religious leaders would be at greater risk of prosecution. Read more here.

 

Over 500 UK Church Leaders Prepared to Face Criminal Charges If ‘Conversion Therapy’ Is Banned. Over 500 church leaders from across the UK have written to the government to say they are prepared to face criminal charges if a “conversion therapy” ban is introduced. Read more here.

 

Judge Rules Maryland Can’t Bar Christian School From Voucher Program Over Beliefs on Sexuality. A federal judge has ruled that Maryland unlawfully discriminated against a Christian school over its traditional views on marriage and gender identity when the state denied it access to a voucher program. Read more here.

 

Report: Anti-Christian Hate Crimes in Europe Jump by 70% in One Year. The Observatory on Intolerance against Christians in Europe revealed that hate crimes targeting Christians in Europe rose by a startling 70 percent between 2019 and 2020. Read more here.

 

U.S. Religious Groups Warn Build Back Better Act Threatens Faith-Based Child Care, Education. A coalition of Christian, Jewish and Muslim organizations is expressing concern about the impact President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill may have on faith-based childcare and education services. Read more here.

 

Over 700 Church Leaders Urge UK Govt to Protect Churches From ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. More than 700 Christian ministers and pastoral workers have called on the UK Minister for Women and Equalities to ensure that the ordinary work of churches is not prohibited by a ban on so-called “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

New Report Finds Freedom of Conscience Under Threat in France, Spain and Sweden. A recently published report highlights concerns that the right to conscientious objection is under threat in France, Spain, and Sweden, particularly with regards to abortion. Read more here.

 

Religious Freedom Advocates Ask Biden to Put Nigeria Back on Watchlist. A broad array of religious freedom advocates has banded together in asking President Biden to put Nigeria back on the State Department’s list of countries of particular concern on religious freedom. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS to Hear Arguments on Students Using State Aid to Attend Christian Schools. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in a Maine case regarding whether students can use state aid to attend schools that provide religious instruction. Read more here.

 

TN Children’s Home Sues HHS for Forcing Placement of Kids With Same-Sex, Unmarried Couples. A Tennessee-based children’s home affiliated with the United Methodist Church has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over a rule requiring the organization to place kids in the homes of same-sex married couples or cohabitating couples. Read more here.

 

UK Minister Says Free Speech About Religion Must Be Protected in ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. The UK Minister for Women and Equalities Liz Truss has affirmed the government’s stance that free speech and religious liberty should be protected from an overly-broad “conversion therapy” ban. Read more here.

 

Employee Sues to Stop Labor Union From Forcing Her to Pay Dues That Promote Abortion. Dorothy Frame, an employee at Fort Campbell’s Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, is suing a labor union that forced her to pay dues that support causes which violate her Catholic beliefs. Read more here.

 

Australian Govt Finally Introduces Religious Liberty Bill. After a long delay, the Australian Prime Minister has introduced a religious liberty bill to protect people “from discrimination on the basis of their religion in daily life.” Read more here.

 

HHS Revokes Religious Exemption Waivers for Faith-Based Foster Care Providers in Three States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would rescind waivers granted to faith-based child welfare agencies in Michigan, South Carolina and Texas that contract with the federal government. Read more here.

 

Indiana Court Revives Lawsuit of Teacher Fired for Same-Sex Marriage. A lawsuit filed by a teacher who was fired from his job at a Catholic high school in Indianapolis, Indiana for being in a same-sex marriage can proceed, a state appeals court ruled. Read more here.

 

USCIRF Releases New Report on Religious Freedom Violations in Belarus. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released a report on religious freedom violations in Belarus. Read more here.

 

Russia Loses Pair of Religious Freedom Cases at ECHR. The European Court of Human Rights found in two cases that Russian authorities violated the right of religious group members to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion under the European Convention of Human Rights. Read more here.

 

City of Philadelphia Settles With Catholic Foster Care Agency. The City of Philadelphia will pay Catholic Social Services a $2 million settlement after the Supreme Court unanimously found that the city had discriminated against the group due to their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Colombian Social Media Star Wins Censorship Case. The Colombian Supreme Court has ruled that the video in which YouTuber Kika Nieto shared her beliefs about marriage should not have been censored. Read more here.

 

Sixteen AGs File Amicus Brief Supporting Religious Freedom of Cakeshop Owner. Sixteen attorneys general have filed an amicus brief in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, arguing that custom cakes are artistic works protected by the First Amendment. Read more here.

 

Becket RFI Shows Increased Support for Religious Freedom Among Americans. According to the Religious Freedom Index released by Becket, backing for religious freedom increased to a new high of 68 on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more here.

 

Florist Settles Religious Freedom Case With Homosexual Couple, Decides to Retire. Washington florist Barronelle Stutzman has settled a lawsuit brought by a homosexual customer when she declined to design floral arrangements for his same-sex wedding. Read more here.

 

Australian Minister Says Schools Can Hire Teachers on Basis of Faith Under Religious Discrimination Bill. Australia’s education minister says the government’s revised religious discrimination bill will allow schools to hire on the basis of faith, but they will not be able to discriminate on other characteristics, such as sexuality. Read more here.

 

Biden State Dept Criticized for Removing Nigeria From Top Religious Freedom Violators List. Religious freedom advocacy groups and the top federal religious freedom advisory panel are criticizing the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the U.S. State Department’s list of “countries of particular concern.” Read more here.

 

NH Student Suspended for Saying There Are Two Genders Sues School District. A New Hampshire student athlete is suing his school district after he was suspended from a football game for expressing his views that there are “only two genders.” Read more here.

 

HHS Memo Shows Dept Moving to Undo Trump-Era Religious Liberty Protections. An internal memo reveals that the Health and Human Services Department is considering revoking authority the former Trump administration delegated for the Office of Civil Rights to prevent violations of religious liberty. Read more here.

 

Victorian Faith Leaders Decry Govt Bill on Religious Schools. Victoria’s religious leaders have condemned moves by the Andrews government to prohibit faith-based schools from firing or refusing to hire teachers or enroll students based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. Read more here.

 

Campaigners Urge UK Govt to Extend ‘Conversion Therapy’ Consultation Window. Campaigners looking to protect religious liberty are calling on the UK government to extend its consultation on a so-called “conversion therapy” ban to the standard twelve weeks rather than the reduced six-week timeline currently in place. Read more here.

 

Analysis Shows 41 Countries Banned Religion-Related Groups in 2019. Forty-one countries – or around one-fifth of those evaluated – banned at least one religion-related group in 2019, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of laws and policies in effect in 198 countries. Read more here.

 

U.S. Congressmen Call Finland’s Prosecution of Christian MP a ‘Clear Abuse of Government Power.’ The U.S. should consider placing Finland under “special watch” because of its prosecution of a Christian MP and Lutheran bishop for expressing traditional views on marriage and sexuality, several congressmen have suggested. Read more here.

 

Australian LGBT Groups Mobilize Against Religious Discrimination Bill. LGBT activists in Australia are mobilizing against a revived religious discrimination bill which they say is “deeply flawed.” Read more here.

 

Finnish Bishop Facing Prosecution Over Christian Values Warns of Dangers to Religious Liberty. A Finnish religious leader facing prosecution for publishing a booklet promoting Christian teachings about marriage and sexuality is warning that “the Gospel of Christ is at stake” as governments liken such beliefs to hate speech. Read more here.

 

U.S. DOL Seeks to Revoke Prior Administration’s Expansion of Religious Exemptions. The Department of Labor announced it will seek to revoke a Trump administration rule that allows for broader religious exemptions to anti-discrimination measures governing federal contractors. Read more here.

 

China Shuts Down Christian School in Beijing. Officials of the Tongzhou district in Beijing, China have closed a popular Christian school following an order to vacate the property and close the school. Read more here.

 

Italian Court Rules Crucifix May Remain in Classrooms. The Italian Court of Cassation has ruled that displaying the crucifix on a classroom wall is not an act of discrimination. Read more here.

 

Texas Judge Rules Religious Businesses Exempt From LGBTQ Bias Claims. For-profit businesses with sincerely held religious beliefs are exempt from LGBTQ discrimination liability under a decision by a federal judge in Texas. Read more here.

 

U.S. Evangelist Reschedules Speaking Event in UK After Settling Legal Dispute. U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham has rescheduled an event in Sheffield, England after his original appearance was cancelled because of his belief that homosexuality is a sin. Read more here.

 

USCIRF Urges U.S. Govt to Add Four Countries to List of Worst Religious Freedom Violators. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the State Department to add India, Russia, Syria and Vietnam to its list of countries designated as the worst religious freedom violators. Read more here.

 

Texas Approves Constitutional Amendment Barring State From Limiting Religious Services. Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment that will prohibit the state from limiting religious services, including gatherings that occur in churches and other houses of worship. Read more here.

 

Australian Lawmakers Split Over Religious Discrimination Bill. Australian MPs are split over the government’s revised religious discrimination bill, with some believing it gives people of faith the right to discriminate because of their religious views. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Won’t Take Up Case of Catholic Hospital Sued for Refusing to Provide ‘Gender Transition’ Surgery. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from a Catholic hospital in California that was sued after refusing to provide a hysterectomy surgery for a biological female who identifies as male. Read more here.

 

Christian Student Group Sues U of Nebraska-Lincoln for Discrimination. A Christian student group has sued the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, alleging that the school discriminated against the group’s views when it denied a funding request to bring a Christian philosopher to campus as a guest speaker. Read more here.

 

Italy’s Senate Rejects LGBT Non-Discrimination Bill. Italy’s senate voted to reject a bill which would have amended the penal code to ban discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability. Read more here.

 

New Campaign Calls on UK Govt to ‘Let Us Pray’ Amid Threat From Broad ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. A new campaign has been launched in the UK to protect the work of churches from an overly broad ban on so-called “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

UK Govt Pledges Not to Ban Prayer in ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. The UK government is claiming that prayer will not be outlawed under a government ban on so-called “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses Sentenced to Prison for ‘Extremist’ Religious Activity in Russia. Four Russian members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses received stiff prison terms in what the movement calls the “longest, harshest” sentences imposed on its believers since the 2017 designation of the group as “extremists.” Read more here.

 

Spanish Govt Tries to Restrict Conscientious Objection. Spain’s equalities minister has proposed the creation of a mandatory register of healthcare professionals who are conscientious objectors in an effort to force more doctors to perform abortions. Read more here.

 

Canadian College Journalist Fired for Expressing Catholic Views Reaches Settlement. A college journalist says he has reached a settlement with the school paper that fired him for expressing Catholic views. Read more here.

 

Two Dozen AGs Ask SCOTUS to Review Case of Coach Fired for Praying After Games. Dozens of state attorneys general are pushing the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the case of Joseph Kennedy, a high school coach fired for praying after football games. Read more here.

 

Apple Withdraws Bible and Quran Apps in China. Apple has recently removed the Quran Majeed and the Olive Tree Bible apps from its App Store in China, reportedly following a request from Chinese authorities. Read more here.

 

Christian Colleges Can Fight LGBT Lawsuit Seeking to Block Title IX Religious Exemptions, Judge Rules. A federal judge has granted the request of Christian colleges who want to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to force the U.S. Department of Education to strip federal funding from Christian colleges that abide by traditional beliefs on gender and sexuality. Read more here.

 

Christian Web Designer Opposed to Creating Same-Sex Wedding Websites Appeals to SCOTUS. A Colorado web designer has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court ruled that she must create websites for same-sex weddings if she offers her services for other weddings. Read more here.

 

Europe’s Top Court to Rule on COVID-19 Worship Ban Challenges. The European Court of Human Rights is set to rule on whether it is legal for a government to completely ban public worship in the name of protecting public health. Read more here.

 

Atheist Group Demands NC School District Stop Christian Prayers at Meetings. The atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation has demanded that a school district in North Carolina quit the practice of beginning meetings with Christian prayers. Read more here.

 

Asia Falls Short on Religious Freedom, Say Christian Legal Experts. Asian nations are failing to effectively interpret and implement freedom of religion and belief for their citizens despite having constitutional provisions and guarantees, Christian legal experts have said. Read more here.

 

UK Nurse Punished for Refusing to Hide Cross Necklace Sues London Hospital. London nurse practitioner Mary Onuoha has filed a legal complaint against Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, alleging that she was told a small gold cross necklace she wore was a safety risk and “must not be visible.” Read more here.

 

CA Parents Sue to End ‘Unconstitutional’ Chant to Aztec Gods in Ethnic Studies Curriculum. Three California parents are suing to stop the state’s public school system from encouraging students to recite prayers to Aztec gods, arguing that doing so violates constitutional principles related to religious liberty. Read more here.

 

UK ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Could End Religious Freedoms, Ministry Warns. A Christian counseling ministry is urging the UK government not to go ahead with its planned ban on so-called “conversion therapy” after a major report said the ban should cover religious practices, including prayer. Read more here.

 

NI Preachers to Go on Trial After Preaching Against Homosexuality. Three street preachers from Northern Ireland have been arrested in Dundalk after preaching against homosexuality and are due to appear at the town’s district court. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS to Hear Case Over Boston’s Refusal to Fly Christian Flag at City Hall. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal regarding whether city officials in Boston, Massachusetts can reject a request to fly a Christian flag at its city hall. Read more here.

 

Spanish Bishops Oppose Govt Registry of Medical Conscientious Objectors. Several bishops have expressed their opposition to a registry being created by the Spanish Ministry of Equality to track medical professionals who are conscientious objectors to performing abortion. Read more here.

 

CA Bans Travel to Ohio Over Law Protecting Religious Freedom of Healthcare Professionals. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has barred state employees from traveling to Ohio using taxpayer dollars over its enactment of a law that protects the conscientious objection rights of healthcare providers. Read more here.

 

Swiss Evangelicals Say Religious Freedom Must Be Protected After Passage of Same-Sex Marriage Referendum. The Swiss Evangelical Alliance has said that churches must be free to wed only heterosexual couples after same-sex marriage received overwhelming public support in a referendum. Read more here.

 

CO Web Designer Petitions SCOTUS to Reverse Decision Forcing Her to Express Messages Against Her Beliefs. Attorneys representing a website designer have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appellate court decision which concluded that the State of Colorado can force her to design and publish websites promoting messages that violate her religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

UK Foster Agency to Ask Supreme Court to Reject State-Imposed Definition of ‘Evangelical.’ The UK Court of Appeal has confirmed that an evangelical foster agency can work exclusively with evangelical foster parents but backed Ofsted’s attempt to impose its own definition of what it means to be “evangelical.” Read more here.

 

Philadelphia Christian Agency Can Once Again Make Foster Care Placements After Settlement. Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is once again helping make foster care placements, following a legal settlement with the city to cap a years-long court battle. Read more here.

 

UK University Accepts Appointment of Chaplain Who Tweeted About Abortion. The University of Nottingham announced that it will recognize Fr. David Palmer as a chaplain after having initially refused recognition over comments on abortion he had posted on social media. Read more here.

 

Faith-Based Adoption Provider Forced to Sue NY Officials for Harassment Over Marriage Views. New Hope Family Services filed a federal lawsuit after the New York Division of Human Rights threatened to investigate and penalize the Christian nonprofit because it places infants with couples consisting of a married mother and father. Read more here.

 

Tennessee Football Team Leads Community in Prayer, Defying School Board Directive. After Putnam County Schools administrators informed faculty and staff that they were prohibited from leading students in post-game prayers, a large group of football players from both teams led a post-game prayer with scores of parents and fans. Read more here.

 

Victorian Religious Schools to Be Banned From Firing LGBT+ Staff. Religious schools in Victoria, Australia will be banned from firing or refusing to hire staff based on their sexual orientation or gender identity under new reforms proposed by the state government. Read more here.

 

Court Date Set for Finnish MP Charged Over Bible Tweet. A hearing date has been set in the censorship case of a Finnish MP who is accused of having engaged in “hate speech” for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality. Read more here.

 

Coach Asks SCOTUS to Reverse Decision Preventing Him From Praying on Field. Attorneys for former high school football coach Joe Kennedy filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to reverse a lower court decision that allowed a school district to fire him for taking a knee in quiet or silent prayer after football games. Read more here.

 

NZ Churches at Odds Over Proposed Ban on ‘Conversion Therapy.’ Churches in New Zealand are divided over a proposed ban on so-called “conversion therapy,” with some churches supporting the ban and others opposing out of concerns for religious liberty. Read more here.

 

Thousands Sign Petition to Protect Religious Freedom in Indonesia. Thousands signed an online petition calling on the Indonesian government to protect religious freedom as “one of the most basic rights.” Read more here.

 

Christian Families in Mexico Lose Access to Water, Services for Refusing to Deny Their Faith. Two Christian families in central Mexico have been threatened with being cut off from essential services if they continue to refuse to deny their faith and pay a fine levied against them, according to a report. Read more here.

 

U.S. Christian College Continues to Fight Biden’s LGBT Policy. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has agreed to expedite arguments in the case of the College of the Ozarks challenging the Biden administration’s policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Read more here.

 

Alaska Airlines Accused of Firing Employees for Expressing Religious Beliefs. Two Alaska Airlines employees are filing a federal complaint alleging that the company retaliated against them for questioning its support of the Equality Act. Read more here.

 

Court Rules Catholic School Wrongfully Fired Homosexual Substitute. A federal judge has ruled that a homosexual substitute teacher was wrongfully fired by a Roman Catholic school in North Carolina after he announced on social media that he was going to marry his longtime partner. Read more here.

 

EU Religious Freedom Envoy Position Again Vacant. The position of “Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU” has been left vacant after Christos Stylianides accepted a different position after fewer than five months in the role. Read more here.

 

Faith Representatives Turn to Uganda’s Constitutional Court to Lift Worship Ban. An alliance of Catholic, Evangelical and Muslim faith representatives, along with parliamentarians, have brought a legal challenge to Uganda’s restrictions on public worship before the Constitutional Court. Read more here.

 

USCIRF: Christians in North Korea Face Torture, Execution by Firing Squad. North Korea’s communist dictatorship has been carrying out wrongful arrests and the denial of fundamental religious freedom rights as it seeks to “exterminate all Christian adherents and institutions,” the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports. Read more here.

 

Christian Minister Denied Holding 9/11 Prayer Vigil on Capitol Grounds Files Suit. A Presbyterian minister who wanted to conduct a prayer vigil on the United States Capitol Grounds on September 11^th is suing the United States Capitol Police board after being denied permission to hold the vigil. Read more here.

 

Christian Scholars Slam Report Arguing That LGBT ‘Progress’ Doesn’t Threaten Christians. Christian scholars have pushed back on a study in an American Psychological Association journal that concludes that laws designed to protect the LGBT community from discrimination do not negatively impact Christians. Read more here.

 

Two Cuban Pastors Fined for Participating in Nationwide Protests. Two Cuban pastors who were detained amid nationwide protests in Cuba were informed that the government would be fining them for participating in the protests but that they would not face prison sentences. Read more here.

 

UK Catholic Priest Denied Chaplain Role Due to Expression of Religious Views. A Catholic priest appointed by his diocese as a chaplain for Nottingham University has been denied recognition by the university due to tweets he wrote against abortion. Read more here.

 

Peer Urges UK Politicians to Champion Religious Freedom. Lord Alton is urging UK politicians to defend religious freedom around the world and shine a light on the “horrendous atrocities” being perpetrated against people of faith. Read more here.

 

Taliban Going Door-to-Door Searching for Afghan Christians. A statement released by the leader of an underground church ministering to Christians in Afghanistan revealed that the Taliban is pursuing a “hit list of known Christians” to capture or kill. Read more here.

 

Biden Ambassador Pick a Wealthy LGBT Activist Linked to ‘Hostile Takeover’ of Religion. President Joe Biden’s choice for ambassador to Switzerland is the former executive of a foundation which critics say “has shown an extremist hostility to basic freedom-of-conscience protections for those who do not morally approve of same-sex unions.” Read more here.

 

Biden Admin May Partially Repeal Rule Protecting Christian Student Groups at Universities. The Biden administration is reviewing a federal rule that prohibits public universities and colleges from removing the funding of religious student organizations whose leadership policies conflict with campus anti-discrimination rules. Read more here.

 

NH Churches Deemed Essential in Future States of Emergency. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill that allows religious organizations to operate to the same degree as essential businesses during a state of emergency. Read more here.

 

Court Rules Catholic High School Can Fire Staff in Same-Sex Marriages. A federal court has ruled against a counselor who was fired from a Catholic high school in Indiana because she was in a same-sex marriage, citing the legal standard of ministerial exception. Read more here.

 

Member of Finnish Parliament Faces Prison for Questioning Support of ‘Pride’ Parade. A member of Finland’s Parliament is facing two years in prison for tweeting a message questioning the alignment of her church with a “pride” parade. Read more here.

 

UK Street Preacher Vindicated After Court Finds No Evidence of Wrongdoing. A London court has thrown out a case against a Christian street preacher who was arrested while preaching outside Finsbury Park subway station in North London. Read more here.

 

China Arrests Leaders of Evangelical Church Demolished in 2018. Authorities in China have arrested leaders and members of a prominent evangelical church that was destroyed with dynamite about three years ago, sparking a global outcry. Read more here.

 

Legal Challenge Filed in Uganda to Overturn Worship Ban. A church in Kampala, Uganda and a representative from the Muslim community have commenced legal action challenging the Ugandan government’s ban on public worship after new national lockdown measures were announced. Read more here.

 

UK Police Officer Loses Religious Discrimination Claim. A former police officer in South Wales who claimed he was mocked by colleagues over his Christian faith has lost a religious discrimination claim. Read more here.

 

Cuban Christian Given 72 Hours to Take Down Bible Verse Sign or Face Prison. A Cuban churchgoer has been threatened with a prison sentence if he fails to take down a sign outside his house displaying a Bible verse. Read more here.

 

China Jails Christians for Selling Bible Audio Players. A court in southeast China has handed down jail terms to four Christians arrested last year on charges of illegally selling electronic devices that play Bible verses. Read more here.

 

Homeless Ministry Asks SCOTUS to Protect Its Freedom to Hire Those Who Share Its Beliefs. A Seattle homeless ministry asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Washington Supreme Court decision that forces the Christian nonprofit to hire employees who do not share the ministry’s religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Algerian Govt Shuts Down Three Christian Churches. Authorities in Algeria have closed down three Christian churches in what critics describe as “direct violations of the right to religious freedom.” Read more here.

 

Legal Group Responds to U.S. DOJ Dropping Conscience Complaint. Matthew Clark, senior counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice, is criticizing a decision by the Department of Justice to drop its conscience rights lawsuit against a Vermont hospital, calling the decision “plainly political in nature.” Read more here.

 

Christian College Asks SCOTUS to Protect Freedom to Decide Who Can Teach the Faith. A Christian college asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision that allows government to dictate who can teach the college’s faith. Read more here.

 

Christian Baker Appeals Ruling on ‘Gender Transition’ Cake. A Christian baker found to have violated Colorado’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender-identifying customer has appealed the ruling. Read more here.

 

U.S. DOJ Dismisses Suit by Nurse Allegedly Forced to Participate in Abortion. The U.S. Department of Justice has dismissed a lawsuit against the University of Vermont Medical Center alleging it forced a nurse to participate in an abortion procedure she objected to on religious grounds. Read more here.

 

Scottish CEO Wins Religious Discrimination Case. An employment tribunal has ruled that Scotland’s largest grant-making trust unlawfully discriminated against its CEO because of his Christian views on marriage. Read more here.

 

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Christian Web Designer Must Give Equal Access to LGBT Customers. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit said graphic designer Lorie Smith must design graphics and websites that “celebrate same-sex marriages” because Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act compels her to do so if she also is going to create websites that celebrate heterosexual marriages. Read more here.

 

EU Bishops’ Commission Urges Action to Protect Religious Freedom. European bishops called on the European Union to do more to protect religious freedom in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

 

Christian Family Banned From Michigan Farmer’s Market for Religious Beliefs Goes to Trial. A federal district court will hear the case of a Catholic organic farmer who was banned from a Michigan farmer’s market over his belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Read more here.

 

Ninth Circuit Favors Washington Church in Case Against State Abortion Coverage Mandate. In a ruling by a federal appeals court, Cedar Park Church in Bothell, Washington won its case against a state abortion coverage mandate. Read more here.

 

UK’s Blackpool Council Ordered to Pay Over £100K for Discriminating Against Christians. Blackpool Council has been ordered to pay £25,000 in damages and £84,000 in costs for discrimination against a local Christian festival involving over 200 churches. Read more here.

 

Kentucky Contracts With Baptist-Affiliated Children’s Agency. Kentucky reached a contract deal to continue placing youngsters with a Baptist-affiliated children’s agency, coming after the governor’s administration removed LGBTQ anti-discrimination language that the agency steadfastly refused to sign. Read more here.

 

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Against University That Targeted Christian Group. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled against the University of Iowa, calling its decision to deregister a Christian student group one of the most obvious examples of discrimination that it has ever seen. Read more here.

 

U.S. Judge Rules School Can Require Teacher to Use Transgender Pronouns and Names. A federal judge has ruled against a Christian teacher who claimed he was forced out of his job because he declined to use the preferred names and pronouns of transgender students. Read more here.

 

U.S. Fifth Circuit Allows Chaplain-Led Courtroom Prayers to Continue After Being Ruled Unconstitutional. A federal appeals court sided with a Texas justice of the peace, allowing him to continue chaplain-led invocations before state court hearings while the lawsuit against him is adjudicated after his courtroom prayer tradition was ruled unconstitutional by a lower court. Read more here.

 

State AGs Push Back on Biden’s LGBT Guidance, Warn Religious Liberty Is in Peril. A group of 21 state attorneys general has signed on to a letter to the Biden administration, denouncing recent efforts to expand LGBT policies in schools that they believe would circumvent religious liberty protections and free speech rights. Read more here.

 

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Catholic Parish Can Fire Homosexual Employee Under Ministerial Exception. An appeals court has ruled that an Illinois Catholic parish and its archdiocese could legally fire a music director because he had entered a same-sex marriage, as his relationship conflicted with Church teaching. Read more here.

 

Washington Church Challenges State Law Requiring Abortion Coverage in Healthcare Plans. A Washington church is challenging a state law forcing it to cover elective abortions in its health insurance plans. Read more here.

 

Colombian Court Agrees to Hear Case of Celebrity Forced to Remove Video Supporting Traditional Marriage. The Colombian Constitutional Court has agreed to review the case of a social media star that seeks to overturn a national court ruling that ordered her to take down an online video wherein she expressed her belief in traditional marriage. Read more here.

 

Judge Who Won’t Oversee Same-Sex Weddings Due to Religious Beliefs Wants Lawsuit Revived. A Jack County, Texas judge who declines to marry same-sex couples due to his Christian beliefs has standing to challenge a state commission’s interpretation of a judicial canon in a way that chills his religious rights, his lawyers will tell an appeals court. Read more here.

 

UK Govt ‘Deeply Concerned’ About Religious Freedom Violations in North Korea. The UK government has said it is “deeply concerned” about reports of serious human rights violations against people of faith in North Korea. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS to Hear Religious School Tuition Case. The U.S. Supreme Court decided that it will hear a case brought by families from Maine who want to use a state tuition program to send their children to religious schools. Read more here.

 

Kentucky’s Contract With Children’s Agency Remains in Limbo. Kentucky’s contract renewal with a Baptist-affiliated children’s agency remains in limbo over a disputed contract clause that could require the agency to place children with same-sex couples in violation of their deeply held religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Ohio Passes Bill Allowing Religious Hospitals, Doctors to Refuse Procedures That Violate Convictions. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a state budget that allows for medical professionals and insurers to be excused from performing procedures that conflict with their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Declines to Hear Key Religious Liberty Case Next Term. The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will not take up a key religious liberty case centered around a Christian artist who has come under fire for declining to service events that violate her faith, such as same-sex marriage ceremonies. Read more here.

 

UK Christian Foster Agency to Appeal Ruling Against ‘Heterosexual Couples’ Policy. An evangelical Christian fostering agency that lost part of a High Court case over its policy of only placing children with heterosexual married couples has made a bid to overturn the decision at the Court of Appeal. Read more here.

 

Activist Says China’s ‘Killing’ of Hong Kong Paper Has Serious Implications for Religious Liberty. A human rights activist has said that the Chinese Communist Party’s “killing” of a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong has “serious implications” for religious liberty. Read more here.

 

U of California Sets Rules for Religious Hospitals. The University of California’s governing board has adopted a new policy that tightens the rules on affiliations with hospitals that impose religious restrictions on health care, such as refusing to perform abortions or “gender reassignment” surgery. Read more here.

 

UK Street Preacher Wins Wrongful Arrest Case. A Christian street preacher has won damages from the West Yorkshire Police after he was wrongfully arrested and falsely imprisoned for preaching the gospel. Read more here.

 

SC Considers Extending Religious Objections to Therapists. South Carolina lawmakers are considering a bill to let mental health professionals refuse to provide care that violates their religious beliefs in response to an ordinance banning “conversion therapy” for minors in the state’s capital city. Read more here.

 

Atheists Sue Mississippi Over New ‘In God We Trust’ License Plates. Mississippi is facing a lawsuit from a group of atheists because of the southern state’s new license plates featuring the phrase “In God We Trust.” Read more here.

 

Over 80 Percent of Americans Say Religious Freedom Is Key to Healthy Society. More than four-fifths of surveyed Americans believe that freedom of religion is an important aspect of a “healthy American society,” according to a recent poll. Read more here.

 

Protestors Gather Around Calgary Prison to Support Pastor Arrested for Holding Worship Services. A group of pastors and protesters gathered around the Calgary Remand Centre in Alberta to support Pastor Tim Stephens who was jailed after a police helicopter found where his congregation was meeting outside. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Asked to Rule If Boston Can Legally Refuse to Fly Christian Flag at City Hall. A Christian legal nonprofit has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh whether the city of Boston violated the rights of a Christian organization by refusing to allow a Christian flag to fly on public property. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Strikes Down Philadelphia Law Forcing Same-Sex Adoption at Catholic Org. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned a lower court ruling regarding the City of Philadelphia barring foster children from being placed with the Catholic Social Services due to its unwillingness to endorse same-sex couples. Read more here.

 

Texas Gov Signs Religious Freedom Law Prohibiting Govt From Closing Churches. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law prohibiting government agencies and officials in the state from ordering churches and other houses of worship to close. Read more here.

 

IRS Denies Tax-Exempt Status to Christian Org Accused of Being Too Political. A Christian group is appealing a decision from the Internal Revenue Service denying nonprofit exemption status due to the government believing that its endeavors are too political. Read more here.

 

Irish Children Being Bullied at School for Practicing Their Religion. A recent study carried out by Ireland’s National Anti-Bullying Centre found teachers of religious education have specific concerns about students who are practicing Catholics being targeted for bullying more than those who are not. Read more here.

 

Canadian Pastor Arrested for Holding Outdoor Services. Pastor Tim Stephens was arrested on new charges after Fairview Baptist Church gathered for underground worship for the second week in a row since their church was effectively seized by Alberta Health Services. Read more here.

 

Wealthy Donors Pour Millions Into Anti-Religious Freedom Efforts as Adoption Ruling Looms. Reports show that millions of dollars continue to pour into advocacy groups opposed to broad religious freedom protections, some of which appears to target a critical religious freedom case soon to be decided by the Supreme Court. Read more here.

 

UK ‘Conversion Therapy’ Activist Calls for Ban to Include ‘Gentle’ Prayer. A leading LGBT activist in the UK has called for “gentle, non-coercive prayer” on sexual ethics to be included in legislation banning LGBT “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

Coalition Is Concerned Christians Face Discrimination With IACHR. A coalition of human rights experts and religious freedom advocates voiced their concern that people of faith are barred from being elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Read more here.

 

Spanish High Court Defends Christian Television. The highest court in Spain has ruled that a Christian broadcaster who expressed biblical views on sexuality acted under the protection of the right to freedom of expression. Read more here.

 

Florida Gov Signs Bill Requiring Moment for School Prayer. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that would require public schools in his state to set aside at least one minute of silence for children to meditate or pray. Read more here.

 

Biden DOJ Amends Position of ‘Vigorously’ Defending Religious Freedom After LGBT Blowback. The Department of Justice quickly amended a court filing that initially said it would “vigorously” defend religious liberty after blowback from LGBT activists. Read more here.

 

Council Admits Unlawful Discrimination in Canceling Church Event. Edinburgh Council has admitted acting unlawfully in cancelling a Christian conference because of the speaker’s biblical beliefs on marriage and sexuality. Read more here.

 

Canadian Judge Rules Religious Freedoms Not Violated by Pandemic Restrictions. A judge has ruled that the religious freedoms of an Alberta pastor who is on trial for violating COVID-19 regulations were not violated. Read more here.

 

Biden DOJ Defends Religious Exemption for Christian Schools. The Biden Justice Department split with key LGBT allies on a major issue when it said in a court filing it will defend a federal rule that exempts Christian universities and schools from anti-discrimination laws. Read more here.

 

Christian University Ends Social Work Program Over Imposed Sexuality Values. Cairn University is ending its highly regarded social work program partly because school officials say the accrediting agency was attempting to impose sexuality and gender values that don’t align with the university’s religious mission. Read more here.

 

Canadian Church Faces $183K in Fines for Holding Worship in Defiance of Lockdown Orders. A congregation in Ontario has been slapped with $183,000 in fines for holding outdoor worship services after its church building was ordered closed by a judge, according to the pastor. Read more here.

 

Illinois School Reverses Course After Banning Second-Grader From Reading Bible During Recess. School officials in Illinois have reversed their decision to ban a second-grade girl from bringing her Bible to school. Read more here.

 

Russia Imprisons Six Jehovah’s Witnesses for ‘Extremism.’ Russia has sentenced six Jehovah’s Witnesses to multi-year prison terms on extremism charges, the religious organization said. Read more here.

 

Over 30K Call on Inter-American Court to Affirm Religious Freedom. More than 30,000 signatories from Latin America and the Caribbean are supporting a brief urging the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to uphold religious freedom and parental rights in the case of Pavez v. Chile. Read more here.

 

KY Ties to Baptist Kids’ Agency at Risk Over Non-Discrimination Contract. A clash between religious beliefs and homosexual “rights” has jeopardized Kentucky’s relationship with a foster care and adoption agency affiliated with the Baptist church that serves some of the state’s most vulnerable children. Read more here.

 

CI Threatens Legal Action if ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Is Used to Outlaw Prayer. The Christian Institute has said it “will not hesitate” to take legal action if the Northern Ireland Executive introduces a ban on “conversion therapy” which outlaws “the wrong kind of prayer.” Read more here.

 

Fears Rising Over China’s Looming ‘Re-Education’ of Christians. A Vatican-approved bishop, priests and seminarians in north-central China were arrested for violating new regulations on religious affairs, a stark example of growing religious persecution in the communist country. Read more here.

 

Finland’s Prosecution of Christian MP Is ‘Act of Oppression,’ Legal Scholars Warn. Law professors and scholars are calling on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to pressure the State Department to sanction Finland’s prosecutor general for prosecuting a Christian politician who shared her biblical beliefs on sexuality and marriage. Read more here.

 

Russian Church Fined for Violating Anti-Evangelism Law. A magistrate judge in Russia found the Bread of Life Church of Christians of Evangelical Faith guilty of committing an administrative violation and fined them 30,000 rubles. Read more here.

 

HS Reverses Decision, Will Allow Valedictorian to Reference God. A public high school in Michigan has reversed its position following massive public pressure and will allow a Christian valedictorian to reference God in her graduation speech. Read more here.

 

Finnish Bishop Charged Over Biblical Teaching on Human Sexuality. The Rev. Dr. Juhana Pohjola has been charged by Finland’s prosecutor general with incitement against a group of people for teaching biblical principles of human sexuality. Read more here.

 

Realtor Drops License Over Association’s Ban on ‘Hate Speech.’ A Christian realtor is allowing his license to expire rather than comply with a new requirement from the National Association of Realtors that he and other members refrain from engaging in “hate speech” which includes expressing biblical views on LGBT issues. Read more here.

 

Christian College Vows to Challenge Biden Order Opening Dorms, Showers to Opposite Sex. A Christian college in Missouri plans to appeal its case against the Biden administration after a federal judge ruled the school must open its dorm rooms and showers to members of the opposite sex. Read more here.

 

Judge Rules Christian College Must Open Dorms, Showers to Opposite Sex. A federal judge rejected a Christian college’s request to bypass new rules under the Biden administration that force religious schools to open their dormitories — including shared bedrooms and shower spaces — to members of the opposite sex. Read more here.

 

Christians in NI Concerned About Push for Vague ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. After Northern Ireland lawmakers passed a resolution to develop a ban on sexual orientation and gender identity “conversion therapy,” several Christian leaders have warned that the ban’s language is vague and could cover ordinary pastoral care and Christian activity. Read more here.

 

State Dept Report Shows 80 Percent of People Live Under High Restrictions on Religious Freedom. The U.S. Department of State’s 2020 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom shows that most people in the world live in environments with significant restrictions on freedom of religion. Read more here.

 

Jailed Alberta Pastor Released on Bail. Pastor Artur Pawlowski, whose arrest for holding church services in defiance of Alberta’s Public Health Act drew international attention, recounted his experience in jail and reiterated his warning to Canadians about growing state tyranny. Read more here.

 

USCIRF Releases 2020 Annual Report. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 2020 Annual Report, documenting significant developments and making recommendations to enhance the U.S. government’s promotion of freedom of religion or belief abroad. Read more here.

 

Church Leaders to Irish PM: Never Ban Public Worship Again. As restrictions on churches are finally lifted in the Republic of Ireland, religious leaders have urged the Taoiseach never to allow a blanket ban on public worship again. Read more here.

 

Church Autonomy and Parental Rights Challenged at Top Human Rights Court of the Americas. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will soon decide a case on the importance of protecting the right to freedom of religion and belief as well as the right of parents to direct the moral and religious upbringing of their children. Read more here.

 

California Bill Targets University Healthcare Links to Catholic Hospitals. A California bill threatens to ban University of California health systems from partnering with institutions that follow Catholic ethics, prompting concern that ideological motives on abortion and LGBT issues will limit medical care access. Read more here.

 

Colorado Christian School Seeking Broad Ministerial Exception From 10^th Circuit. A U.S. appeals court panel will take up the latest high-profile case to test the limits of an exemption from anti-discrimination laws for religious schools. Read more here.

 

Calgary Police Arrest Pastor Who Refused to Allow Officials to Disrupt Service. Pastor Artur Pawlowski and his brother were stopped on their way home from church by a motorcade of police vehicles and arrested for allegedly violating Alberta’s Public Health Act. Read more here.

 

UK School Reports Chaplain to Anti-Terror Unit After Telling Students They Can Disagree With LGBT Teaching. A school priest was reported to an anti-terrorism program after delivering a sermon in which he told pupils they were allowed to disagree with new LGBT policies. Read more here.

 

Indiana Court Rules Catholic School Can Fire Teacher for Being in Same-Sex Marriage. An Indiana court has dismissed a lawsuit filed against a Roman Catholic Archdiocese by a former private school teacher who was fired for being in a same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

Charges Against Christian Politician Are Because of ‘Discriminatory Hate Speech.’ Finland’s state prosecutors are pushing back against the international outcry over the charges against a Christian politician by describing her statements on marriage and sexuality as “discriminatory hate speech.” Read more here.

 

Irish People of Faith Call for Govt Commitment to Religious Freedom. People of faith in Ireland are signing an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Micheál Martin, demanding a commitment never to ban church worship in the country again. Read more here.

 

Swiss Doctor Wins Legal Challenge to Unlawful Ban on Public Worship. A court in Switzerland has become the latest to rule a COVID-19-related blanket ban on worship to be unlawful. Read more here.

 

EU Appoints New Religious Freedom Envoy. The European Commission appointed Christos Stylianides as Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. Read more here.

 

Police Called After Argentine Priest Holds Outdoor Mass for First Communion. Police in Argentina were called when a priest held a First Communion Mass in an open air space with close to 100 participants in violation of COVID-19 regulations. Read more here.

 

U.S. Legislators Urge Biden to Address Global Religious Persecution. A bipartisan group of members of Congress asked President Biden to prioritize responding to global religious persecution. Read more here.

 

Proposed Ethics Code Threatens to Undermine Right to Conscientious Objection. A new draft of the International Code of Medical Ethics aims to severely curtail the rights of doctors to conscientiously refuse the administration of certain drugs and procedures. Read more here.

 

UK Pastor Alleges Police Elevate LGBT ‘Rights’ Above Others. A church minister who witnessed the arrest of a street preacher has accused the Metropolitan police of putting the rights of LGBT people above those of other protected characteristics. Read more here.

 

Ireland Announces Partial Lifting of Worship Ban. The government of Ireland announced that church services can resume on May 10^th with face coverings, distancing, and a limit of 50 worshippers. Read more here.

 

China Brutalizes Religious Groups With Repressive Policies. Communist China has continued its crackdown on religious groups and practices by arresting and abusing hundreds of members, accusing them of being associated with entities that the state authorities deem illegal. Read more here.

 

Mexican Church Defends Right to Speak on Public Issues After Govt Warning. Faced with a covert warning from the government about interfering in the political arena, the archdiocese of Mexico City released a statement defending its rights to speak out on public issues. Read more here.

 

CI Threatens Legal Challenge Over UK Ban on ‘Wrong Kind of Prayer.’ The Christian Institute has threatened the UK government with legal action if a proposed “conversion therapy” ban outlaws the “wrong kind of prayer.” Read more here.

 

Wealthy Corporations Back Equality Act Stripped of Religious Freedom Protections. Federal LGBT legislation that excludes important religious freedom protections has the backing of over 400 American corporations with trillions of dollars in annual revenue. Read more here.

 

Police Lock Ontario Church for Violating COVID-19 Restrictions. A judge in Ontario, Canada has allowed authorities to temporarily lock the doors of Trinity Bible Chapel that has refused to follow provincial restrictions on gatherings aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Read more here.

 

Finnish Politician Formally Charged for Hate Crime Against Homosexuals. A Christian politician in Finland will face a court process for speaking openly about her views on homosexuality and the Bible. Read more here.

 

London Pastor Arrested for Quoting ‘Homophobic’ Bible Verses. Police in London arrested a Christian street preacher for allegedly causing “alarm and distress” to pedestrians for citing allegedly “homophobic” verses from Genesis. Read more here.

 

Pastor Holds Outdoor Service in Ireland Despite Worship Ban. An Evangelical pastor said he will hold a second socially distanced service in Dublin this weekend, despite religious services being outlawed in Ireland. Read more here.

 

Russian Authorities Prohibit Use of Church Building. A Christian church is challenging Russian authorities at the European Court of Human Rights for seizing the congregation’s property and leaving the community to gather outside in a tent. Read more here.

 

Christian Photographer Continues Legal Fight Against Law That May Force Him to Violate Conscience. A photographer suing Virginia over a law that would force him to service same-sex weddings despite religious objections is continuing his legal battle after a district court dismissed his complaint. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Dodges Dispute Between TX, CA Over Religious Freedom, ‘LGBT Rights.’ The Supreme Court declined to take up a heated dispute between Texas and California which passed a law prohibiting taxpayer-funded travel to any state that doesn’t ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Read more here.

 

New Indiana Law Acknowledges Churches Are Essential. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has signed a new law that protects religious freedom and prohibits the state government and its agencies from discriminating against houses of worship during a public health emergency. Read more here.

 

Proponents of ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban in Northern Ireland Attack Prayer. Prayer addressing sexual ethics has been branded a “harmful practice” during a debate on so-called “conversion therapy” in Northern Ireland. Read more here.

 

Quebec to Appeal Court Ruling on Disputed Religious Symbols Law. The Canadian province of Quebec said it would appeal a court ruling that exempts some teachers and provincial politicians from a controversial law that bans public employees from wearing religious symbols. Read more here.

 

NI Party Threatens to Veto ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland has warned it will veto any proposed legislation to ban “conversion therapy” if there are not “robust protections for churches.” Read more here.

 

Church of England Says Prayer Should Not Be Criminalized in ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. The Church of England has told members of parliament that any ban on so-called “conversion therapy” should not criminalize pastoral support. Read more here.

 

Montana Gov Signs Law Clarifying Religious Freedom Protections. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law a state version of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act which holds the state to a high burden of proof when it violates someone’s religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publishes Annual Report. The threat to religious freedom remains strong worldwide according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in its recently released annual report. Read more here.

 

Croatia Offers Scholarships to Young Persecuted Christians. The Croatian government is offering college scholarships to young Christians from developing countries at risk of persecution. Read more here.

 

Irish Archbishops Seek Advice Over ‘Illegality’ of Attending Mass. Ireland’s archbishops are seeking legal advice after attending mass and other religious services was outlawed last week. Read more here.

 

Proposed NI ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban Targets ‘the Wrong Kind of Prayer.’ The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has set out its opposition to a ban on so-called “conversion therapy,” which it says could criminalize the ordinary work of churches. Read more here.

 

Judges: Court Must Consider Giving Docs Religious Exemption From Performing ‘Gender Reassignment’ Surgeries. A circuit court panel has ruled that a district court must consider giving faith-based hospitals and doctors an exemption from an Obama-era mandate requiring them to perform elective “sex-change” operations. Read more here.

 

Up to Three Years in Prison for Hate Speech Under NZ Reforms. A reform of “hate speech” offences in New Zealand will now categorize “rainbow communities” as a protected class and include increased fines and prison sentences for offenders. Read more here.

 

Colombian Social Media Star Challenges Censorship Ruling. Social media star Erika Nieto is seeking to have the Colombian Constitutional Court uphold her right to freely share her opinions online after being ordered to remove a video in which she affirmed biblical views about marriage. Read more here.

 

Eritrean Christians Remain Imprisoned After Raids on Prayer Meetings. Thirteen Eritrean Christians remain imprisoned after authorities raided two separate prayer meetings where 35 people were taken into custody. Read more here.

 

Another Canadian Church Faces Legal Battle After Exceeding Capacity Limits. Canadian Justice Paul Sweeney denied the Ontario attorney general’s call to lock the doors of Trinity Bible Church after multiple citations for exceeding capacity limits and instead agreed to a request for an adjournment by the church’s lawyer. Read more here.

 

Court Rules No Evidence for Alberta Health Order Required in Coates Trial. A Canadian court ruled that the government of Alberta will not be required to show scientific evidence backing up its COVID-19 restrictions during the upcoming trial of Pastor James Coates who was arrested and jailed for holding in-person worship gatherings. Read more here.

 

Legal Scholars Discuss America’s Shifting Religious Freedom Landscape. Legal scholars discussed during a virtual event concerns about how the religious freedom landscape is shifting in the United States. Read more here.

 

Flagship Protestant Colleges in Russia Stripped of Right to Offer Higher Education. The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Ingria’s Theological Institute lost its higher education license, the third flagship Protestant educational institution in Russia to lose the right to conduct formal religious education. Read more here.

 

Laotian Pastor Released From Jail. A Laotian pastor who was kept in police detention for more than a year for conducting religious activities related to his Christian faith has been released from prison. Read more here.

 

California Lifts Capacity Limits on Churches. California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted all capacity restrictions on houses of worship after months of highly publicized legal battles. Read more here.

 

Top UK Lawyer: ‘Conversion Therapy Ban Could Criminalize Christian Parents.’ A broad ban on conversion therapy could criminalize Christian parents who encourage their children to follow biblical teachings on gender and sexuality, a leading Queens Counsel has said. Read more here.

 

UK Church Sues Multimillion Pound Trust for Religious Discrimination. An evangelical church is accusing Scotland’s largest charitable trust of religious discrimination after it cancelled a rental agreement over the church’s views on same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

Christian Colleges Fight Lawsuit Designed to Strip Students of Financial Aid. Attorneys representing three Christian post-secondary schools asked a federal district court to allow them to intervene against a lawsuit that seeks to strip all students at private religious colleges of federal financial aid unless their schools renounce core religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Christians Tear Down Fences Around Shuttered Canadian Church, Govt Sends in Riot Police. Hundreds of Canadian Christians were met by riot police when they gathered at the GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta to tear down a barricade erected to prevent worship. Read more here.

 

High Court Halts California Rules Limiting Home Worship. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that California can’t enforce coronavirus-related restrictions that have limited home-based religious worship including Bible studies and prayer meetings. Read more here.

 

French Senate Approves Proposal to Ban Prayers at Universities. France’s Senate approved the addition of a ban on religious practices in university corridors to a controversial bill to fight “Islamist separatism.” Read more here.

 

Kazakhstan: ‘People Don’t Have the Right to Distribute Religious Materials in Any Form Whatsoever.’ Courts in Kazakhstan have fined at least 18 people in the first three months of 2021 for distributing religious literature, texts, videos, audio and religious items in places and ways the regime declares to be illegal under its compulsory religious censorship. Read more here.

 

Alberta Health Officials Shut Down GraceLife Church. Alberta Health Services has closed GraceLife Church and has prevented access until the church “can demonstrate the ability to comply with Alberta’s chief medical officer of health’s restrictions.” Read more here.

 

Wedding Photographer Sues New York Over LGBT Anti-Discrimination Law. A Christian wedding photographer has filed a complaint against New York over a state law that requires her to service same-sex wedding ceremonies despite her religious objections. Read more here.

 

U.S. State Dept Disbands Commission That Heightened Importance of Religious Freedom. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has formally dismissed the controversial Trump-era Commission on Unalienable Rights which sought to elevate the promotion of religious freedom worldwide. Read more here.

 

UK Evangelical Leaders Express Concern Over Broad ‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban. Two evangelical leaders in the UK have expressed concern over a proposed ban on “conversion therapy,” which they say could criminalize aspects of Christian activity. Read more here.

 

Report: China Detaining Christians, Using ‘Brainwashing’ to Get Them to Renounce Faith. Chinese officials are detaining Christians in windowless “transformation” facilities and using “brainwashing” to get them to renounce their faith, Radio Free Asia reported. Read more here.

 

UK Court Blasts Blackpool Council for Discriminating Against Christians. Blackpool Council has been criticized by a judge who ruled that it discriminated against Christians by banning bus advertisements for the Lancashire Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham. Read more here.

 

MI University Revoking Christian Group’s Benefits Was Unconstitutional, Judge Rules. A federal judge has ruled that Wayne State University violated the First Amendment in refusing to officially recognize the Christian group InterVarsity because it required its leaders to be adherents of the faith. Read more here.

 

Study: Religious Liberty Winning at SCOTUS. A study published in The Supreme Court Review finds that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts is much more likely to rule in favor of religious liberty than previous courts have during the past 70 years. Read more here.

 

Montana House Backs Bill on Religious Challenges to Rules. The Montana House passed a bill that would allow people to challenge government regulations that interfere with their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Ninth Circuit Upholds CA Restriction Against Home Bible Studies. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld the state’s restrictions on in-home gatherings, including Bible studies and communal worship activities involving more than three households. Read more here.

 

EEOC Dismisses ‘Discrimination’ Charge Against Ministry. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed a charge of discrimination filed against Jews for Jesus by a job applicant who was denied a position with the organization. Read more here.

 

Virginia Public School Guidance on Transgender Students Challenged. A faith-based group filed a lawsuit challenging Virginia’s new state guidelines on the treatment of transgender students in public schools, alleging the policies violate student rights to freely exercise their religion. Read more here.

 

Irish Govt Continues Worship Ban One Year Later. This month marks nearly a full year of the blanket ban on public worship being in place throughout Ireland where worshippers could face a fine or up to six months jail time for leaving their homes to attend a place of worship. Read more here.

 

Former Bishop Punished for Not Allowing Same-Sex Marriages Leaves Denomination. A bishop of the Episcopal Church who was punished for refusing to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages in his diocese has decided to leave the mainline Protestant denomination. Read more here.

 

Christian Actress Fired for Biblical Beliefs Now Ordered to Pay $414K in Legal Fees. A Christian actress who was fired because of a Facebook post she made affirming a biblical view of sexuality found out she may have to pay the equivalent of more than $414,000 in legal fees. Read more here.

 

NSW Committee Backs New Religious Freedom Laws. A majority of a New South Wales parliamentary committee has endorsed a push to amend the state’s anti-discrimination laws to protect religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Germany’s Christian Churches in Meltdown. Worship restrictions in Germany have many Christian churches fearing they may lose their societal influence. Read more here.

 

Chilean Supreme Court Rules Worship Ban Discriminatory. The Chilean Supreme Court unanimously ruled that COVID-19 restrictions have been applied in a discriminatory manner against believers. Read more here.

 

Russian Bishops’ Official Worried About New Religion Regulations. The secretary-general of the Russian bishops’ conference said new legal regulations will give state officials extra powers to intervene in church life and revive communist-era restrictions. Read more here.

 

CA Bill to Ban Officers Tied to ‘Hate Groups’ Amended Over Religious Freedom Concerns. A California bill that would ban police officers from being members of entities deemed as “hate groups” has been amended to clarify that the term does not apply to being part of conservative or Christian groups. Read more here.

 

Swiss Parliamentarian Raises Concern Regarding Church Closures in Algeria. Swiss National Councilor Eric Nussbaumer called on the Swiss Federal Council to address the closure of Protestant churches in Algeria, which many see as an infringement upon the religious freedom of Algerians. Read more here.

 

LBGT Christian College Students Sue to Block Title IX Religious Exemptions. A group of Christian college students is suing the U.S. Department of Education, arguing that the religious exemption to Title IX is unconstitutional because it permits discrimination against LGBT individuals. Read more here.

 

Arkansas Gov Signs Medical Conscience Objections Law. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law legislation allowing doctors to refuse to treat someone because of religious or moral objections. Read more here.

 

Federal Judge Rules D.C. Capacity Limits on Religious Gatherings Are Unconstitutional. A federal district court judge ruled that caps on religious services in Washington D.C. were unconstitutional. Read more here.

 

Philippine President Threatens to Close Catholic Churches That Uphold Public Masses. A spokesperson for Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, said the government will force local churches to close if priests hold public Masses in defiance of public health orders. Read more here.

 

Irish Legislators Decry Restrictions on Religious Services. Ireland’s Minister of State for Health Anne Rabbitte has rejected claims that the cabinet is the most “anti-Christian government of all time” in an ongoing debate with members of parliament over restrictions on religious services. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Ends D.C. Church Restrictions. A federal judge ruled that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s numerical and percentage cap restrictions on churches “discriminate against houses of worship.” Read more here.

 

GoFundMe Page Raises Thousands to Pay Canadian Pastor’s Legal Fees. A GoFundMe page recently created to help pay the legal fees for a Canadian pastor who was jailed for not adhering to ongoing worship restrictions has received more than $45,000 in donations. Read more here.

 

Colorado Baker Sued Again Over Alleged LGBTQ Bias. A Colorado baker who won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple went on trial in yet another lawsuit, this one involving a birthday cake for a transgender woman. Read more here.

 

Bishops Warn Religious Freedom Under Threat in EU. A commission of Catholic bishops warned religious freedom is threatened in the European Union, as restrictive laws are imposed in the wake of Covid-19. Read more here.

 

Church Leaders Win Legal Battle Against Scottish Govt. The Court of Session has ruled that the Scottish government’s ban on public worship during the pandemic was unlawful. Read more here.

 

New UK Law Could Ban Street Preachers, MP Warns. UK MP Gavin Robinson has expressed concern that a new law which is currently making its way through Parliament is so far-reaching that it could lead to street preachers being banned. Read more here.

 

Alberta Pastor Charged With Breaking COVID-19 Measures Released. Edmonton-area pastor James Coates who was jailed for alleged violations of COVID-19 public health measures will be released from jail but must pay a $1,500 fine. Read more here.

 

Irish Police Fine Catholic Priest for Offering Public Masses. Police in Ireland have fined a Catholic priest for celebrating public Masses amid a nationwide lockdown. Read more here.

 

Federal Court Rules Against U of Iowa in Religious Discrimination Case. A federal appeals court ruled that University of Iowa officials who kicked a Christian student club off campus because of it was a faith-based club can be held personally accountable for their actions. Read more here.

 

Ninth Circuit Again Denies Coach Right to Pray on Field After Games. In a unanimous opinion, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that high school football coach Joseph Kennedy’s practice of praying on the 50-yard line after games was a violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Read more here.

 

Jailed Alberta Pastor Expected to Be Released in Days. An Alberta pastor who has spent weeks in jail after holding church services in violation of public health rules is expected to be released in the coming days, his lawyers say. Read more here.

 

Scottish Govt Has Left Christians ‘in Deep Crisis’ Over Church Closures. The closure of churches under Scottish Government coronavirus measures has presented Christians with an “irreconcilable conflict” between loyalty to God and obedience to the state, a judge was told. Read more here.

 

Opponents of Equality Act Warn of ‘Sweeping’ Impact in Senate Hearing. Opponents of the Equality Act warned at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that the legislation could have a far-reaching impact on religious organizations. Read more here.

 

California Bill Proposes Removing Cops Who Express Religious or Conservative Beliefs. A new bill introduced in the California State Assembly would prohibit police officers from serving if they are affiliated with a “hate group,” the definition of which could include faith groups opposed to abortion or same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

Canadian MPs Call for Re-Opening of Office of Religious Freedoms. Canadian MPs are calling on the federal government to re-open an office advocating for religious freedom around the globe. Read more here.

 

Human Rights Complaint Filed Against Saskatchewan Church. A member of the local LGBTQ community is filing a human rights complaint against Victory Church in Regina, Saskatchewan after the pastor delivered a sermon denouncing gender fluidity. Read more here.

 

Scottish Govt Announces Concessions as Legal Challenge to Worship Ban Set to Begin. Days before a legal hearing on a government-imposed worship ban is set to begin, the Scottish government announced that places of worship will now be allowed to reopen in time for Easter, Passover and Ramadan. Read more here.

 

Bill Introduced to Protect Religious Beliefs of U.S. Faith-Based Foster Care Providers. Congressional Republicans introduced legislation designed to protect faith-based foster care providers who seek to carry out their business practices in accordance with their religious beliefs on marriage and sexuality. Read more here.

 

Parents Concerned Ahead of Religious Freedom Case at Top Human Rights Court. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will soon decide a case to determine whether religious communities are free to decide who will teach religion on their behalf. Read more here.

 

UK MPs Attack Prayer, Pastoral Support in ‘Conversion Therapy’ Debate. A number of MPs took aim at churches which hold to the Bible’s teaching on gender and sexuality in a Westminster Hall debate on banning so-called “conversion therapy.” Read more here.

 

MA Supreme Court Calls Into Question Religious Exemption for Christian Colleges. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a social work professor at a Christian college is not a “ministerial employee,” and the college cannot claim a religious freedom exemption in its defense against allegations she was wrongly denied tenure for her LGBT advocacy. Read more here.

 

Police Investigate Catholic Dad for Asking Catholic School Board to Not Fly ‘Pride’ Flag. Police are investigating a Catholic father over allegations that he committed a “hate” crime for asking a Catholic school board not to recognize “Pride month” or fly the rainbow flag at Catholic schools. Read more here.

 

Biden Fires Attorney Who Defended Religious Liberty of Employees. An attorney within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission who had gained a reputation for defending religious liberty was fired by President Biden the same day she sent the White House a letter stating she would not resign. Read more here.

 

Court Orders Pastor to Remain in Jail Until May Trial for Violating COVID Restrictions. A church pastor arrested last month and charged with violating COVID-19 rules on maximum gathering capacity will remain behind bars until the trial begins in early May, a Canadian judge has ruled. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Sides With Christian Student After College Blocked Him From Sharing Gospel on Campus. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a former Georgia college student who sued his school four years ago after officials prevented him from distributing Christian literature on campus. Read more here.

 

Oklahoma House Passes Bill Banning Govt Closure of Churches. The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed legislation that would prohibit state and local government entities from forcing churches or any other houses of worship to close, even during a pandemic. Read more here.

 

White House Silent on Conscience Concerns in Health Care. The White House would not reveal its position on doctors being forced to perform abortions and “gender transition” surgeries under the Equality Act. Read more here.

 

Campaign Finance Bill Presents Religious Liberty, Pro-Life Concerns, Say Opponents. A campaign finance bill under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives could present grave concerns for religious liberty, an opponent of the bill has said. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Blocks County’s Ban on Indoor Worship Gatherings. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of five churches that California’s Santa Clara County must allow indoor worship services to resume at 20% capacity. Read more here.

 

Iowa Legislature to Consider Religious Freedom Bill. Iowa Senate Republicans re-introduced a Religious Freedom Restoration bill that would hold government “to the highest standards before it can infringe on a person’s free exercise of religion.” Read more here.

 

Canadian Church Fined for Hosting In-Person Worship Service. A Canadian church was ordered to pay $83,000 by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice following an in-person church service with more than 10 people. Read more here.

 

Texas Bishop Warns Equality Act Threatens Heart of Nation. Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas warned the Equality Act “is a threat to people of faith in this nation.” Read more here.

 

LGBT Activist Calls for UK Ban on Prayer for Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction. An LGBT activist has called for Christians to be banned from praying for someone with unwanted same-sex attraction and says the “pernicious power of prayer must be dealt with.” Read more here.

 

Catholics, Evangelicals Unite on Free Speech Fears Under Scottish ‘Hate’ Bill. A coalition of Roman Catholics and evangelicals have united to urge the Scottish government to drop the part of its controversial hate crimes bill relating to criticism of “transgender ideology.” Read more here.

 

Sturgeon Announces Scottish Churches to Reopen Under Lockdown Easing Measures. Scotland’s First Minister has announced that churches will be able to reopen for communal worship with attendance restrictions. Read more here.

 

Alberta Premier Who Jailed Christian Pastor Claims He is Protecting ‘Fundamental Freedoms of Religion.’ Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has released a statement regarding the jailing of Pastor James Coates, saying his imprisonment is “unfortunate,” but that Coates had “flagrantly” violated COVID rules. Read more here.

 

USCCB: Equality Act Would ‘Punish’ Religious Groups Opposed to Gender Ideology. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has come out in opposition to the Equality Act which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Read more here.

 

Christian Pastor Jailed for Holding Church Services in Canada. A Christian pastor from Edmonton, Canada has been jailed for breaking Alberta’s Public Health Act by continuing to hold church services when ordered to stop. Read more here.

 

Scottish Churches Granted Judicial Review Over Church Lockdown Closures. A group of 27 church leaders has been granted permission for a judicial review over the closure of places of worship in Scotland under recent COVID-19 measures. Read more here.

 

B.C. Public Health Wants to Force Churches to Close During Court Battle. A British Columbia provincial health officer and attorney general have requested an injunction forcing churches to remain closed after the churches filed a petition challenging COVID-19 restrictions on in-person religious services, arguing the ban violates people’s rights and freedoms. Read more here.

 

SC House Considers Bill to Keep Churches Open in Emergencies. A South Carolina House panel plans to review a bill that would confirm churches and other religious organizations are treated as essential services during a state of emergency. Read more here.

 

ADF: Equality Act Puts Christian Hiring Policies in ‘Jeopardy’ Without Religious Exemptions. The wide-reaching Equality Act would put the hiring practices of faith-based organizations in “jeopardy” and will create additional religious freedom concerns for Christian schools, churches and ministries, Alliance Defending Freedom warns. Read more here.

 

German Town Brought to Court Over Prayer Prohibition. Prayer group 40 Days for Life has sued the town of Pforzheim, Germany after repeatedly being prohibited from gathering to peacefully pray near a pre-abortion advisory center. Read more here.

 

Bill Declaring Religion is Essential Becomes Law in Arkansas. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a measure that “recognizes that churches are essential” and “helps protect churches and other religious organizations from being targeted, penalized, or discriminated against during a time of emergency.” Read more here.

 

CA Legislator Introduces ‘Religion is Essential Act.’ California state Senator Brian Jones introduced the “Religion is Essential Act” to the state legislature which would require state and local governments to treat religious organizations as essential during pandemics. Read more here.

 

Christians Warn of Censorship as ‘Conversion Therapy’ is Banned in Australia. Church leaders in Victoria fear that they could fall foul of a new law simply for offering prayer or counseling to someone struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity. Read more here.

 

Australian Christians Say They’ll Defy Ban on Prayer for Overcoming Unwanted Sexual Attractions. Christian leaders are poised to resist Victoria’s controversial Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition bill which bans “carrying out a religious practice, including but not limited to, a prayer-based practice” to help someone overcome unwanted sexual attractions. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Ends California’s Total Worship Ban. In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California may not enforce its total ban on worship during the pandemic. Read more here.

 

VA House Advances Bill Repealing Protections for Faith-Based Adoption Agencies. The Virginia House of Representatives passed a bill to remove conscience protections for child-placing agencies. Read more here.

 

Maine Parents Head to SCOTUS Over Law That Bans Religious School Choice. Parents in Maine are taking their religious discrimination case to the U.S. Supreme Court after the appeals court ruled that students would only qualify for educational benefits if they attended a school that does not provide religious instruction. Read more here.

 

Atheist Group Demands Maryland City Stop Opening Meetings With Christian Prayer. A leading atheist organization is demanding that a city in Maryland stop allowing city officials to open council meetings with a prayer. Read more here.

 

Scottish Church Leaders Sue Govt for Criminalizing Public Worship. Some 27 church leaders in Scotland are suing the Scottish government and asking that the courts review pandemic lockdown orders that have closed churches. Read more here.

 

Facebook Bans Christian Professor for Opposing Biden’s Transgender Policies. A Christian university professor has been suspended from Facebook for voicing disagreement with President Joe Biden’s executive order allowing transgender-identifying individuals to serve in the U.S. military. Read more here.

 

Bishops Say LGBTQ Executive Order Has Implications for Religious Liberty. President Biden’s executive order to extend existing federal nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ people exceeds the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue in Bostock v. Clayton County and has implications for religious liberty, said the chairmen of five U.S. bishops’ committees. Read more here.

 

Danish Churches Deplore Curbs on Religious Freedom. Churches in Denmark have condemned government-backed legislation requiring all sermons to be translated and published in Danish in a series of controversial moves to restrict alleged religious militancy. Read more here.

 

Former Director of Ed Criticizes Welsh RE Plans. A former Director of Education has criticized the Welsh government’s plan to force schools to teach humanism and atheism alongside religious views in Religious Education lessons. Read more here.

 

Virginia Bill Would Allow Agencies to Be Shut Down for Denying Adoption to Same-Sex Couples. The state of Virginia has introduced a bill that would repeal the right of adoption and foster care agencies to deny child placements with homosexual couples on the basis of the agencies’ moral opposition to same-sex parenting. Read more here.

 

Ninth Circuit Upholds California’s Ban on Indoor Worship. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a San Diego area church’s request to overturn California’s COVID-19 restrictions on indoor worship gatherings, although it acknowledged that the congregation is suffering “irreparable harm” due to the temporary ban. Read more here.

 

Court Rules Catholic Hospitals Can’t Be Forced to Perform ‘Gender Transition’ Surgeries. A federal court in North Dakota has ruled that a group of Catholic hospitals and others should not be required by the Department of Health and Human Services to perform “gender transition” procedures, including those for minors. Read more here.

 

Spanish Parents Appeal to EU for Relief Against Education Law. An association of Spanish education advocates will appeal to the European Union to prevent Spain’s government from implementing an education law that will restrict the right of parents to choose religious schools for their children. Read more here.

 

Chinese Officials Raid Christian Homeschool. Chinese police and other communist officials raided a house in Chengdu, China where children of Early Rain Covenant Church were being homeschooled. Read more here.

 

Photographer Challenges VA Values Act in Court. Bob Updegrove, a photographer from Virginia, has filed a lawsuit challenging the Virginia Values Act which would force him to photograph same-sex weddings despite his Christian beliefs on marriage. Read more here.

 

Charity Head: China Arresting Christians for Attending ‘Zoom Church.’ A charity organization reports that the Chinese Communist Party is using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to crack down on Christians, even arresting some for attending online services via Zoom. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Orders NV Gov to Respond to Challenge Over State’s Worship Restrictions. The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the governor of Nevada to respond to a lawsuit from a church alleging that the state’s restrictions on in-person worship services violate their constitutional rights. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS to Decide if Christian Students Banned From Preaching Deserve Compensation. The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether a college that ordered a Christian student to cease preaching on campus can be punished even though the administration has since changed the institution’s free speech policies. Read more here.

 

HHS Issues Final Rule Protecting Faith-Based Adoption Agencies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule allowing faith-based adoption agencies to receive federal funding regardless of their views on same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

MA High Court to Decide if Christian College Discriminated Against Pro-LGBT Professor. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments regarding whether an evangelical Christian higher education institution can lawfully refuse to promote a former professor who held pro-LGBT views. Read more here.

 

Scotland’s Bishops Protest Closure of Churches Amid New Lockdown. Scottish Catholic bishops have protested the closing of churches as part of Scotland’s newest month-long coronavirus lockdown. Read more here.

 

New Mexico Fines Churches Thousands for Hosting Christmas Eve Services. Legacy Church and Calvary Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico are each facing up to $10,000 in fines for holding worship services on Christmas Eve. Read more here.

 

Scotland Bans Public Worship for Second Time During COVID-19 Crisis. Scotland has banned public worship across the country for the second time since the coronavirus crisis started almost a year ago. Read more here.

 

Scotland Bans Public Worship for Second Time During COVID-19 Crisis. Scotland has banned public worship across the country for the second time since the coronavirus crisis started almost a year ago. Read more here.

 

Boise State President Launches Fund to Support Football Team Pastor. Despite receiving complaints from the Freedom From Religion Foundation about her university football team having a chaplain, Boise State University President Marlene Tromp is supporting the unofficial team pastor by personally paying his way to the team’s upcoming championship game and starting a fund to support his future travel. Read more here.

 

Trump Issues Proclamation Calling for End to Religious Persecution. President Donald Trump issued a proclamation commemorating the 850th anniversary of St. Thomas Becket’s martyrdom and used his example to call for an end to religious persecution worldwide. Read more here.

 

Chinese Christians Imprisoned for Publishing Church Books. A Chinese man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for publishing Christian books in an alarming criminal case that involved more than two dozen people, according to a new report. Read more here.

 

UK Leftist Group Demands AmazonSmile Drop Christian Groups. The openDemocracy website is pressuring Amazon to drop several Christian organizations from its AmazonSmile charity because of their biblical views on homosexuality, according to a report. Read more here.

 

Fiona Bruce Appointed as New FORB Envoy. Fiona Bruce has been appointed as the UK government’s new Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. Read more here.

 

VA Christian Orgs Urge Northam to Not Enforce Values Act. A group of 40 Christian churches, schools, businesses, and organizations signed a letter urging Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and the Virginia General Assembly to back off recent legislation that demands that religious establishments violate their beliefs regarding sexuality and gender. Read more here.

 

L.A. County Lifts Ban on Indoor Worship. In response to recent Supreme Court rulings, Los Angeles County public health officials announced they are modifying stay home orders to allow for indoor and outdoor worship. Read more here.

 

Trump Eases Rules for Religious Social Service Providers. The Trump administration moved to loosen restrictions that make it difficult for religious groups to participate in federal programs. Read more here.

 

Christian Teens Win Legal Struggle to Attend School in Vietnam. Three Christian teenagers in Vietnam have been granted permission to attend high school after the government waived the requirement for identity documents which are typically denied to members of this minority faith. Read more here.

 

D.C. Mayor Loosens Restrictions on Churches to Resolve Lawsuit. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser loosened coronavirus restrictions on houses of worship following a lawsuit from the Archdiocese of Washington. Read more here.

 

Thousands of Pastors Go Into Hiding in China. Tens of thousands of house church pastors and evangelists across China have reportedly gone into hiding as the Communist Party attempts to eradicate Christianity from the country. Read more here.

 

No Ban on Wales and NI Worship in Coming Lockdown. Churches will remain open when tighter Covid-19 restrictions are introduced in Wales and Northern Ireland immediately after Christmas. Read more here.

 

Ninth Circuit Rules in Favor of Nevada Churches. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley and Calvary Chapel Lone Mountain in their lawsuits against Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s unconstitutional worship bans. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Sides With New Jersey Clerics. The U.S. Supreme Court handed a victory to clerics battling New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders restricting houses of worship to 25 percent capacity while secular businesses operate with no capacity limits. Read more here.

 

Civitas: Hate Crime Proposals for England and Wales ‘Must Be Challenged.’ Hate crime proposals for England and Wales would “erode the concept of equality before the law and curtail free expression,” according to a new report by the Civitas think tank. Read more here.

 

Cardinal Sues D.C. Mayor Over COVID-19 Restrictions. Cardinal Wilton Gregory is suing Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District of Columbia over their coronavirus restrictions, alleging they are “arbitrary” and “discriminatory” to churches and will cause “imminent and irreparable harm.” Read more here.

 

SCOTUS: Govt Agents Violating Religious Liberty Are Liable for Monetary Damages. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that three Muslim Americans who claim they were wrongfully put on the No–Fly List as punishment for their religious beliefs are entitled to sue for financial relief, which the Supreme Court said is sometimes the only form of relief that can remedy government violations of religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Michigan AG to Appeal Anti-Discrimination Ruling. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel plans to appeal a ruling in which a state Court of Claims judge found the state’s anti-discrimination law did not extend to those treated unequally on the basis of their sexual orientation. Read more here.

 

San Diego Priest Granted Temp Relief From COVID-19 Restrictions. A catholic priest overseeing a mission in San Diego has been granted temporary relief from the state’s COVID-19 restrictions on in-person worship. Read more here.

 

Manitoba Reverses Prohibition of Drive-In Worship Services. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced that churches will be able to hold drive-in services, though people will only be allowed to go with members of their household and will have to stay inside their vehicles. Read more here.

 

Belgium Sees ‘Slight Easing’ of Public Worship Ban. The government of Belgium has agreed to ease restrictions on Mass celebrated with the public, permitting a maximum of 15 people to participate. Read more here.

 

Nevada Churches Argue Against Inequality at Ninth Circuit. The 9th Circuit panel in San Francisco heard arguments via video from lawyers for two Nevada churches that say state COVID-19 restrictions treating churches differently than casinos and other secular businesses violate their First Amendment rights. Read more here.

 

Montana High School Reinstates Christian Student Club. Bozeman High School has lifted a ban on a chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, allowing the student group to be officially recognized and hold meetings on campus after previously revoking their status because of members’ views on homosexuality. Read more here.

 

Colorado Governor Declares Churches Essential. Governor Jared Polis has dropped Colorado’s COVID limits on religious gatherings, declared that houses of worship are essential, and removed attendance caps on worship. Read more here.

 

Canadian Judge Rules Church Not Permitted to Hold Drive-In Services. A court in Manitoba, Canada ruled that Springs Church in Winnipeg is not exempt from COVID-19 lockdown orders against houses of worship and that the congregation is not permitted to gather even for drive-in services. Read more here.

 

Ninth Circuit Reverses Decision Upholding CA’s Worship Restrictions. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court decision that upheld California’s restrictions on in-person worship gatherings and has ordered the lower court to reconsider the case in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Read more here.

 

Belgium Seeks to Ease Virus Rules on Religious Services. Belgium’s government is under pressure to change its restrictive rules on religious services during the coronavirus crisis after the country’s highest court said the measures impede constitutional conditions on freedom of religion. Read more here.

 

CCP Orders Teachers to Establish Marxist Religious View. Chinese Communist Party officials have ordered primary school teachers to sign a form requiring them to teach a Marxist religious view, strengthen atheism education, and actively promote socialism, according to a persecution watchdog group. Read more here.

 

Labor Dept Strengthens Religious Freedom Rule. The U.S. Department of Labor finalized a rule that allows faith-based government contractors to make employment decisions based on their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

Becerra: Churches Shouldn’t Get Same Religious Freedom Protections as People. President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for health secretary said in 2017 that institutions do not merit the same religious freedom protections under the Constitution as individuals, video footage shows. Read more here.

 

UK Labour MP Resigns Over ‘Conscience Clause’ Remark. The Labour Party’s Shadow Minister for Faith has resigned for suggesting that registrars should not lose their jobs if they object to same-sex marriages. Read more here.

 

UK Govt Raises Concerns About Religious Persecution in North Korea. The UK government has voiced “strong concerns” about religious persecution in North Korea after the release of a report documenting the horrific abuse of Christians and other people of faith in the communist country. Read more here.

 

Swiss Court Suspends Geneva Worship Ban. Churches in Geneva can now reopen after a court in Switzerland suspended the canton’s total ban on religious services and events which was introduced to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Blocks Ruling Against Church Fighting CA Worship Restrictions. The U.S. Supreme Court granted temporary relief to a church fighting a legal battle against California over its restrictions on in-person worship gatherings. Read more here.

 

DOJ Sues NY Village for Religious Discrimination Against Orthodox Jews. The U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against the New York village of Airmont for “targeting” the local Orthodox Jewish community, making it “impossible” for its members to have private home worship and run their own schools. Read more here.

 

Religious Liberty Curtailed Under ‘Draconian’ NI Hate Crime Proposals. Judge Desmond Marrinan, commissioned by the Stormont Executive to review hate crime in Northern Ireland, recommends scrapping the existing protection for those who disagree with same-sex marriage. Read more here.

 

China Considers Exposing Religious Persecution As ‘Divulging State Secrets.’ The Chinese Communist Party is conducting a crackdown on people who expose the state’s suppression of religious activities and the people’s expression of faith, according to a report from Bitter Winter. Read more here.

 

EU’s Top Position Addressing Religious Persecution Still Vacant. Despite a finding that government restrictions on religious freedom have reached their highest levels globally, the European Union has left the position of the Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU in limbo. Read more here.

 

Federal Judges Uphold KY Governor’s School Order. A federal appeals panel has upheld Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s order to stop in-person classes at religious schools during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here.

 

Archbishop Calls Latest California Church Closures ‘Blatant Discrimination.’ Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco described as “blatant discrimination” a return by California to more severe COVID-19 restrictions that closed churches in two of the three counties that comprise the San Francisco Archdiocese. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Rules 5-4 to Grant Request to Block New York’s Church Attendance Limits. The United States Supreme Court issued a ruling prohibiting the State of New York from enforcing “the Governor’s severe restrictions on the applicants’ religious services” in a case brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Agudath Israel of America. Read more here.

 

Police Block Canadian Churchgoers From Drive-In Worship Service. After being fined $5,000 for holding an in-person worship service in violation of Manitoba province’s public health order, a Canadian church was prevented by police from holding a drive-in worship service. Read more here.

 

Biden Planning Swift Action on LGBT Agenda That Will Reverse Religious Liberty Protections. Joe Biden is “making sweeping promises” to LGBT activists and plans to roll back multiple Trump administration policies, including ones that impact religious liberty. Read more here.

 

Lawsuit Alleges Starbucks Fired Christian Barista Who Refused to Wear LGBT ‘Pride’ Shirt. A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming that she was fired from her barista job because she refused to wear a company t-shirt that promoted LGBT “pride.” Read more here.

 

UK’s Religious Liberty Constraints During Pandemic ‘Among Worst in Europe.’ A study by the European Centre for Law and Justice classified the United Kingdom as one of the most restrictive countries on the continent because of its prohibition of public religious services during times of lockdown. Read more here.

 

France’s High Court Orders Review of Worship Restrictions. France’s State Council ordered the government to review a law that limited church attendance to 30 in-person attendees in response to Catholic groups challenging the law. Read more here.

 

Restaurant Owner’s Free Speech Upheld Following Investigation in Germany. A court in Berlin has upheld a restaurant owner’s right to freedom of speech and religion after she was fined for hanging prints of Bible verses in her restaurant. Read more here.

 

KY Gov Sued Over In-Person Learning Ban for Religious Schools. A religious liberty law firm and the Kentucky attorney general have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Andy Beshear, asking a court to block the implementation of his executive order banning religious schools from holding in-person learning. Read more here.

 

Spain’s Bishops Meet as Religious Freedom Threatened in the Country. Cardinal Juan Jose Omella of Barcelona spoke out against a bill in Spain which would rescind the right of parents to have their children receive religious and moral education that is in accordance with their own convictions. Read more here.

 

Court Weighs Challenge to Colorado Discrimination Law. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing the case of a Colorado web designer arguing that the state’s anti-discrimination law amounts to forced speech that violates her religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

LGBT Group Urges Biden to Strip Accreditation of Christian Schools With Biblical Beliefs. The Human Rights Campaign is urging presumptive President-elect Joe Biden and his administration to advance policies that would strip Christian colleges that uphold rules and stances that oppose homosexuality of their accreditation. Read more here.

 

NI Churches Ordered to Close in Lockdown. Churches in Northern Ireland are set to close following the announcement of a two-week lockdown and will only be permitted to open for weddings, funerals and to record or broadcast “an act of worship.” Read more here.

 

CA Churches File Emergency Petition at SCOTUS. Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry filed an emergency petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court for an injunction pending appeal in their federal lawsuit against California Governor Gavin Newsom’s unconstitutional orders. Read more here.

 

Kansas School Cancels Toy Drive After Atheist Group Files Complaint. A Kansas school has canceled its participation in Operation Christmas Child, which is sponsored by a Christian organization, after an atheist group wrote to the school district alleging that the program “violates basic constitutional principles.” Read more here.

 

CA Court Respects Strip Club’s Rights While Discriminating Against Churches. A California court has determined that COVID restrictions against a San Diego strip club violated “constitutionally protected speech” despite the fact that churches are still closed for indoor services. Read more here.

 

Court Weighs Legality of Nativity Scene at Indiana Courthouse. The legality of an Indiana courthouse’s public nativity scene was argued in federal appeals court with religious freedom advocates contending that that U.S. Supreme Court precedent permits the presence of a nativity scene on public land. Read more here.

 

UK Religious Leaders Take Legal Action Over Ban on Sunday Worship Services. More than 100 church leaders are taking legal action against the English and Welsh government for forcing houses of worship to cease in-person Sunday services due to another COVID-19 lockdown. Read more here.

 

French Catholics Protest for End to Lockdown on Mass. With banners reading “Let us Pray” and “We Want Mass,” Catholic protesters held scattered demonstrations around France to demand that authorities relax virus lockdown measures to allow religious services. Read more here.

 

Religious Freedom Becoming ‘Second Tier Right’ Warns Supreme Court Justice. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has spoken of his concern that religious liberty is under threat in the United States. Read more here.

 

NYPD to Allow Religious Headgear in Mug Shots. The New York Police Department will stop making people who have been arrested remove their religious headwear for mug shots as part of a settlement in a federal lawsuit. Read more here.

 

Hundreds of Churches to Be Lit Red in Global Call for Religious Freedom. Cathedrals, churches and public buildings will soon be illuminated in red in many countries across four continents to draw attention to the persecution of Christians. Read more here.

 

Criminalizing ‘Hate Speech’ in Homes Proposed by UK Law Commission. Private conversations in the home about controversial issues such as same-sex marriage or transgender ideology could result in police intervention under new hate crime proposals for England and Wales. Read more here.

 

MPs Pile Pressure on UK Government Over Church Closures. Dozens of MPs, including former Prime Minister Theresa May, have challenged the UK government over its decision to ban public worship in churches during the second lockdown in England. Read more here.

 

SCOTUS Hears Key Religious Liberty Case. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a key religious liberty case that focuses on the right of faith-based social service agencies to provide services while maintaining their religious beliefs. Read more here.

 

England Bans In-Person Church Services Country-Wide for a Month. England has prohibited churches from meeting in-person for just under a month as part of a new string of lockdowns to fight COVID-19. Read more here.

 

Student Sues Mississippi School District for Banning ‘Jesus Loves Me’ Face Mask. A school district in Mississippi has been sued for banning a third-grade student from wearing a facemask in class that has “Jesus Loves Me” written on it. Read more here.

 

Maine’s Ban on Tuition Reimbursement to Religious Schools Upheld. Maine can provide tuition reimbursement to parents who send their children to private schools but not to parents who send their children to religious schools, the First Circuit held. Read more here.

 

Germany Says Repression of Religion on the Rise Worldwide. The German federal government unveiled a report that looks into religious freedom across the world which shows a trend towards stronger repression and restrictions. Read more here.

 

Algeria’s Proposed Constitutional Changes Are a Threat to Religious Liberty, Group Claims. Ahead of a referendum on changing Algeria’s constitution, a leading Christian rights organization is voicing concerns over the possible effects on religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Pastors in China Forced to Add Communist Ideology to Bible Stories. Pastors in China report that they’ve been forced to integrate President Xi Jinping’s words into the biblical account of Jesus feeding the five thousand as the Chinese Communist Party increasingly pressures church leaders to infuse their sermons with political ideology. Read more here.

 

Report: North Korea Jails, Executes Anyone Who Owns a Bible. A new report by a human rights watchdog details horrific violations of religious freedom within North Korea, including citizens brutally tortured for converting to Christianity and individuals publicly executed for owning a Bible. Read more here.

 

Georgia School District Urged to Protect Students’ Prayers at Football Games. A Georgia school district is being urged to protect its students’ rights to religious expression after an atheist group filed a complaint over student-led prayers at its high school football games. Read more here.

 

L.A. Fines Church $1,000 After 11 People Pray in 500-Seat Sanctuary. Los Angeles County fined a Catholic church $1,000 after the congregation allowed 11 individuals — including five women in prayer veils — to pray and worship inside the sanctuary in violation of COVID-19 health restrictions. Read more here.

 

Ontario Govt to Amend Bill That Would Force Christian Wedding Officiants to Adhere to ‘Code of Practice.’ The government of Ontario has said it will amend a proposed bill that would force wedding officiants to adhere to a “Code of Practice” after politicians and family groups raised concern that the bill could undermine religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Ohio County Agrees Not to Force Minister to Officiate, Write for Same-Sex Weddings. Faced with a federal lawsuit, Cuyahoga County, Ohio has agreed to a proposed court judgment that allows a Cleveland-area minister and wedding business owner to operate consistent with her belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. Read more here.

 

Taiwan Urges Vatican to Focus on Religious Freedom in China. Taiwan reminded the Vatican of the importance of religious freedom after it extended a provisional agreement on bishop appointments with China for another two years. Read more here.

 

Welsh Gov’t Challenged for Closing Churches in Lockdown. The Welsh Government has been challenged over its decision to close churches until November 9 as part of its measures to combat the coronavirus. Read more here.

 

UN Criticized for Electing Countries Previously Engaged in Religious Freedom Violations. The United Nations General Assembly is facing criticism for electing countries to the Human Rights Council who were previously engaged in religious freedom violations. Read more here.

 

UK Govt Pledges New Special Envoy for Religious Freedom. Minister for Asia Nigel Adams has reaffirmed the UK government’s “unwavering commitment” to freedom of religion or belief and said a new special envoy will be appointed shortly. Read more here.

 

Colorado Churches Win Against COVID Orders. A federal district judge issued a decision granting an injunction in favor of two churches against Governor Jared Polis’ COVID orders that place numerical restrictions on houses of worship. Read more here.

 

Photocopying Hymns Now Illegal in China. China has escalated its ban on the printing of religious materials in recent months, inspecting printing houses for possible violations and even prohibiting the copying of hymns, according to a new report. Read more here.

 

Oregon Sued for Closing Religious Schools While Allowing Public Schools to Reopen In-Person. A small Christian school in Oregon has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Gov. Kate Brown and several other high-ranking officials for restricting in-person instruction in private, religious schools during the coronavirus pandemic while allowing public schools to reopen. Read more here.

 

Jewish School Allowed to Reopen; Cuomo Drops Restriction Following Lawsuit. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo amended the COVID-19 restrictions that he placed on Jewish communities after a federal judge ordered an explanation for the recent shutdown of Jewish schools. Read more here.

 

Thousands Back Religious Freedom Bill in NSW. Members of the public overwhelmingly support extending anti-discrimination laws in New South Wales to protect religious believers and organizations, a parliamentary report has revealed. Read more here.

 

Canada’s Bishops Say Conversion Therapy Ban Threatens Religious Freedom. Canada’s Catholic bishops have criticized the “potential overreach” of a proposed government ban on conversion therapy, arguing that the legislation’s “very disconcerting ambiguity” poses a threat to freedom of religion. Read more here.

 

Romanian Churches Petition SCOTUS. Liberty Counsel filed a petition for cert asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case of Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church and Logos Baptist Ministries in their federal lawsuit against Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his unconstitutional executive orders discriminating against churches. Read more here.

 

Kentucky Restrictions on Church Services Debated at Sixth Circuit. A Kentucky church argued before the Sixth Circuit that despite modifications to allow in-person religious services, it is nevertheless entitled to injunctive relief to invalidate executive orders banning mass gatherings issued by the governor in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more here.

 

California Churches Request Full Appeals Court Review. Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry filed an en banc petition to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals requesting that the entire panel of judges review the case regarding Governor Gavin Newsom’s orders restricting religious gatherings. Read more here.

 

D.C. Restrictions on Outdoor Church Services Violate RFRA. A federal judge ruled in favor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church against the Washington, D.C. mayor’s restrictions on outdoor worship services, concluding that the restrictions violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Read more here.

 

Nicaraguan Bishops Speak Out Against Govt Attacks on Free Speech. Several members of the Catholic hierarchy in Nicaragua have spoken out against the government of President Daniel Ortega for trying to enact laws that would limit free speech and treat missionary priests and foreign correspondents as “foreign agents.” Read more here.

 

Court Rules Religious Objections on LGBTQ Issues Cannot Disqualify Foster Parents. A Washington federal district court has held that the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families cannot use its policy to protect LGBTQ+ foster children as the sole determining factor in rejecting a foster family that expresses sincere religious beliefs that would preclude them from supporting gender transition in a hypothetical future situation. Read more here.

 

Court Dismisses LGBT Anti-Discrimination Lawsuit Against Seminary. A U.S. district court has sided with Fuller Theological Seminary against two students who claimed the school violated anti-discrimination laws when it expelled them for being in same-sex marriages. Read more here.

 

Texas City Threatens to Take Property From Church. A church in Texas is putting up a legal fight to stop a city from taking control of a church-owned property via eminent domain to build a new fire station, arguing that it interferes with their free exercise of religion. Read more here.

 

KY School Stops Prayer at Graduation Following Complaint. A school district in Kentucky has agreed to stop presenting prayers at its graduation ceremonies following a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a prominent atheist group. Read more here.

 

Secularists Want Christian Groups to Be Forced to Ditch Ethos. The UK’s National Secular Society has called for Christian organizations to be forced to open key roles to those who do not share their beliefs. Read more here.

 

Justices Slam Obergefell Decision. U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito said that Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that mandated all states recognize same-sex marriages, is “found nowhere in the text” of the Constitution and threatens “the religious liberty of the many Americans who believe that marriage is a sacred institution between one man and one woman.” Read more here.

 

Alabama Officials Sued Over Voter Registration Form Requiring ‘So Help Me God’ Vow. A secular advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a voter registration form in Alabama, arguing the state violates the constitutional rights of applications by requiring them to declare “so help me God” when signing up to vote. Read more here.

 

Russia’s Catholic Church Warns Against Proposed Curbs on Clergy. Catholic Church officials in Russia criticized planned religious law changes that will require all clergy who studied abroad to retrain in a Russian college. Read more here.

 

Court Stops New York From Shutting Down Christian Adoption Agency. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York ruled that the state of New York may not revoke a faith-based adoption provider’s authorization to place children for adoption while the adoption provider’s lawsuit against the state proceeds. Read more here.

 

Judge Upholds Colorado’s Limits on Religious Gatherings. A federal judge denied an injunction sought by a Protestant ministry against Colorado’s coronavirus health orders, which limit religious gatherings to 175 persons. Read more here.

 

Court Rules No Fault Divorce Does Not Infringe on Free Exercise Rights. In Melki v. Melki, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals rejected a husband’s claim that granting his wife a no-fault divorce violates his free exercise rights. Read more here.

 

Pompeo Speaks at Vatican Conference on Defending Religious Freedom. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke at the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican at the “Holy See Symposium on Advancing and Defending Religious Freedom Through Diplomacy.” Read more here.

 

Appeals Court Denies Churches’ Request for Protection From Orders Limiting In-Person Gatherings. An appeals court has refused to grant a request from multiple churches seeking protection from California’s COVID-19 shutdown orders limiting in-person gatherings. Read more here.

 

Virginia’s Non-Discrimination Law Faces Court Challenge. Alliance Defending Freedom has filed lawsuits in state and federal court challenging a new Virginia law that bars discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Read more here.

 

Christian Pastors Urge UK Govt to Not Suspend Worship Again. A group of 700 Christian ministers from across the United Kingdom has written an open letter demanding that their governments do not ask them to “suspend Christian worship again.” Read more here.

 

Hotel Settles Claim After Canceling Pastor’s Pro-Marriage Event. A Belfast hotel has apologized unreservedly to a church minister after it forced him to abandon a public meeting supporting traditional marriage. Read more here.

 

UN Ambassador Issues Religious Freedom Warning. In remarks during the United Nations General Assembly, the U.S. religious freedom ambassador warned against governments using the pandemic to crack down on religious minorities. Read more here.

 

U of Iowa Accused of Targeting Christian Student Groups. A Christian student group, Business Leaders in Christ, was reportedly deregistered and essentially kicked off the University of Iowa campus and put on a religious watchlist for requiring its leaders to sign a statement of faith that did not affirm the LGBTQ community. Read more here.

 

Kent Mayor Bans Prayer at Council Meetings. A Kent borough in the United Kingdom has terminated the role of its civic chaplain, ending nearly fifty years of council prayers. Read more here.

 

U.S. AG Speaks on Religious Liberty Attacks. U.S. Attorney General William Barr said that “no concept is more misunderstood than the notion of separation of church and state” and explained that “militant secularists” have long seized on that slogan “as they drive religion from the public square.” Read more here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court Has Full Docket of Religious Liberty Cases During Nomination Fight. As the Trump Administration looks to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court, the coming judicial session features a slate packed with religious freedom cases. Read more here.

 

Ohio Gov Signs Bill to Prevent Officials From Stopping Religious Services. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 272 into law which will prohibit any public official from closing places of worship in the state. Read more here.

 

Charges Dropped Against Pastor Who Held Peaceful Worship Services. The City of Niles, Illinois, has dropped all four “disorderly conduct” citations against Pastor Daniel Chiu who received an $800 fine for holding peaceful morning and evening worship services for two consecutive Sundays. Read more here.

 

Judge Orders School District to Halt Prayers, Bible Reading After ACLU Suit. A federal judge ordered a Tennessee school district and its employees not to participate in or promote religion at school activities after the district acknowledged it had allowed certain religious expressions. Read more here.

 

Kroger Workers Wrongly Fired for Refusing to Wear Aprons With LGBT Logo, Lawsuit Says. Grocery store giant Kroger is accused in federal court filings of violating the Civil Rights Act when it reportedly fired two employees who did not want to wear a store apron supporting the LGBTQ community. Read more here.

 

U.S. DoD Supports Stronger Religious Liberty Protections for Military Members. The U.S. Department of Defense has announced that it’s implementing stronger guidelines to safeguard religious liberty for military service members. Read more here.

 

Judge Grants Injunction Barring Church From Constitutional Right to Worship. Since Grace Community Church first began meeting in-person in July, Los Angeles County officials have threatened fines, arrest, and even terminated their parking lot lease. Now a judge has issued a ruling prohibiting them from holding indoor worship services. Read more here.

 

EU Commission ‘Committed to Defend Freedom of Religion or Belief.’ In response to a question regarding the proposed ban of circumcision in Denmark, the European Commission said they are “committed to defend the freedom of religion or belief” and that they also fight for the protection of the rights of the child. Read more here.

 

GA Tech Settles Religious Discrimination Suit. A lawsuit filed by Students For Life against Georgia Tech University for religious discrimination has been settled out-of-court, with Georgia Tech agreeing to revise its policies and treat all student organizations fairly regardless of viewpoint and to pay $50,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees. Read more here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court Set to Hear Contentious Religious Freedom Case. The hearing for Fulton v. City of Philadelphia has been set for early November and will determine whether or not a Catholic adoption agency must comply with Philadelphia’s allowances for placing foster children with homosexual or transgender parents. Read more here.

 

LGBT Activists Threaten to Burn Church, UK Police Try to Silence Pastor. A Christian pastor in the United Kingdom was told by the local police that if he offends the LGBT community with a social media comment he could be breaking the law, even though a pro-LGBT mob threatened to burn down his church. Read more here.

 

DeVos Delivers on Promise to Protect Campus Religious Liberty. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has published a final rule which ensures the equal treatment and constitutional rights of religious student organizations at public institutions and provides clarity for faith-based institutions with respect to Title IX. Read more here.

 

LGBT Activists Urge Ramaphosa to Sign Bill Eliminating Freedom of Conscience for Marriage Officers. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is being urged to sign off on a Civil Union Amendment Bill that eliminates the right of a marriage officer or magistrate to decline performing same-sex marriages if they have a religious objection. Read more here.

 

CA Church Takes Worship Ban to Court of Appeals. Harvest Rock Church has appealed its case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding Governor Gavin Newsom’s order prohibiting all worship, including home Bible studies and fellowship with anyone who does not live in the home. Read more here.

 

Free Speech Case Concerning Former Finnish Minister Continues. Former Minister of the Interior and serving Member of the Finnish Parliament Päivi Räsänen has been under investigation for a year since directing a tweet at the leadership of her church which questioned its official sponsorship of the LGBT event “Pride 2019,” accompanied by an image of a bible text. Read more here.

 

In Upcoming Term, U.S. Supreme Court Once Again Takes Up Religious Liberty. The U.S. Supreme Court will once again take up a religious liberty case in its new term with oral arguments November 4 in a case about a Catholic social service agency excluded from Philadelphia’s foster care program for not accepting same-sex couples as foster parents. Read more here.

 

Judge: Louisville Can’t Force Christian Photographer to Work Same-Sex Wedding. U.S. District Judge Justin R. Walker sided with photographer and blogger Chelsey Nelson and issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the city from forcing her to work at same-sex weddings. Read more here.

 

U.S. Dept of Ed Reaffirms Commitment to Protecting Students’ Religious Liberty. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced guidance to protect the religious liberty of individuals and institutions participating in Department of Education programs. Read more here.

 

Filipino Catholic College Defends Stance Against Homosexuality. A group of 80 Filipino LGBT organizations have released a statement alleging that Assumption College’s policies against immorality go against the Philippines’ anti-discrimination laws. Read more here.

 

Judge Allows Lawsuit to Proceed Over Evangelical Adoption Agency’s Exemption to HHS Rule. A Catholic mother’s lawsuit against the state of South Carolina and federal officials for exempting an evangelical Christian adoption agency from a federal non-discrimination mandate is allowed to proceed, according to a federal judge. Read more here.

 

Swedish Govt Party Wants to Force Imams, Rabbis to Perform Same-Sex Marriages. Despite Sweden’s Marriage Code becoming gender neutral in 2009, only a handful of religious congregations marry same-sex couples. The Green Party wants to make it illegal to refuse to perform same-sex marriages. Read more here.

 

LGBTQ Alumni Accuse Canadian Christian University of Discrimination. According to the school’s Student Conduct and Accountability Policy, Redeemer University disciplines students for what it refers to as “sexual misconduct,” which includes sexual intimacy outside of heterosexual marriage. Read more here.

 

University Hijab Ban Sparks Protest in Belgium. The Constitutional Court of Belgium ruled that prohibiting the wearing of religious signs in higher education institutions did not violate freedom of religion or the right to education. Read more here.

 

USAID Official Quits Over Alleged ‘Anti-Christian Sentiment.’ The White House’s deputy liaison to the U.S. Agency for International Development is leaving her post after just two months in the job, calling lawmakers who she said had criticized her views on sexuality and gender identity “radical anti-Christian leftists.” Read more here.

 

Religious Freedom a Concern for Evangelicals in Sri Lanka. A report of the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka warns that law enforcement and judicial systems have not always “provided relief” in cases of discrimination. Read more here.

 

Louisiana Legislator Asks Governor to Allow Clergy to Enter Healthcare Facilities. Senator Robert Mills’ newly authored bill would require inpatient healthcare facilities to provide patient or resident access to members of the clergy for any customary religious service that is normally offered to patients when not under a declared state of public health emergency. Read more here.

 

U.S. Senator Accuses Pentagon of Discrimination Against Believers. Senator Ted Cruz accused the Defense Department of “religious discrimination” in a strongly worded letter that pressed Defense Secretary Mark Esper on how his department planned to address “its culture of hostility towards religion.” Read more here.

 

Amicus Brief Defending Religious Liberty Filed by 21 States. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson led 21 states in an amicus brief filed with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit defending the religious liberty of public employees. Read more here.

 

After Challenge With California Officials, Catholic Home for Trafficked Girls Set to Open. A Catholic charity that has prepared to open a home for underage victims of human trafficking has reached a resolution with California authorities after it was allegedly pressured to affirm LGBT sexuality, to inject sex hormones into any beneficiaries who identify as transgender, and to agree to drive minors to abortion clinics. Read more here.

 

Report Finds Hate Crimes Rising Against Indian Christians. Hate crimes against Christians in India increased by 40% in the first half of 2020 despite a three-month nationwide lockdown, according to a new report. Read more here.

 

China Seizes Children From Christian Parents. A member of China’s Early Rain Covenant Church says the Chinese Communist Party continues to persecute members of the church by forcibly removing adopted children from their parents or threatening to send children to government re-education camps. Read more here.

 

Scottish Bishops Fear Hate Crime Law Could Criminalize Bible. Catholic bishops have said that proposed hate crime legislation in Scotland could criminalize the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Read more here.

 

Bishop of Truro to Lead Global Religious Freedom Group. The Rt. Rev. Philip Mounstephen will chair the new initiative following his influential report last year into global Christian persecution. Read more here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court Denies Nevada Church’s Appeal of Attendance Restriction. Nevada has placed a 50-person cap on all places of worship, no matter the capacity of the building, but casinos and other businesses may permit up to 50 percent capacity, allowing access to potentially hundreds of patrons at a time. Read more here.

 

More ‘LGBT-Friendly’ Haitian Penal Code Prompts Outcry From Pulpit. An overhaul of Haiti’s penal code that punishes marriage officiants who refuse to perform same-sex weddings is provoking outcry among religious leaders in the socially conservative Caribbean nation. Read more here.

 

Vatican Foreign Minister: Religious Freedom Must be Protected. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, told an online forum that efforts to counter persecution are now required because the entire fabric of human rights is at stake if religious freedom continues to be attacked. Read more here.

 

Christian Wedding Planner Challenges Anti-Discrimination Law. An Evangelical Christian minister who runs a wedding business in Cleveland, Ohio, has filed a lawsuit challenging a county ordinance she says would require her to officiate same-sex weddings. Read more here.

 

Scot Hate Crime Bill Could Criminalize People for ‘Misspeaking.’ The Scottish Government’s Hate Crime and Public Order Bill intends to criminalize “stirring up hatred” against people on the basis of certain “protected characteristics,” including religion, sexuality and transgender identity. Read more here.

 

Concerns Rise for Christian Businesses in NI That Refuse Services to Same-Sex Weddings. A leader of Northern Ireland’s largest Christian denomination has raised concerns that a new marriage law, which doesn’t allow businesses to refuse service to same-sex couples on grounds of conscience, is a violation of religious freedom. Read more here.

 

Anti-Christian Attacks on the Rise in France. The number of officially recorded anti-Christian incidents in France has risen by 285 percent between 2008 and 2019. Read more here.

 

At Least 400 Churches Closed or Destroyed in China. Christians across China continue to be persecuted by Communist officials as at least 400 Three-Self and house churches were either demolished, shut down or repurposed in Shangrao City of Jiangxi Province. Read more here.

 

HHS Acts to Preserve Religious Freedom at Hospitals. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took two important steps to protect religious freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

 

Christian Adoption Agency Can Sue NY for Threatening Closure Over Not Placing Kids With Same-Sex Couples. An appeals court has revived New Hope Family Services’ lawsuit against officials in New York state who are seeking to force the charity to place children with unmarried and same-sex couples instead of referring them to other providers. Read more here.

 

CA’s Ban on ‘In-Home Bible Studies’ Sparks Lawsuit by Church. A California church filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s restrictions on houses of worship, including what the suit says is a ban on “in-home Bible studies.” Read more here.

 

U.S. Congressman Demands Federal Investigation Into Anti-Christian Hate Crimes. Indiana Rep. Jim Banks is demanding federal authorities at the Department of Justice investigate mob attacks on Christian statues and churches in their continued purge of human history in the name of “social justice.” Read more here.

 

German State Bans Burqas in Schools. Baden-Württemberg will now ban full-face coverings for all school children. State Premier Winfried Kretschmann said burqas and niqabs did not belong in a free society. Read more here.

 

China Orders Christians to Remove Images of Jesus, Replace With Communist Leaders. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, poor Christian villagers in China have been ordered to renounce their faith and replace displays of Jesus with portraits of Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping or risk losing their welfare benefits. Read more here.

 

Pompeo Says Human Rights Policy Must Prioritize Religious Liberty. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is calling for the United States to ground its human rights policy more prominently in religious liberty and property rights. Read more here.

 

Legal Advocacy Group Petitions for Review of Same-Sex Marriage Bill Which Restricts Religious Liberty. Freedom of Religion South Africa has petitioned President Cyril Ramaphosa to send a bill which prevents state-employed marriage officers and magistrates from objecting to solemnizing same-sex marriages on the grounds of conscience, religion and belief back to the National Assembly for reconsideration. Read more here.

 

Supreme Court Rules Religious Schools Shielded From Teachers’ Employment Discrimination Claims. The Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that civil courts cannot get involved in employment discrimination claims brought against religious organizations where the employee served a religious function. Read more here.

 

Supreme Court Upholds Religious Liberty in Contraception-Mandate Case. The Supreme Court voted 7–2 to allow employers with sincerely held moral or religious objections an exemption from an Obama-era mandate to provide contraception in their health care plans. Read more here.

 

UK High Court Rules Christian Fostering Service Can Maintain Religious Standards Without Punishment. The judgment confirms the freedom of Christian organizations to provide activities in line with their statement of faith. Read more here.

 

South African Marriage Officers Won’t Be Allowed to Turn Down Same-Sex Couples. A newly-passed bill repeals section six of the Civil Union Act, which allowed a marriage officer to inform the minister that “he or she objects on the ground of conscience, religion, and belief to solemnizing a civil union between persons of the same sex.” Read more here.

 

Photographer Sues Over Virginia Law That May Force Him to Service Same-Sex Weddings. A professional photographer has filed a lawsuit against a new Virginia law that he says would force him to violate his sincerely held Christian beliefs by requiring him to provide his services to same-sex weddings. Read more here.

 

European Commission Still Undecided on Special Envoy. The European Commission continues to send mixed messages about the mandate of the Special Envoy on the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. Read more here.

 

Catholic Priest Defends Criticism of ‘Pride’ Celebrations. A Catholic parish in the Diocese of Lafayette has stood by its criticism of the New Orleans Saints for celebrating the “gay rights movement,” despite being attacked for it on social media. Read more here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court Rules Religious Schools May Not Be Blocked From Scholarship Program. The Supreme Court ruled that Montana may not bar religious schools from participating in the state’s tax-credit scholarship program, a win for school choice advocates and parents who wish to use their scholarship funds to send their children to religious schools. Read more here.

 

U.S. Bishop Pulls Priest From Parish for ‘Divisive’ Remarks Upholding Church’s Stance on Homosexuality. A bishop has yanked a priest known for his pro-life work from ministry thanks to threats by LGBT activists. Read more here.

 

Armenian Police Officer Wins Landmark Employment Case After Being Fired for His Faith. The Administrative Court in Armenia found the police officer’s dismissal to be invalid and ruled that he must be reinstated to his job and compensated for the entire period of his forced leave starting in 2018. Read more here.

 

Roman Catholic Schools Urge Welsh Govt to Axe Religious Education Changes. In 2022, Religious Education is to be renamed ‘Religion, Values and Ethics,’ and the current parental right of withdrawal will be removed. Read more here.

 

Ohio Governor Signs Bill Expanding Religious Freedom in School. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law the Student Religious Liberties Act, which clarifies that students can pray, wear religious clothing, meet on school grounds and express their faith in school. Read more here.

 

Religious Medical Professionals Can be Punished for Following Their Consciences. Despite federal and state laws designed to protect conscience rights, Catholic medical professionals and their advocates report that healthcare institutions routinely pressure their employees to provide or refer for services to which they morally object. Read more here.

 

U.S. Bishops Call on Americans to Defend Religious Freedom. The U.S. bishops have highlighted a specific area of religious liberty for each day of Religious Freedom Week, beginning with the theme of religious freedom in health care, which includes the right to act in conscience and not be forced into cooperating with immoral actions. Read more here.

 

Latter-Day Saint Apostle Says Pandemic is a ‘Wake-Up Call’ About the Fragility of Religious Freedom. When governments around the world swiftly banned religious gatherings as COVID-19 advanced, they dangerously breached boundaries protecting the free exercise of religious freedom and proved just how fragile it is, an apostle with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said. Read more here.

 

Alito: Court’s ‘Preposterous’ Ruling Threatens Religion, Speech, Privacy and Safety. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito strongly condemned the Court’s ruling that discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Read more here.

 

Italy’s Homophobia Law Threatens Pulpit. Italian bishops are challenging new legislation against “homotransphobia” that could criminalize the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality and even censor preaching against sexual pathologies like pedophilia, sadism or masochism. Read more here.

 

Ohio Senate Unanimously Passes Student Religious Expression Bill. The Ohio Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow public school students to pray, attend religious clubs and “See You at the Pole” gatherings, distribute religious material, wear religious clothing and turn in work expressing their faith beliefs. Read more here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court Decision Ignites Religious Liberty Battle. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in his majority opinion that he foresees a path for religious institutions to fight their way to the Supreme Court as they seek exceptions from new laws granting protections for homosexual and transgender workers. Read more here.

 

Italy’s Catholic Bishops Say Proposed ‘Homophobia Law’ Creates ‘Crime of Opinion.’ Italian bishops have raised concerns over proposed legislation against “homophobia” in Italy, claiming changes to the law are unnecessary and have the potential to infringe on the civil liberties of those who oppose same-sex unions. Read more here.

 

Court Mostly Affirms NY Law Forcing Pro-Life Orgs to Accept Pro-Abortion Employees. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York has upheld most of a law allowing the Empire State to force pro-life organizations to employ workers who oppose their religious values and pro-life mission. Read more here.

 

Court Rejects Claim of Retaliation Because of Foster Parents’ Religious Beliefs. The plaintiffs claim that they were retaliated against because of their religious belief that homosexuality is a sin, or because they shared their religious belief with their child. Read more here.

 

Trump Administration Argues Adoption Agency Should Be Able to Reject Same-Sex Couples. The Justice Department filed a Supreme Court brief in support of a taxpayer-funded Catholic group that declines to work with same-sex prospective parents. Read more here.

 

Texas AG Files Multistate Amicus Brief Defending Religious Liberty for Foster Care Providers. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton led 13 states in a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the United States Supreme Court in support of several foster parents who are suing the city of Philadelphia over its policy blocking foster care providers who hold traditional beliefs about marriage. Read more here.

 

U.S. Bishops Ask Supreme Court to Protect Catholic Foster Agency in Philadelphia. In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, the U.S. bishops argued that a Catholic agency should not be banned from participation in the Philadelphia foster care system due to its beliefs on marriage. Read more here.

 

Trump Signs International Religious Freedom Executive Order. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that appropriates $50 million for programs that advance international religious freedom around the world. Read more here.

 

Catholic Parish Faces Human Rights Tribunal for Refusing to Allow LGBT Event at Parish Hall.  White Rock Pride Society filed a complaint against the British Columbia church last June, alleging discrimination by the Star of the Sea Parish on the basis of sexual orientation. Read more here.

 

Costa Rican Bishop Disappointed in Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage. A Costa Rican bishop has warned that although same-sex marriage has been legalized in the country, the Catholic Church will continue to proclaim the truth of God’s plan for sexuality and marriage. Read more here.

 

Two Cases Show Religious Freedom Dwindling in Europe. Conscientious objection and freedom of expression are under threat in Europe, as shown by two legal cases that made news this spring. Read more here.

 

Major UK Conscience Case Reaches Top European Court. The European Court of Human Rights will hear the case of Ashers Baking Company in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which has faced a lengthy legal process after refusing to produce a cake promoting a message contrary to their deeply held Christian beliefs about marriage. Read more here.

 

Religious Freedom in Jeopardy as China Passes New Hong Kong ‘Security Laws.’ The legislature of China approved a resolution to impose new “security laws” on its formerly autonomous region, Hong Kong— a move pro-democracy protestors and Catholics in the country fear will undermine Hong Kongers’ freedom of religion. Read more here.

 

PCI Calls for Guarantee That Quoting Bible Won’t Be Treated as Hate Crime. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has said that freedom of speech must be protected in any new legislation. Read more here.

 

Canadian Bill Targets Catholic Teaching as ‘Conversion Therapy’ That Must Be Banned. Canada’s largest pro-life group is warning the country’s Catholic bishops and school trustees that the Trudeau government’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors will criminalize counseling based on Catholic teaching. Read more here.

 

Labor Department Issues New Religious Freedom Guidelines. The U.S. Department of Labor issued new protections for federal employees and faith-based grant recipients, with religious freedom groups praising the move. Read more here.

 

International Experts Appeal to European Commission to Do More for Religious Freedom. International religious freedom experts sent an open letter to the EU asking for more engagement in protecting the fundamental right to religious freedom across the globe. Read more here.

 

Major UK Conscience Case Reaches Top European Court. Mr. Lee, who ordered a cake with the message “Support Gay Marriage,” has now taken the case to the European Court of Human Rights. Read more here.

 

Armenian Constitutional Court Rules That Police Officer Cannot be Fired for Faith. Edgar Karapetyan was told that he was being fired because of his membership in a religious organization and that he would be allowed to keep his job if he renounced his faith. Read more here.

 

Court Allows LGBT Couple’s Lawsuit Over Foster Care Practice to Move Forward. A U.S. District Court ruled a lawsuit can proceed challenging a government exemption to religious anti-discrimination rules for foster care agencies. Read more here.

 

Nativity Scene on Indiana County Building Property Held Unconstitutional. An Indiana federal district court held that the Establishment Clause is violated by a nativity scene displayed on the lawn of an historical courthouse that now houses county offices. Read more here.

 

UK Evangelical Christian Adoption Agency to Fight Discrimination Claim in Court. A Christian fostering agency in the United Kingdom is taking a government regulator to court for deeming its policy of only placing children with committed evangelical Christians unlawfully discriminatory against same-sex couples. Read more here.

 

Vimeo Brands Christian Organization a ‘Terror or Hate Group’ Over Pro-Marriage Stance. The American Family Association (AFA) says it was told by Vimeo that its account was being shut down because it will not host an account if the owner is a member of a “terror or hate group”. Read more here.

 

USCIRF Warns About Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in 29 Countries and Beyond. The United States Commission for International Religious Freedom aims to monitor the implementation of the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world, following international law standards. Read more here.

 

Secular Organization Gets Military Chaplains’ Prayer Videos Removed From Facebook Page. The four videos removed from the brigade’s main Facebook page show chaplains offering comfort and perspective to those struggling with the threat and response to COVID-19. Read more here.

 

Court Rules Against Israeli Print Shop That Refused to Serve LGBT Group. The Beersheba Magistrate’s Court ruled that a local print shop must compensate an LGBT rights group after it refused to print its posters. Read more here.

 

Update on Religious Liberty Cases Before the U.S. Supreme Court. Five cases are now before the Supreme Court that could impact religious liberty and church-state law. Read more here.

 

Court to Hear Little Sisters, Catholic School Cases by Teleconference. For the first time in its history, the Supreme Court announced it will conduct 10 oral arguments by teleconference in May. Among the arguments it will hear is the case involving the Little Sisters of the Poor concerning religious employers opting out of the Affordable Health Care’s contraceptive mandate. Read more here.

 

The Reality of Religious Freedom in Cuba. The situation for religious groups in Cuba remains dire. Recorded violations include harassment of religious leaders, arbitrary detention, confiscation of religious property, the forced closure of churches, and restrictions on travel, movement and the distribution of religious materials. Read more here.

 

NYC Mayor Threatens Permanent Closure of Churches Holding Public Masses. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said that churches could be closed down permanently if people are gathering for services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.

 

Virginia Governor Makes Attending Church a Criminal Offense. Virginia governor Ralph Northam has made it a criminal offense to attend church services of more than 10 people. An executive order went into effect in the commonwealth, making any non-essential gatherings a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine of $2,500. Read more here.

 

UN Expert Says World Religions Should Defer to the Authority of UN Experts. According to the UN’s special expert on freedom of religion, the fringe views of UN human rights bodies must take precedence over the mainstream beliefs of many leading world religions when it comes to law and policy. Read more here.

 

Sri Lanka Rejects Statement of UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief as Inaccurate. The Sri Lankan delegation delivered the statement at the UN Human Rights Council and said it was regrettable that the report portrayed instances where criminal investigations that were conducted to prevent acts of terrorism in accordance with the law, as an endeavor to violate the freedom of religion or belief. Read more here.

 

Photographer Doesn’t Have to Shoot Same-Sex Weddings, U.S. Department of Justice Says. The U.S. Department of Justice has sided with the Kentucky-based wedding photographer’s First Amendment right to refuse service for same-sex couples, according to an official statement issued by the government agency. Read more here.

 

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Religious Liberty Dispute Over Same-Sex Foster Parents. The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a First Amendment dispute between the city of Philadelphia and a Catholic foster care agency excluded from the city’s foster care system because it does not allow same-sex couples to serve as foster parents. Read more here.

 

Oregon Bakers Forced Out of Business Make Their Case Before Oregon Court of Appeals. The court again heard oral arguments in the case of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, the bakery that declined to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. Read more here.