This past week a group defining themselves as Secular Democrats of America submitted a 28-page letter to Kamala Harris and Joe Biden calling on them to expunge religion from all sectors of American public life and to “re-educate” Christian Americans that they should keep their “religious dogma” to themselves.
“The constant entanglement of religion and government … sweeps far beyond hot-button ‘culture war’ issues … It permeates every aspect of government policy — health care, public and private education, foreign policy, tax policy, environmental policy, military policy, and more …”
They continue:
“[Government] decisions should be guided by science and evidence … We believe that now is the right time to make a case for reviving a Jeffersonian approach to governance that favors reason … and to disentangle government policy from the influence of … religious interests that have become dangerously entrenched at all levels of government.”
Political, Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | December 26, 2020 7:08 AM | Comments Off on Secular Dems Mistakenly Invoke Jefferson’s Ideals To Try And Stifle Religion In America
In an interview with that paper, this former Republican governor of Ohio presented himself as a moral hero for backing the former vice president.… Continue Reading
Sometimes, the facts of a case have an emotional appeal in addition to a strong constitutional basis. Espinoza v. Montana certainly qualifies.
Kendra Espinoza, a hard working (three jobs) and determined single mom, decided to take her two daughters out of the local public schools and enroll them in Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell, Montana. She explained that she “wanted them to be able to read the Bible and be taught how to pray, and taught from that faith-based perspective.”… Continue Reading
Give me your young, your old, your faithful masses yearning to worship freely. This revision of The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus could well be the rallying cry of Pastor Steve Cassell of The Beloved Church in Lena, Illinois. On this edition of Spotlight, Pastor Steve joins me for a timely discussion regarding the perilous intersection of COVID-19, governmental “authority,” and Constitutionally-guaranteed personal liberties.
Pastor Steve and I consider how churches and people of faith should respond to Illinois’ lockdown and examine the dangerous precedent that could be established by our governor’s abuse of his executive power.… Continue Reading
While numerous businesses have been designated as “essential” and allowed to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois’ governor has deemed houses of worship for all faith traditions as non-essential entities, denying people of faith access to these facilities for corporate worship and prayer.
Illinois Family’s Monte Larrick recently spoke with Pro-Life Action League’s Ann Scheidler at a May 1st prayer vigil, held outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, to protest Governor JB Pritzker’s overreach.… Continue Reading
It’s admirable that houses of worship can adapt so quickly in times of crisis. Millions of Americans are staying spiritually engaged thanks to the incredible effort of churches and faith leaders who harnessed the power of technology, social media and the Internet. Even more remarkable is that churches surpassed virtual attendance records even though the quarantine forced them to transition overnight to online services.… Continue Reading
Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | April 25, 2020 4:00 AM | Comments Off on Why Online Church Could be a Bad Thing for Religious Freedom in the Long-Term
Latasha Fields, founder and director of CHESS – Christian Home Educators Support System, joins IFI executive director David Smith on this edition of Spotlight. In the first half of the podcast, David and Latasha discuss egregious legislation pending in the Illinois General Assembly that aims to eviscerate parental rights and eliminate religious liberty.
State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) recently introduced HB 4870 would mandate the HPV vaccination for ALL Illinois students at the 6th grade level.… Continue Reading
| Benjamin D. Smith | February 25, 2020 4:00 AM | Comments Off on “Parental Rights, Religious Liberty and American History” (Illinois Family Spotlight #187)
Claiming to be a Christian, faux-married, homosexual Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg wields the Bible as a political weapon with which to bludgeon conservatives. It’s odd then that fellow “progressives” don’t chastise Buttigieg for violating the separation of church and state as they do when theologically orthodox Christians cite their faith as informing their public policy positions. Let’s not forget the chilling words of homosexual New York Times writer Frank Bruni who re-envisions the First Amendment in such a way as to circumscribe narrowly the heretofore free exercise of religion:
I support the right of people to believe what they do and say what they wish — in their pews, homes and hearts.
Featured in this edition of Spotlight, the Q & A portion of the Illinois Family Institute’s 2018 Worldview Conference featuring John Stonestreet. John is the President of the Chuck Colson Center and a co-host for daily BreakPoint commentaries.
Following his presentations, Stonestreet took questions from the audience ranging from pending Supreme Court rulings, division in America, Facebook, and even Kanye West.
Illinois Family Spotlight
"Choosing Style over Substance" (Illinois Family Spotlight #097)
Keeping a candidate’s policy positions straight isn’t easy when the candidate appears to come out on both sides of an issue. Sometimes it is due to a simple mistake, as people can misspeak without even realizing it.
When the issue is taxpayer funding of abortion, however, a person is either for it or against it. The same comes to religious liberty and conscience rights. There is no middle ground, even though some candidates would love for there to be some.… Continue Reading
Political, Religious Liberty | David E. Smith | 
December 26, 2020 7:08 AM | 
Comments Off on Secular Dems Mistakenly Invoke Jefferson’s Ideals To Try And Stifle Religion In America 
