religious right news stories on Newser

Officials Oppose Right to Wear Crucifix at Work

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:57:20 CDT

Christians have no legal right to openly wear a crucifix at work, say British officials—who are planning to argue their case in court. In a landmark legal battle, Britain's government announced it will side against two women who say they were laid off or sidelined for sporting Christian symbols...

Political Pastors Pick Fight With IRS

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:33:15 CDT

Hundreds of pastors are trying to goad the IRS into a political battle over free speech from the pulpit, the New York Times reports. Organizers of tomorrow's Pulpit Freedom Sunday are urging pastors to flout a law that prohibits tax-exempt churches and other charities from political campaigning. Sponsored by the...

Hey, Media: Tone Down the 'Theocracy' Fears

Matt Cantor — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:57:05 CDT

Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry’s time in the spotlight has brought back a “fear of theocracy” not seen since the days of George W. Bush. Liberals are concerned that “Christian extremism is again on the march,” writes Ross Douthat in the New York Times . And while it’s fair for the...

Stimulus Gave $140M to Faith-Based Groups

Matt Cantor — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 10:11:47 CST

Conservatives slammed it as “anti-religious”—but in fact, some $140 million from President Obama’s stimulus package has gone to faith-based organizations. The money “kind of fell from the sky, and it was unbelievable,” says the head of a church-backed nonprofit. But the matter has gone under the radar, “perhaps because...

Christians, Libertarians Battle for Soul of Tea Party

Kevin Spak — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:18:54 CST

The Tea Party movement is already starting to fracture, with battle lines being drawn between libertarians and Christian conservatives, Newsweek observes. A mere day after the election, Christian conservative groups like the Family Research Council wrote Republican leaders urging them to ban same-sex marriage and abortion; less than two weeks...

Tea Party Overlaps With Religious Right: Poll

Nick McMaster — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:12:05 CDT

The Tea Party and the religious right have a complex, overlapping relationship, a new poll on conservative trends found. Half of those who identified as members of the Tea Party also considered themselves part of the Christian right, a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found. Overall, 11% of...

Angle Fought Against 'Evil' Black Jerseys: Columnist

Kevin Spak — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:47:18 CDT

Sharron Angle is embroiled in her weirdest controversy yet, with a small-town newspaper columnist who alleges that she once led a religious crusade against black football jerseys. Bill Roberts of the Pahrump Valley Times recalls that in 1992, the year Angle first entered politics with a school board run, she...

Tea Party Candidate Thinks He's the Messiah

Kevin Spak — Tue, 25 May 2010 07:34:12 CDT

Republican leaders have declared open war on Tim D'Annunzio, a Tea Party-backed North Carolina congressional candidate who they fear may be insane. They're publicizing documents from D'Annunzio's divorce, in which his wife testifies that he called himself the messiah, predicted God would drop a 1,000-mile high pyramid on Greenland,...

Religious Right Worried About Tea Party Movement

Kevin Spak — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:00:00 CST

Religious conservatives are glancing nervously at the tea party movement, afraid the cool new kids at the GOP lunch table don’t care about their issues. It seems the movement “has a politics that’s irreligious,” evangelical leader Richard Cizik tells Politico . “I can’t see how some of my fellow conservatives identify...