On June 27, 2024, the Superintendent of Oklahoma’s state schools sent a letter to all districts, providing very clear discussions about using the Bible in classroom discussions. According to the Superintendent, the Bible should be viewed as a source of instruction support and an important historical document. All grades from 5 to 12 have been Read More

One of the most fascinating things about our nation is that each state has considerable freedom to set its own laws. When traveling from one end of the country to the other, you might experience drastically different regulations on things like traffic, self-defense, and divorce. However, one common characteristic across all States is the division Read More

A new bill in Oklahoma would allow students to pursue their own elective religious training. Although this training will occur outside of public school premises, it will still happen during school hours. This bill has raised numerous issues about the mixing of church and state, which is supposed to be federally prohibited by the United Read More

Ask any constitutional scholar about America’s official religion, and they will likely tell you that it has none. This is, of course, written into the Constitution, and since its inception, the government has been very careful to separate church and state. However, not everyone agrees with this time-honored principle – and some argue that the Read More

Many Americans forget that the United States is a constitutionally secular republic with no official religion. Although one might argue that the country was founded on Christian values, the government is usually careful to separate church and state. Any overlap between these two realms can potentially lead to lawsuits – and we have certainly seen Read More

For many religious individuals, attending church is not enough. They wish instead to become more active members of the church, and they strive to hold official positions within the church’s hierarchy. For Catholics, one potential option is to become a deacon. But what exactly is a deacon, and how do you become one? What is a Deacon? Read More

A veteran recently admitted to beheading a Baphomet statue inside the Iowa State Capital, calling his actions “Christian civil disobedience.” This has not stopped him from facing criminal charges of criminal mischief in the fourth degree, but numerous individuals – including local Satanists – aren’t exactly happy. This has sparked a wider debate over potential Read More

After the Tennessee state legislature passed a law explicitly barring ministers who were ordained online from solemnizing legal marriages in 2019, the Universal Life Church (ULC) immediately filed suit and were successful in obtaining a restraining order blocking the law from taking effect. In August of 2023, the ULC began the trial against the Tennessee Read More

What is the legal definition of a religion in the United States? When you strip away the ideology and tax benefits, religion is simply an organization of people who agree to come together and follow certain rules. With this simplistic view, an obvious question often arises among so-called non-believers: Why can’t I create my own religion and Read More

There is a fierce debate in many religious communities about LGBTQ issues, and the United Methodist Church (UMC) is certainly no exception. Due to the unique legal structure of the UMC, this debate is triggering a serious fracture within the church – one that is causing many individual congregations to leave. The process of leaving Read More