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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas parents file lawsuit over state law requiring Ten Commandments in schools
A 3D render of a closeup of the biblical Ten Commandments etched in a stone tablet, highlighting the ninth commandment. () Seven Arkansas families with children in public schools filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block the implementation of a new state law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms. Northwest Arkansas parents and their minor children who identify as Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, Humanist, agnostic, atheist and nonreligious filed the complaint Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas against the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville and Siloam Springs school districts. The plaintiffs are asking a judge to declare the law unconstitutional and are seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the school districts from complying with the law, according to the complaint. Act 573 of 2025 requires that 'a durable poster or framed copy of a historical representation of the Ten Commandments' be 'prominently' displayed in public school classrooms and libraries, public institutions of higher education, and public buildings and facilities maintained by taxpayer funds. According to the law, posters shall be donated or purchased with funds through voluntary contributions to a local school board, building governing entity or the Building Authority Division. Posters that don't meet specifications required by the law may be replaced with public funds or private donations. In a statement, plaintiff Samantha Stinson said that as American Jews, she and her husband 'deeply value the ability to raise our children in our faith, without interference from the government.' Fellow plaintiff Carol Vella agreed, noting that her children are among a small number of Jewish students at their school. 'The classroom displays required by Act 573 will make them feel like they don't belong simply because they don't follow the government's favored religion,' she said. 'The displays will also violate core Jewish tenets, which emphasize tolerance and inclusion and prohibit evangelizing others.' The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, with Simpson Thacher Barlett serving as pro bono counsel, according to a press release. The complaint alleges Act 573 violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which guarantees that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,' and its Free Exercise Clause, which guarantees that 'Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise [of religion].' 'As a result of the Ten Commandments displays mandated by Act 573, Arkansas students—including the minor-child Plaintiffs—will be unconstitutionally coerced into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state's favored religious scripture, and they will be pressured to suppress their personal religious beliefs and practices, especially in school, to avoid the potential disfavor, reproach, and/or disapproval of school officials and/or their peers,' the complaint states. By mandating a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments be displayed, 'Act 573 adopts an official position on religious matters, violating the Establishment Clause's prohibition against taking sides in questions over theological doctrine,' according to the complaint. In a statement, Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser said the Constitution's guarantee of the separation of church and state means families, not politicians, decide if and how public school children engage with religion. Federal judge considers letting Arkansas Supreme Court rule first on 10 Commandments monument case 'This law is part of the nationwide Christian Nationalist scheme to win favor for one set of religious views over all others and nonreligion — in a country that promises religious freedom. Not on our watch,' Laser said. Sen. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, and Rep. Alyssa Brown, R-Heber Springs, sponsored Act 573, but the merits of the legislation were largely presented in committee hearings by WallBuilders, a group 'emphasizing the moral, Christian, and constitutional foundation on which our nation was built,' according to its website. Supporters of the measure emphasized the Ten Commandments as a historical document, an argument rejected in Wednesday's complaint. 'This nation's core founding documents — the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — were not based on the Ten Commandments, and there is no longstanding history or tradition of prominently and permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms,' the complaint states. The complaint cites longstanding court precedent, including Stone v. Graham, a 1980 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law mandating classroom displays of the Ten Commandments as unconstitutional. A federal district court ruled last year that a Louisiana law similar to Act 573 violates the First Amendment. Plaintiffs in that case, which is on appeal, are represented by the same counsel as the Arkansas lawsuit, according to the press release. Plaintiffs in the Arkansas case plan to file a motion for preliminary injunction, which will ask the court to issue an order temporarily preventing implementation of the law, set to take effect Aug. 5, while the lawsuit is pending, according to the release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Boston Globe
13-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
If you don't see the perils of AI, Pope Leo XIV has a warning
The new pope pointed to a a famous encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 called 'On Capital and Labor' that sought greater respect for worker's rights and unions, limited working hours, and fair wages. 'The discussion is not easy, nor is it void of danger,' the earlier pope Advertisement Leo XIV said he saw clear parallels to the current AI boom, amid the rise of massive data centers, AI bots, and tech billionaires. 'In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor,' the pope said (in a Vatican translation of the speech delivered in Latin). Advertisement Leo is only the second pope to explore the implications of AI, though so far he has focused on the darker aspects. Starting two years ago, Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis, repeatedly praised the advance of technology and AI while also warning of the dangers of unchecked use of AI without moral and ethical boundaries. 'We cannot allow algorithms to limit or condition respect for human dignity, or to exclude compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and above all, the hope that people are able to change,' Francis said in a Some Massachusetts AI leaders, assembled by UMass Boston chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, In making reference to the Gilded Age industrial revolution, Leo appears to be more concerned about the potential for AI to allow for exploitation of workers and harm to society, according to Greg Epstein, Humanist chaplain at Harvard and MIT who wrote a book last year about technology and religion. Epstein, who fears that technology has become a substitute for religion for many people, welcomed Leo's involvement. 'The Catholic Church has a mixed record when it comes to moral authority, but some of its best moments in history have been using its push for justice,' Epstein said. 'And I think that's what we need right now.' AI also raises concerns about devaluing human relationships, which the pope could address as well, said John Pittard, a professor of philosophy at Yale Divinity School. Advertisement 'I'm very concerned about the degradation and impoverishment of human relationships as we come to increasingly rely on AI and less on other people,' Pittard said. 'And obviously religion and Christianity and Catholicism have a lot to say about that. I would be concerned if he wasn't tuned into these challenges and issues in a significant way.' Aaron Pressman can be reached at
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
There were only 33 more Catholic marriages than civil ceremonies in Ireland in 2024
The gap between the number of Catholic and civil marriages has almost gone with 32.6% (6,425) of couples opting for a Catholic ceremony while 32.5% (6,392) chose a civil ceremony last year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office. The CSO figures also show the number of marriages celebrated in Ireland fell by almost 4% in 2024. Last year, a total of 20,348 marriages were registered here, which included 668 same-sex marriages. That figure was down 4% from the 21,159 marriages celebrated in 2023, and a drop of 7.7% since 2014. Of the 668 same-sex marriages celebrated in Ireland last year, 325 were male same-sex weddings, while 343 were female. The average age for a bride in Ireland in 2024 was 35.9, while the comparable age 10 years ago was 33.0. The average age for a groom in Ireland in 2024 was 37.7, compared with 35.0 in 2014. Same-sex couples were slightly older, with the average age of males in same-sex couples 40.7, while females were 39.7. In 2024, religious ceremonies accounted for 59.5% of all marriages with counties Longford, Leitrim, and Mayo recording the largest proportion. There were 6,425 Catholic marriage ceremonies, 193 Church of Ireland ceremonies, The Spiritualist Union of Ireland performed 1,446 ceremonies, and 4,034 couples opted for other religious ceremonies in 2024. The majority of non-religious ceremonies were civil marriages which accounted for 33.1% (6,743) of all marriages. The remaining 1,507 (7.4%) couples had Humanist ceremonies. The CSO findings also show that the ratio of Catholic and civil ceremonies has reduced in 10 years, with only 33 more Catholic ceremonies than civil ceremonies taking place in 2024 compared with 6,905 more in 2014. August was the most popular month for opposite-sex marriages in 2024, while September was the most popular month for same-sex marriages. January was the least favoured month to tie the knot for both with only 653 ceremonies. Elsewhere, Friday was the most popular day of the year to get married with 7,280 ceremonies taking place, while Sunday was the least popular with only 715 ceremonies. Friday, September 6, and Friday, June 21, were the two most popular dates for opposite-sex marriages in 2024 with 211 couples getting hitched on both these dates. While Friday, July 19, and Friday, June 21, were the two most popular dates for same-sex marriages with 10 ceremonies taking place on each date. Read More Number of Catholic marriages fall in 2023 with almost a third opting for civil ceremonies
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Beyond Belief Cultural Religiosity
Giles Fraser meets columnist Giles Coren, who was raised in the Jewish tradition, became an atheist and who now feels at home in a Christian church, to explore what it means to be culturally religious. Is cultural religiosity an oxymoron and totally untenable? Is it on the rise or has it always been there? Is it damaging to traditional religious practices? And, does it really matter? To examine these questions, Giles is joined by: Michael Rosen, author and poet, known for his work exploring humanism and atheism. He has co-written a book, "What is Humanism? How do you live without a god? And Other Big Questions for Kids," which looks at how humanists approach fundamental questions about morals, ethics, and the origins of life. Kate Smurthwaite, patron of the Humanist society and feminist, atheist comedian and activist. Internationally, she is probably best-known as the star of a viral video in which she claims that she doesn't have a faith because she is not an idiot. Justin Brierley, writer, documentary maker and broadcaster behind the book and podcast series, 'The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God'. Over the course of his work Justin looks at why new atheism grew old and why secular thinkers are considering Christianity again. Producers: Alexa Good & Linda Walker Editor: Tim Pemberton
