Church and State

A church in Fife Lake, Michigan has filed a federal suit (see full complaint here) against the village over a policy that charges religious organizations for use of a public building in the community while allowing non-religious organizations to use the facility free of charge.

Liberty Counsel, the Christian legal group founded by Jerry Falwell, has filed an EEOC complaint on behalf of a woman who refused to answer the phones at her job by saying “Happy Holidays” because it was against her religion to contribute to the secularization of Christmas. She ended up being fired for insubordination:

In which we look back at an active year covering the intersection of religion and politics

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that the Kalamazoo Township Board of Trustees voted last month to end the practice of opening their meetings with prayer:

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court ruling upholding the editorial practices of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) in a directory they publish listing companies and individuals who can help applicants for unemployment benefits.

Preacher and GOP official Keith Butler tried to turn his congregation against both presidential candidates in Sunday’s sermon — then dozens flocked to an Obama event