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Jefferson City, Mo. – People who carry out executions can sue others who disclose their identities, under a new law that followed reports that a doctor who attended Missouri executions had been sued for malpractice more than 20 times. Some of the 36 other death penalty states also shield the names of their executioners. But…

Topeka, Kan. – Hoping to end a criminal case against him, a high-profile abortion provider filed a legal challenge Monday to the constitutionality of part of a Kansas law restricting late-term procedures. Dr. George Tiller, one of the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions, faces 19 misdemeanor charges in Sedgwick County District Court. Attorney General…

Islamabad, Pakistan – Security forces clashed with Islamic students outside a radical mosque in the Pakistani capital Tuesday, triggering gunfire that killed nine people, including four of the militant students, a senior official said. The students later pelted two government buildings, including the Ministry of Environment, with rocks and set them ablaze, and torched a…

SLIDELL, La. (RNS) A portrait of Jesus Christ that hangs in the lobby of Slidell City Court violates the separation of church and state, according to a a federal lawsuit that was filed Tuesday (July 3) by the Louisiana American Civil Liberties Union. The organization filed the suit in U.S. District Court in New Orleans…

ORLANDO, Fla. — Wesley United Methodist Church is a congregation of a few hundred members in Marco Island, Fla. It is an active congregation with ministries to the homeless, students and the elderly, and every year it sends missionaries to Guatemala. The congregation enjoys a prime location less than two miles from Florida’s Gulf Coast…

Whether using dragons, firefish or sword-wielding soccer moms, writers in the emerging category of Christian fantasy fiction are clamoring for a spot in the marketplace. Fantasy fiction in general commands a large following and copious real estate in bookstores. But while Web sites and Christian writing conferences brim with writers working on Christian fantasy, publishers…

Washington – In a rare reversal of roles, 14 Catholic members of Congress are lobbying U.S. Catholic bishops to step up efforts to end the war in Iraq. The lawmakers, all Democrats, wrote to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asking for a meeting to discuss how Congress “and the clergy can work together to…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) With the state’s weather forecasters not delivering much-needed rain, Gov. Bob Riley has turned to a higher power, issuing a proclamation calling for a week of prayer for rain. Riley encouraged Alabamians to pray, starting Saturday (June 30), “individually and in their houses of worship.” “Throughout our history, Alabamians have turned in…

Jun. 29–At first glance, it seems logical to assume Utah’s high bankruptcy rate is connected to the large number of Mormons living in the state. After all, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encourages members to pay 10 percent of their incomes in tithing, to marry young and to have a lot of…

San Diego, Jul 2, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) — A San Diego elementary school is embroiled in controversy over a policy allowing Muslim students to pray during a school break. Critics told the San Diego Union-Tribune the policy at Carver Elementary either endorses a religion or crosses the line separating church and state. The policy…

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