religious liberty Archives

Why Sign the Manhattan Declaration?

It’s been several short weeks since the unveiling of the Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience, which initially had about 120 co-signers. I’m thrilled to report more than 275,500 have added their signature to this important document. If you’re unfamiliar with the Manhattan Declaration, let me encourage you to read the entire proclamation and then consider lending your support, too.

In short the Manhattan Declaration is both a celebration of, and a commitment to, preserving life, marriage, and religious liberty in America.

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage, policy, religious liberty December 9, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Christians Under Fire In Iraq

About a month after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, two of us at Focus on the Family traveled to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Our goal was to determine whether or not open doors existed for Focus to minister to Iraqi families in that war-torn country. At 4:30 a.m., we piled into two GMC Suburbans and departed from Amman, Jordan for the 10-hour drive to Baghdad. Keep in mind, although the war had ended, Iraq was still very much a hotbed of violence.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, religious liberty April 14, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Silencing Free Speech and Religious Liberty

Picture this.

You operate a family-owned photography business which, among other services, creatively captures weddings on film. Further, imagine that you’re a Christian photographer and due to your religious convictions, decide to turn down certain photo shoots including “commitment ceremonies” for same-sex couples. Now, imagine your shock when a judge orders you to pay $6,637.94 to settle a lawsuit brought by an individual who complained about this alleged act of “discrimination.”

That’s what happened last year to Jon and Elaine Huguenin, owners of Elaine Photography LLC when Vanessa Willock filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, policy, religious liberty March 13, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Ask God What Your Grade Is

On November 4, 2008, voters in California passed Proposition 8 which amended their state constitution as follows: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” While Prop 8 ended the attempt to redefine marriage in the Golden State, the backlash by those who support so-called same-sex marriage has been, at times, ugly. Case in point. Jonathan Lopez, a Christian student at Los Angeles City College, found himself publicly ridiculed by his college professor who called Lopez a “fascist b–tard” in front of the other students.

Topics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, policy, religious liberty February 23, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Moral Minority

A week before Christmas last year, America lost a great statesman, an inspiring conservative thinker, and a steadfast advocate of the traditional family. I’m referring to my friend Paul M. Weyrich, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation and Chairman of the Free Congress Foundation It’s likely you’ve never heard his name. Paul was like that. He was the kind of man content to labor behind the scenes in Washington, D.C. in defense of the values conservatives cherish.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, policy, religious liberty January 23, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Man Sues Zondervan for $60 million

Last month a Michigan man named Bradley Fowler initiated a $10 million dollar lawsuit against Nashville-based Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. This month he extended his legal action by suing Zondervan, based in Grand Rapids, for $60 million. When someone seeks a combined $70 million in damages, that has a way of grabbing my attention.

At first I wondered what provoked such an aggressive lawsuit. You know, was he an ex-employee who experienced discrimination? Did he suffer a job-related accident?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, homosexuality, news, religious liberty July 31, 2008 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Alice’s Nightmare Comes to America

Check out this interesting story…

Click here

Focus on the Family cannot and does not endorse candidates or otherwise engage in political intervention.

Topics: Current Events Tags: policy, religious liberty July 1, 2008 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura