Author: MC Editor

MADISON, Wis. – A watchdog group on Friday called on Wisconsin Supreme Court justice-elect Michael Gableman to skip a prayer breakfast hosted by a sheriff’s department.The Freedom From Religion Foundation called the event a violation of the separation of church and state because it is hosted by the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department. Gableman, a Burnett County Circuit Court judge, is expected to be the featured speaker at the May 1 event at a restaurant in Siren. Gableman narrowly defeated Justice Louis Butler in the April 1 election and will join the Supreme Court on Aug. 1.Read More >>

THE scientist who led the team that cracked the human genome is to publish a book explaining why he now believes in the existence of God and is convinced that miracles are real. Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man “closer to God”.Read more >>

The death early this week of a young Wisconsin girl from a treatable form of diabetes, whose parents prayed over her rather than seek medical help, could re-ignite a debate over a state law that essentially shields such activity from criminal prosecution. So says the Madison-based author of When Prayer Fails, a new book about parents who, for religious reasons, refuse to provide medical care for their children."Maybe the statute will get tested out soon," muses Shawn Francis Peters, who teaches writing and U.S. history at the UW-Madison.Read more >>

Longhorns’ men’s basketball coach now watching what he says, eatsDespite a long history of, uh, very colorful language during a consistent coaching career that has included one Final Four, 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances and 15 postseason victories, Rick Barnes has had a change of heart.And voice.The Texas coach no longer curses.Swear to God.For many coaches, giving up cursing would represent a sterner test of wills than being unable to question a ref’s call. Using four-letter words, hyphenated words and words that would make a sailor blush have been a part of coaching for as long as basketball has been…

MADISON — A downtown church has lost its access to free parking because the businessman who owns the parking ramp doesn’t want the church sheltering the homeless. First United Methodist Church in Madison serves as an overflow shelter for the homeless, housing about 20 men per night during the winter.Read more >>

As I’m sure my readers will agree, in my last post, There’s No Arguing It: We Can’t KNOW If There’s a God or Not , I conclusively proved that it is exactly as reasonable to think that there is a God as it is to think there’s not. Not one of the 50 or so people who commented on that post questioned the validity of that assertion. (I’m kidding. I actually think Atheists of America have taken out a hit on me.) Now watch how easily — nay, how inevitably — one must move from the understanding that there’s at least a 50/50 chance of a…

Bill forcing pharmacists to dispense abortifacient drugs to receive public hearingMEDIA ADVISORY, March 4 /Christian Newswire/ — The Senate health committee will hold a public hearing Wednesday, March 5, on Senate Bill (SB) 232, the so-called "Birth Control Protection Act." The legislation would force all licensed Wisconsin pharmacists, regardless of their medical and moral judgment, to dispense the morning-after pill and other FDA-approved abortifacient contraceptive drugs.Read more >>

Religion’s role in social justice was debated and questioned by University of Wisconsin students and local faith representatives at a panel discussion Monday evening. Representatives from St. Paul’s University Catholic Center, the Muslim Students’ Association and UW Hillel presented each religion’s stance concerning social justice.Read more >>

Thanks to the First Amendment, Americans are free to choose in matters of faith. As it turns out, that’s exactly what we do.A report released this week by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that almost half of us “have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.”Read more >>

The mayor of the small city of Hudsonville in western Michigan said the City Commission will continue to “strive to serve God,” despite an atheist group’s demand that the phrase be removed from the city’s mission statement.“We are not creating a church; we are not asking anybody to only accept what we have in that mission statement,” Mayor Don Van Doeselaar said this week.Read more >>