The VLW Blog

The U.S. Supreme Court effectively dropped the gavel yesterday to close debate on the government prayer issue by upholding the decision approving a ban on praying to Jesus at Fredericksburg city council meetings.  If there were any doubt before, the issue now is resolved:  governments may allow prayer at their meetings, but the prayers may [...]

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Five Virginia state police chaplains reportedly have resigned in protest over a directive that says the chaplains must use only non-denominational prayers in public events.
According to this report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the chaplains have been told that their official prayers should not include the phrase “in Jesus’ name.”   The directive apparently was triggered [...]

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As reported by the Washington Times, we should get a ruling in about a month after yesterday’s hearing on the constitutionality of the Virginia law that impacts the ownership of land controlled by breakaway Episcopal churches. Meanwhile, the Hartford [Conn.] Courant reports that a breakaway church in Connecticut has thrown in the towel on [...]

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The Washington Post reports that the Bush administration has given up its efforts to block Wiccans from putting their religious symbol, a pentacle (a five-pointed star in a circle), on the tombstones of soldiers who are buried in a military graveyards, including Arlington National Cemetery. Wicca, apparently one of the nation’s fastest growing faiths, is [...]

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