The History Of American Religion: 1600 - 2017 - Part 4 of 4
August 1994
Molly Marshall, the first woman to achieve tenure at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, was forced to resign after accusations of her promoting liberal doctrines.
December 09, 1994
Because of her controversial and outspoken opinions on sex education and drub abuse, U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is forced to tender her resignation.
March 26, 1995
In the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II ordered all Catholic voters, judges, and legislators to obey Vatican teaching in their decisions and votes: "In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is never licit to obey it, or to take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or to vote for it."
March 31, 1995
The ACLU filed a complaint against Judge Moore, charging that his display of Ten Commandments and his practice of initiating courtroom proceedings with a prayer, violated the First Amendment.
September 28, 1995
Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed an accord transferring control of the West Bank to Palestinians.
November 1995
Religion in Public Schools: An amendment to the US constitution was introduced to congress by Representative Ernest Istook (R-OK). It overruled the traditional separation of church and state by allowing organized school prayer in public schools. His amendment had the support of the Christian Coalition and some other very conservative Christian groups, but it received major opposition from many other Christian groups who valued church-state separation.
December 09, 1995
The Christian Coalition created the "Catholic Alliance," a "fully owned subsidiary" of the Christian Coalition designed to appeal to conservative Catholics.
January 1996
The American Baptist Church of the West expelled four San Francisco Bay congregations for welcoming homosexuals and not teaching that homosexual activity is a sin.
April 1996
Delegates at the General Conference of the United Methodist Church voted down a proposal to eliminate language in church law that declares homosexuality to be "incompatible with Christian teaching."
April 15, 1996
Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, excommunicated all Catholics in his diocese who continued to belong to organizations which he deemed "perilous to the Catholic faith" - organizations like Planned Parenthood and Call to Action.
June 1996
The Southern Baptist Convention announced a boycott of all Disney parks and products because of the company's decision to give insurance benefits to the partners of gay employees and for hosting "Gay Days" at Disney theme parks.
September 27, 1996
The Taliban seized control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and hanged the former president Najibullah.
December 20, 1996
Reflecting on his failed lawsuit against Larry Flynt because of the parody Flynt published in the magazine "Hustler," Jerry Falwell stated: "If Larry had been physically able and were not in a wheelchair, there'd have been no lawsuit. I'm a Campbell County, Virginia country boy. I'd just take him outside the barn and whip him and that'd be the end of it."
February 23, 1997
The birth of Dolly the sheep, which actually occurred the previous year, was announced to the world. Dolly was the first mammal cloned from an adult.
March 05, 1997
The US House of Representatives voted 295-125 to support Judge Roy Moore, a local judge in Alabama who has refused to remove a Ten Commandments plaque from his courtroom. Alabama Gov. Fob James has promised to deploy the National Guard and state troopers rather than see the display come down.
March 23, 1997
Thirty-nine members of the Heaven's Gate cult in California began committing mass suicide in anticipation of the arrival of comet Hale-Bopp. The suicides would take place in three groups over the course of three days.
June 23, 1997
Governor Fob James of Alabama claimed in a Federal District Court that the religion clauses of the First Amendment do not apply to the states and, hence, cannot be used to find any state laws unconstitutional.
November 1997
In order to relieve some Liberty University's debt, Jerry Falwell accepted $3.5 million from a group representing Sun Myung Moon. This donation, and several later appearances by Jerry Falwell at Moon conferences, raised eyebrows among American fundamentalists and evangelists because Moon claims to be the messiah sent to complete the failed mission of Jesus Christ, a doctrine sharply at odds with Falwell's own theology.
June 04, 1998
Religion in Public Schools: The previously mentioned Istook constitutional amendment had passed through the committee stage, but did not receive the 2/3 majority vote which would have been needed in the House to allow it to proceed to the Senate.
January 1999
Jerry Falwell announced at a pastors' conference in that the Antichrist is alive today and "of course he'll be Jewish."
February 1999
Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal newspaper issued a "parental alert" which warned that Tinky Winky, a character on the children's show "Teletubbies," might be gay.
February 07, 1999
Judy Poag (D) proposed bill in the Georgia legislature requiring public school districts to display the Ten Commandments. Those who refused to do so would be penalized financially and perhaps even have their state funding cut off. Another bill would permit "student-initiated spoken prayer during the school day." Teachers would be prohibited from " Participating in or actively supervising such prayer." Under this bill, a student could evidently just interrupt class with a prayer and continue the disruption for hours while the teacher would be powerless to stop it.
March 1999
Religion in Public Schools: In New Hampshire, House Bill 398 was sponsored by 8 state legislators to allow individual school districts to have students recite the Christian Lord's Prayer in school. "194:15-a Lord's Prayer, Silent Individual Reflections and the Pledge of Allegiance in Public Elementary Schools. As a continuation of the policy of teaching our country's history and as an affirmation of the freedom of religion in this country, a school district may authorize the recitation of the traditional Lord's prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag in public elementary schools. In addition, a school district may authorize a period of time, after the recitation of the Lord's prayer and the pledge of allegiance to the flag, for silent reflections representative of a pupil's personal religious beliefs. Pupil participation in the recitation of the prayers and pledge of allegiance shall be voluntary. Pupils shall be reminded that the Lord's prayer is the prayer our pilgrim fathers recited when they came to this country in their search for freedom.
Pupils shall be informed that these exercises are not meant to influence an individual's personal religious beliefs in any manner. The exercises shall be conducted so that pupils shall learn of our great freedoms, which freedoms include the freedom or religion and are symbolized by the recitation of the Lord's prayer and other silent religious reflections."
May 03, 1999
Decided: Combs v. Central Texas Annual The Fifth Circuit Court ruled that a church could not be sued for gender discrimination after a female pastor was fired.
The 21st Century (2000 to present)
March 31, 2000
A Joint Resolution of the Kentucky General Assembly was passed, requiring public schools in the state to include lessons on Christian influences on America and calling for the display of the Ten Commandments in schools and on State Capitol grounds.
May 03, 2000
Cardinal John O'Connor died in New York City.
October 12, 2000
Decided: Williams v. Pryor
The 11th Circuit Court ruled that the Alabama legislature was within its rights to ban the sale of "sex toys," and that people do not necessarily have any right to buy them.
The 11th Circuit Court ruled that the Alabama legislature was within its rights to ban the sale of "sex toys," and that people do not necessarily have any right to buy them.
November 07, 2000
Judge Roy Moore was elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
December 13, 2000
Decided: Elkhart vs. Brooks
The 7th Circuit Court ruled that a Fraternal Order of Eagles Ten Commandments monument at an Indian city hall was unconstitutional.
The 7th Circuit Court ruled that a Fraternal Order of Eagles Ten Commandments monument at an Indian city hall was unconstitutional.
January 15, 2001
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was sworn into office, pledging that "God's law will be publicly acknowledged in our court."
February 24, 2001
The Supreme Court let stand a ruling from the 7th Circuit Court which barred Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon from placing a Ten Commandments marker in front of the Indiana State Capitol.
March 12, 2001
In Afghanistan, the Taliban blew up two 2,000-year-old Buddhist statues in the cliffs above Bamian - despite an international outcry which included complaints from various Muslim nations.
May 29, 2001
Decided: Elkhart vs. Brooks
The Supreme Court let stand a 7th Circuit Court ruling which found that a Fraternal Order of Eagles Ten Commandments monument at an Indian city hall was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court let stand a 7th Circuit Court ruling which found that a Fraternal Order of Eagles Ten Commandments monument at an Indian city hall was unconstitutional.
June 28, 2001
Decided: Williams v. Lara
The Texas Supreme Court decided that an "all fundamentalist" prison section was unconstitutional, even though the prisoners volunteered to be there where other religious beliefs were excluded.
The Texas Supreme Court decided that an "all fundamentalist" prison section was unconstitutional, even though the prisoners volunteered to be there where other religious beliefs were excluded.
July 27, 2001
Decided: O'Bannon v. Indiana Civil Liberties Union
The Supreme Court refused to hear a case about a large monument in Indiana which would have included the Ten Commandments. What was the original 7th Circuit Court decision, and why did they reach that conclusion? What does this mean for future cases?
The Supreme Court refused to hear a case about a large monument in Indiana which would have included the Ten Commandments. What was the original 7th Circuit Court decision, and why did they reach that conclusion? What does this mean for future cases?
July 31, 2001
Judge Roy Moore unveiled a four-foot-tall, 5,000+ pound granite display of the Ten Commandments which was installed in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.
September 09, 2001
Jerry Falwell stated: "Since the Antichrist will not be revealed before Jesus comes, I believe conditions are falling in place, i.e., one-world government, so he can rule the world after Jesus comes. But we're moving toward a one-world government through the United Nations, through the world court and a growing world opinion. The problem is that the one-world opinion is taking the side of the Palestinians, not the side of Israel."
September 11, 2001
In the United States, four airliners were hijacked by Muslim terrorists and intentionally crashed.
September 13, 2001
During an exchange with Pat Robertson on the 700 Club, Jerry Falwell explained what he thought caused the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center: "The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this. ... And I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way - all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say: "You helped this happen."" Pat Robertson agreed with these remarks, but later backed away from them.
October 30, 2001
Lawsuits were filed on behalf of three lawyers who sought the removal of Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building. The suit claimed that the monument "constitutes an impermissible endorsement of religion by the state."
January 27, 2002
A 20-year-old woman became the first Palestinian female suicide bomber when she blew herself up on a Jerusalem street, killing one person and injuring 100 others.
February 19, 2002
Speaking before the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, Attorney General John Ashcroft stated that "Civilized people - Muslims, Christians and Jews - all understand that the source of freedom and human dignity is the Creator. Civilized people of all religious faiths are called to the defense of His creation," implying that atheists. simply aren't civilized.
February 21, 2002
On his "700 Club" program, Pat Robertson stated that Islam ". . . . is not a peaceful religion that wants to coexist. They want to coexist until they can control, dominate and then if need be destroy."
March 28, 2002
In Mississippi, the "George County Times" published a letter from George County Justice Court Judge Connie Wilkerson which read, in part, "In my opinion, gays and lesbians should be put in some type of mental institution." Because of the bias expressed in such a statement, an ethics violation complaint was filed against Wilkerson.
June 17, 2002
Decided: Watchtower Society v. Village of Stratton
Should people going door-to-door for solicitations, canvassing, etc. be required to get a permit first? The Jehovah's Witnesses don't think so, and challenged just such a law in the Village of Stratton, Ohio. The 6th Circuit Court decided against them, but the case will soon be decided by the Supreme Court.
Should people going door-to-door for solicitations, canvassing, etc. be required to get a permit first? The Jehovah's Witnesses don't think so, and challenged just such a law in the Village of Stratton, Ohio. The 6th Circuit Court decided against them, but the case will soon be decided by the Supreme Court.
June 24, 2002
A Utah judge found Mormon polygamist Tom Green guilty of raping Linda Kunz, a child whom he married when she was 13 and he was 37.
July 24, 2002
Pioneer Day: Mormons commemorate the first settlement in the Salt Lake area by Brigham Young.
November 18, 2002
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson of Montgomery, Alabama, ordered the removal of Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument, finding that it violated the constitution's ban on government establishment of religion. Thompson wrote in his decision that "the Ten Commandments monument, viewed alone or in the context of its history, placement, and location, has the primary effect of endorsing religion."
February 13, 2003
Televangelist Pat Robertson revealed that he had prostate cancer and would undergo surgery.
February 14, 2003
David Wayne Hull, a Ku Klux Klan leader in Pennsylvania and adherent of Christian Identity, was arrested for plotting to blow up abortion clinics.
February 27, 2003
United States Representative Lucas from Oklahoma introduced House Joint Resolution 27 which would add an amendment to the United States Constitution asserting that it is not "an establishment of religion for teachers in public school to recite, or to lead willing students in the recitation of" the The Pledge of Allegiance when it contains the phrase "under God." This was essentially an admission that the Constitution, as it stands, does not permit such recitation.
March 04, 2003
The United States Senate voted 94-0 that it "strongly" disapproved of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision not to reconsider its ruling that the addition of the phase "under God" to the The Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional.
March 16, 2003
Catholic archbishop Oscar Lipscomb of the Mobile, Alabama archdiocese admitted that he permitted Rev. J. Alexander Sherlock to remain in the pulpit at a church in Montgomery even after he admitted in 1998 to sexual abuse of a teenage boy in the 1970s.
March 17, 2003
Speaking on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson expressed his support for the separation of church and state when the "church" in question involved a religion other than Christianity: "If the United States tries nation building [in Iraq], it's got to [have] at the very top of its agenda a separation of church and state. There has to be a secular state in there [Iraq] and not an Islamic state... So it's going to be absolutely imperative to set up a constitution and safeguards that say we will maintain a secular state..."
March 20, 2003
The United States House of Representatives voted 400-7 to condemn the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision not to reconsider its ruling that the addition of the phase "under God" to the The Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional. The seven who voted against the resolution were all Democrats.
March 20, 2003
Around 2:30 GMT the United States begins its invasion of Iraq by launching a series of air strikes against Baghdad in the hopes of quickly killing leaders of the Iraqi government and ousting Saddam Hussein with his Baathist government once and for all.
April 7, 2003
The Boston Globe wins the Pulizter Prize for Public Service for a series of articles exposing the coverup of a widespread series of sexual abuse cases by priests of the Boston Archdiocese. This opens the door to hundreds of court cases over the next decade.
May 09, 2003
The National Association of Evangelicals, a group of evangelical Christians, condemned Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, Jerry Vines, Pat Robertson and other evangelical leaders for their many anti-Islamic statements.
July 01, 2003
A three-judge panel of 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected an appeal from Roy Moore in his effort to keep his Ten Commandments monument in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building. The court considered what could happen if the monument were allowed: "Every government building could be topped with a cross, or a menorah, or a statue of Buddha, depending upon the views of the officials with authority over the premises."
August 05, 2003
Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, was elected bishop-designate of New Hampshire by the Episcopal General Convention during its meeting in Minneapolis. This election sparked outrage by conservative Anglican Churches around the world and initiated moves towards a schism within Episcopal Church and conservative, evangelical churches tried to distances themselves from a leadership they felt had descended into heresy.
August 20, 2003
This is the deadline given to Roy Moore to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building, but he refused to act. A crowd of monument supporters grows at the building over the course of several days and some are arrested for refusing to leave the monument.
August 21, 2003
Because Roy Moore refused to remove his Ten Commandments monument by the August 20th deadline, the associate Justices of Alabama Supreme Court unanimously overruled Moore and ordered the monument removed by the building's manager. The eight justices wrote that they are "bound by solemn oath to follow the law, whether they agree or disagree with it."
August 22, 2003
Because Roy Moore disobeyed a federal court order to remove his Ten Commandments monument, the state Judicial Inquiry Commission charged Moore with violating six canons of ethics and he was suspended with pay pending trial before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.
August 25, 2003
Alabama Chief Justice Moore was suspended for his refusal to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.
August 25, 2003
Supporters of Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument filed suit in federal court in Mobile to try and block the monument's removal. It was filed on behalf of two Alabama residents described as Christians who believe "the United States was founded upon Jesus Christ" and their freedom of religion is being violated.
August 27, 2003
Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument was moved out of the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building to comply with a federal court order.
September 03, 2003
Rev. Paul Hill was executed by the State of Florida for the murders of John Britton, a medical doctor, and James Barrett, a retired military officer, as they were entering The Ladies Center in Pensacola, Florida, where Britton performed abortions.
October 22, 2003
On the news program Crossfire, Jerry Falwell explained that God was responsible for the election and re-election of President Clinton. The reason: "I think that we needed Bill Clinton, because we turned our backs on the Lord and we needed a bad President to get our attention again. To pray for a good President. That's what I believe."
November 03, 2003
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, upholding U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson’s ruling to have Moore's Ten Commandments monument removed. “The state may not acknowledge the sovereignty of the Judeo-Christian God and attribute to that God our religious freedom,” wrote Judge Thompson in his ruling.
November 13, 2003
An Alabama state ethics board unanimously ruled that when Chief Justice Roy Moore defied a federal judge's order to move a stone Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building, he violated state judicial ethics rules. As a consequence, he has been removed from his office of Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
November 13, 2003
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary removed Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore from his elected position because he refused to follow U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson’s court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building.
November 18, 2003
In the Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health case, the Supreme Court found that same-sex couples had the right to marry.
February 17, 2004
Bishop Thomas O'Brien, former head of Arizona's largest Roman Catholic diocese, was convicted of a hit and run. He thus became the first Catholic bishop in the United States to ever be convicted of a felony.
February 17, 2004
According to a CNN survey, children made more than 11,000 allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The 4,450 priests involved constitute about 4 percent of the 110,000 priests who served during the 52 years covered by the study.
February 25, 2004
Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of the Christ" opens in theaters in the United States.
March 20, 2004
A lesbian minister in Bothell, Washington, is acquitted by a Methodist church jury of violating church rules.
May 17, 2004
Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. The first marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples the same day
April 19, 2005
Pope Benedict XVI , born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger became the 265th Pope of the Roman Cathrolic Church.
September 30, 2005
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted Muhammad, the principal figure of the religion of Islam, leading Muslim groups in Denmark complained.
May 19, 2006
The film adaptation of Dan Brown's novel The Davinci Code was released, in which it was suggested that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married and had children. This led to outrage by many Christians in the U.S. and worldwide.
May 15, 2007
Jerry Falwell, leader of the political group of conservative Christians known as the Moral Majority, died in Lynchburg, VA.
March 14, 2008
A peaceful demonstration by Buddhist monks if Lhasa, Tibet turned into a riot that killed 18 civilians when police backed by the Chinese government disrupted the demonstration. This would lead to a series of violent anti-Chinese riots across Tibet and eventually the world, including the U.S.
May 22, 2009
Dale Neumann, and later his wife Leilani Neuman, was convicted of reckless homicide in Wisconsin after their daughter died when they sought faith-healing rather than medical treatment for her condition. The conviction of the Pentecostal couple was later upheld by the Supreme Court
September 11, 2010
Thousands of anti-Muslim protesters in Lowertown Manhattan gather to protest the proposed opening of a mosque near the site of the 9/11/2001 destruction of the world trade center towers by Muslim extremists.
June 2, 2011
Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States, becoming the first Morman to run for President.
November 2, 2011
Satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo was firebombed for satirizing Mohammad, prompting much discussion in the U.S. of the freedom-of-speech vs. religion debate.
May 9, 2012
Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to declare support for the legalization of same-sex marriage.
November 6, 2012
Maine, Maryland, and Washington become\ the first states to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote.
March 13, 2013
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
March 19, 2014
Fred Phelps died of natural causes shortly before midnight on March 19, 2014. Phelps was the notorious leader of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, made famous by their highly public and hateful protests again homosexuality.
January 7, 2015
Two Islamist gunmen forced their way into the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo and shot to death twelve staff members as retribution for the newspaper's history of satirical treatment of the prophet Mohammed.
January 16, 2015
The U.S. Supreme Court, in review of four separate cases, ruled that states do not have the right to outlaw same-sex marriage, effectively making gay marriage legal across the U.S.
May 7, 2017
Minnesota became the home to the first Satanic monument erected by on public property in the city of Belle Plaine, where officials have designated an area to free speech.
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