LITTLE ROCK — Money’s God phrase contested in Brazil
BRASILIA, Brazil - A prosecutor is trying to get God off of Brazilian bank notes.
Public prosecutor Jefferson Dias argues that the country is a secular state and that the phrase “God be praised” disregards the rights of non-Christians, and on Tuesday he asked a federal court to order the phrase removed.
“The fact that most Brazilians are Christian does not justify the violation of the fundamental rights of those that follow different religions or do not believe in God,” Dias said in the motion he filed with the court.
Brazil’s public prosecutor’s office is separate from the executive branch of government and it is supposed to defend the social and individual rights of citizens as well as serving as a watchdog over the government. A spokesman for the agency said the initiative for the motion apparently came from Dias.
The Assemblies of God, one of the largest evangelical denominations in Brazil, opposed the motion.
- The Associated Press
School declines holiday for Muslims
WASHINGTON - The school board of Maryland’s Montgomery County effectively turned down a request Tuesday from leaders of the county’s growing Muslim community to recognize an Islamic holy day next school year with an official day off.
At Tuesday’s meeting and afterward, several Muslim leaders called for fairness as they noted Montgomery’s lineup of Jewish and Christian school holidays, including Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashana, Christmas and Good Friday.
“All we’re asking for is equality under the law,” said Mudusar Raza, president of Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Raza said he realizes that the school system cannot accommodate every religion with a no school holiday but said objective criteria should be used to consider requests.
- The Washington Post
Atheist organization seeks college funds
MILWAUKEE - An atheist group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison seems on track to receive nearly $70,000 in student fees for staffing and programming next year, in what appears to be a first for the university and student atheist groups nationally.
The Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics, or AHA, as it’s called, said it will provide support services for students struggling with doubts about their faiths and offer a safe place where they can discuss religious issues without fear of recrimination.
“Religious groups have been receiving this type of funding for years,” said Chris Calvey, president of the organization. “It’s about time that secular students got the support we deserve.”
The university’s Student Services Finance Committee, which allocates student group budgets out of the $39 million in student fees annually, unanimously approved about $67,400 for AHA for the 2013-14 academic year last week. The allocation must still be approved by the student council, chancellor and board of regents.
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Religion, Pages 12 on 11/17/2012