RELIGION HEADLINES TUE 5-27-25

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(SRN NEWS  )  Religious freedom activists are analyzing the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a plan to open a Catholic school in Oklahoma at taxpayer expense.  The case is part of a broader effort to allow more government aid to go to religious schools.  At this point, supporters of the proposed St. Isidore school are likely left without options.  The state’s own Supreme Court ruling — left in place by the U.S. Supreme Court — was grounded in both its own and the federal constitutions.  However, the movement to put more government funding toward religious education continues.

(  )  In Venezuela, Evangelical pastors are providing spiritual guidance in slums affected by crime, drug addiction and gangs.  But their task has proven challenging amid a 12-year crisis stemming from a drop in oil prices, corruption and government mismanagement.  The clergymen encourage gang members to embrace the Gospel and start their lives over.  And they frequently provide food, medicine and clothing in communities where basic needs are not fulfilled.  Exact numbers are hard to come by but most experts say Evangelical Protestants now number about 12 percent of the population in Venezuela.

(  )  House Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s been praying frequently as he seeks to pass President Trump’s agenda on Capitol Hill.  Johnson is an Evangelical Christian and among the more outwardly religious of House speakers.  He was an unexpected choice to lead Republicans, selected after his GOP colleagues ousted their previous speaker almost two years ago.  When Johnson emerged as the pick, Republicans gathered around him and prayed.  The Speaker says he’s just following the example of the Founding Fathers, of whom he says “They got on their knees and they sought divine guidance, and that’s what we do.”

(  )  Two groups have filed a lawsuit over an executive order by West Virginia Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey granting religious exemptions from required school vaccinations.  The American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter and Mountain State Justice filed the lawsuit against the state Department of Health, its Bureau for Public Health and agency leaders on behalf of two parents.  The vaccine exemption was among several executive orders issued on Morrisey’s first full day in office in January. Last year, Republican Governor Jim Justice vetoed a less sweeping vaccination bill.