OUR COLUMNISTS Cast Your Vote: Who Is More 'In the Bubble' – George W. or Newsweek? Commentary by Matt Friedeman "Bush's World," reads the front cover of this week's Newsweek. "The Isolated President: Can He Change." Hilarious, really. The Best Christmas Present Under the Tree Commentary by Jane Jimenez How many parents can afford an embossed leather Monopoly set or an original Teddy Bear from Christie's in London? No matter. The best present for our children is close at hand. Trust Me Commentary by Brad Locke I'm not convinced that poor discipline is the bane of many sports teams today. I think the main cause of discord is a lack of trust. The Church Joins the World -- and Almost No One Notices Commentary by David Sisler In the spirit of the season, churches all over our nation will have a very spiritual experience by being closed in celebration of the birthday of our Savior. No matter how you phrase it, no matter how you spin it, that is a prime example of evangelical Christianity having lost its way. Hawaii Supreme Court: The Unborn Are 'Not Human Beings' Commentary by Mark Creech The ruling in the case and Hawaii's penal code clearly define personhood on the basis of functionalism. The Holy Scriptures, however, define one's personhood not by what one does but by what one is.

... The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has asked a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a controversial ruling in a case involving religion in public schools. Previously, the panel ruled in an unpublished memorandum that it was constitutionally permissible for 12-year-old students in a public school to be instructed to "become Muslims" for a class exercise. In the school activity, the impressionable 12-year-olds were required, among other things, to take Islamic names, memorize Koran verses, wear ID tags bearing Muslim symbols, recite the Islamic "Basmala" -- a portion of a Muslim prayer -- and receive materials instructing them in the "Five Pillars" of Islamic faith. Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel of the TMLC, says the panel's ruling is "evidence of a double standard when it comes to religion in public schools." The Law Center represents several parents and their children who challenged the California Byron Union School District's practice. The Ninth Circuit panel's decision upheld an earlier San Francisco federal district court judge's ruling that the school district did not violate the constitution. TMLC is asking the three-judge panel to reconsider overturning the lower court and also to rule on the issues of free exercise of religion and parental rights claims. [Jenni Parker]

... A federal appeals court says a Kentucky courthouse can keep its display of the Ten Commandments. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court which found that the display at the Mercer County Courthouse is constitutional because other historic documents are included. The courthouse shows the Ten Commandments alongside nine other documents, including the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the case against Mercer County, arguing the display violated separation of church and state. [AP]

... Homosexual couples in seven states are now challenging laws that forbid same-sex marriage. Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute points out that homosexual activist organizations decided to tackle the issue at the state level two years ago. "They were losing battles in Washington so they decided to take the battles out to the states," he contends. "I think their strategy here is to harass states by challenging their marriage laws all over the place and hoping the whole country will 'cry uncle' eventually." Now that this strategy has been launched, Knight says he expects it to backfire on the activists by creating more resistance. Several states, including Tennessee and South Dakota, will have traditional marriage protection amendments on their ballots in 2006. [Bill Fancher]

... Redeem the Vote, America's largest voter registration and educational organization, is supporting an education initiative that was introduced by two Alabama House of Representatives leaders. The measure would authorize local education boards to offer a course in Bible literacy as an elective in grades 10-12 in the Alabama public school systems. The course's curriculum, called "The Bible and Its Influence" along with its accompanying textbook, is specifically cited for use in the program. Redeem the Vote founder Dr. Randy Brinson notes that Alabama is the first U.S. state to legislatively endorse study of the Bible as an academic endeavor. "It is our hope that we can use this educational platform as a template to advance academic excellence and scholarship in other states throughout the U.S.," Brinson adds. By enhancing academic excellence, he says, "the lives of young Americans can be improved so they can be better prepared to serve and become involved in academic policy." Although some conservative evangelical leaders have expressed concerns about the Bible Literacy Project curriculum and its alleged Communitarian biases, the text "The Bible and Its Influence" has received praise from such religious groups as the American Jewish Congress and the National Association of Evangelicals, as well as from author Chuck Colson and Wheaton College Professor Clyde S. Kilby. [Jenni Parker]

... A Wyoming couple's donation has more than made up for the theft of a Salvation Army kettle. Larry and Kathy Morrill donated 500 dollars to the Salvation Army after hearing about last week's theft from a bell ringer at a Cheyenne grocery store. The thief and a waiting driver got away with between 200 and 300 dollars. In a handwritten note to the Salvation Army, Morrill said he was dismayed to learn that someone stole the kettle. He added that he hopes the donation will inspire others to contribute. [AP]

...Donations to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to the September 11 Relief Fund and to the survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami have now reached nearly $6 billion. And yet, according to a Religion News Service (RNS) article, Americans from all walks of life continue to donate, even amid talk of so-called "compassion exhaustion," and many keep on giving well into the holiday season. Helping to drive this trend, RNS reports, is a new breed of philanthropists -- Generation Y. Members of Generation Y have grown up in a world they see vividly each day on TV and the Internet, where images convey a sense of urgency that often translates into rapid donations. The Internet allows donors to make gifts easily while still caught up in the moment. "Since the days of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the economy has held steady," says Richard Blackmon, President of RSI Institutional Services Group, a provider of fundraising counsel for faith-based schools and organizations across the U.S. "We have every reason to believe that the percentage change in charitable giving will outpace that of the gross domestic product, yielding a positive environment for capital campaigns to begin and to continue," he says. Meanwhile, experience tells RSI the middle class is fairly consistent in its giving patterns. Last year, approximately four out of every five adults -- 83 percent -- donated money to one or more nonprofit organizations; and Independent Sector's "Giving and Volunteering in the United States 2001" indicates that nearly nine out of 10 American families give charitable contributions, with an average contribution of 3.2 percent of their pretax income. [Jenni Parker]

...The national field director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says no one should be shocked by the fact that Vicente Fox opposes the legislation introduced by members of the U.S. Congress to construct a 2,000-mile fence along America's southern border. Fox said such extreme security measures would violate the rights of illegal immigrants. But FAIR spokeswoman Susan Tully says Fox believes his citizens have a right to enter the Southwestern U.S. because it was stolen from Mexico. "That is a philosophy that he continues to promote," she asserts. "You have to remember though, he's very self serving. The remittances from Mexican nationals in the United States is still the number one income to Mexico every year now, and he wants to protect his country's vital interest in making sure that money continues to flow." Tully says Fox wants to make sure the only illegal aliens who get to the U.S. are Mexican or that his people are collecting money from anyone else who gets through the border. [Chad Groening]

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