Category Archives for TFNEF

Kentucky Clerk Refuses to Do Her Taxpayer-Funded Job, Cites ‘God’s Authority’

By Dan | Published September 1, 2015

A Kentucky county clerk is still refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of such unions and the high court’s refusal on Monday to protect her “right” to not do her job. So here’s what happened when a gay couple showed up in her office — […]

Also posted in LGBT issues, marriage equality | 6 Comments

David Barton Lectures Pope Francis (Really)

By Dan | Published September 1, 2015

On his Monday WallBuilders Live! radio program, phony historian and religious-right propagandist David Barton decided to lecture Pope Francis about the advice he gets. Yeah, seriously. Barton and his sidekick Rick Green invited anti-climate science crank William Briggs on their show to criticize Pope Francis for his June encyclical calling climate change a “principal challenge” for humanity. International leaders and […]

Also posted in climate change, David Barton, Rick Green, William Briggs | 3 Comments

Unhinged?

By Dan | Published August 28, 2015

Did you know our nation is at war? No, not just the terrorism/Al Qaeda one. Americans — or Americans with the appropriate religious beliefs, at least — are also at war with the “pro-homosexual left” and the “enemies of religious freedom.” Or so says religious-right groups like Texas Values, the Austin-based state affiliate of Focus on the Family. […]

Also posted in religious freedom, Texas Values | 5 Comments

More Fear-Mongering from the Texas Renewal Project

By Dan | Published August 26, 2015

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (speaking in a recorded message) and his father Rafael warned about religious persecution, homosexual domination of pulpits, and churches forced to hire pedophiles at a gather of about 1,000 pastors and their spouses in Austin this week, according to one of the attendees of the Texas Renewal […]

Also posted in David Barton, Greg Abbott, Rafael Cruz, Ted Cruz, Texas Renewal/Restoration Project | 4 Comments

Redefining ‘Religious Liberty’ into Nothing?

By Dan | Published August 24, 2015

Religious-righters are twisting and redefining “religious liberty” so much that the term itself is in danger of becoming almost meaningless. Fortunately, a growing number of mainstream religious leaders from around the state are calling out the nonsense. The latest battleground: public subsidies (such as vouchers) for religious schools. The rabidly anti-gay, religious-right group Houston Area Pastor Council, which also goes by […]

Also posted in Dave Welch, education, Houston Area Pastor Council, religious freedom, Texas Pastor Council, vouchers | 4 Comments

Texas Home-School Lobby Group Misleads Parents as It Promotes the Culture Wars

By Dan | Published August 21, 2015

The Texas Home School Coalition is a religious-right front group more interested in promoting a political agenda and fighting the culture wars than in ensuring kids get a good education. An email today from the group’s leader, Tim Lambert, demonstrates that point pretty clearly. The email to the group’s list touts a series of events around the state designed to rally opposition to protecting […]

Also posted in abortion, Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, Texas Home School Coalition, Tim Lambert | 3 Comments

Reckless Texas Politicians, Religious-Right Group Just Cost Taxpayers $44,000

By Dan | Published August 18, 2015

Days after the U.S.  Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples have the freedom to marry, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a formal opinion claiming that public officials could use their religious beliefs as an excuse for refusing to issue marriage licenses to or conduct weddings for same-sex couples. The Plano-based, religious-right group Liberty Institute […]

Also posted in Liberty Institute, marriage equality | 7 Comments

Yeah, Sure, Really Funny

By Dan | Published August 17, 2015

Over the past two weeks, the world has been marking the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan and the end of World War II. This weekend, the Facebook page for Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller took the anniversary a step further and posted an image suggesting that the United States should duplicate the end of […]

Also posted in Islam, Sid Miller | 4 Comments

Thanks, Texas SBOE

By Dan | Published August 17, 2015

When we say the State Board of Education has made Texas a laughingstock, we’re not kidding. Sunday’s Doonesbury cartoon strip:

Also posted in civil war, State Board of Education | 9 Comments

‘Was the Civil War About Slavery?’

By Jose | Published August 11, 2015

Ever since the tragedy in South Carolina on June 17, when a 21-year-old suspect motivated by white supremacist beliefs shot and killed nine African-American worshippers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, there has been a renewed attention on Confederate history and what caused the Civil War. We here at TFN have even […]

Also posted in civil war, State Board of Education | 19 Comments