Attorneys representing a Pennsylvania County have argued that the local authority should be allowed to keep displaying a cross symbol as part of its official seal, due to it being a representation of history rather than religion.

According to the Associated Press, last year, lawyers urged the panel of the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to reverse a previous decision made by a lower federal judge who ruled that the county remove the fixture. Yesterday, the federal appellate court agreed with county lawyers, rejecting a claim from an atheist lobby group which asserted that the cross symbol should be censored from the official seal.

The original complaint was filed by the notorious Freedom From Religion Foundation, which argued that the displaying of a cross signified an endorsement of Christianity and thus violated the constitutional guidelines regarding the separation of church and state.

In September 2017, Judge Edward Smith agreed, noting that he was bound by legal precedent, to side with the Wisconsin-based atheist group, even though he did not believe the symbol violated the Constitution.

According to Becket Law, the religious liberty law firm representing the county, the seal has “been in use for over 70 years without any complaints.” Becket Law also explained the significant history behind the cross symbol, noting that it represents “the county’s early German…

The federal government has announced it will be investigating claims by three teenage athletes that their state’s policy on transgender competitors is unfair.

The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has announced that it will be opening up an investigation after a Title IX complaint was filed which asserted that the state’s governing body is violating federal law by allowing biological boys to compete, and win, in girls-only events.

Immediately after the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference introduced a policy allowing biological males to compete in female-only events, several athletes complained that the rules were plainly unfair.

However, despite the majority of people understanding that the new policy put female athletes at a distinct disadvantage, Selina Soule, the chief instigator of the complaint, said that too many were afraid to speak out, fearing fierce backlash.

“Everyone is afraid of retaliation from the media, from kids around their school, from other athletes, coaches, school administrators,” Soule, a junior athlete at Glastonbury High School, told The Daily Signal.

Now, having been granted a federal investigation, the three girls who called out the discriminatory policy have a real chance of getting it reversed.

“Female athletes deserve to compete on a…

MILWAUKEE (RNS) — More than 500 years ago, a monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 theses outlining his grievances with the Roman Catholic Church to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

On Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 7), members of the mainline Protestant denomination bearing Luther’s name taped 9.5 theses — expressing their concern for immigrants and refugees — to the door of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Milwaukee.

The action was part of a prayer vigil for migrant children and their families during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this week at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center.

It took place on the same day the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” signaling its support for immigrants.

Both came in response to President Trump’s policies at the United States border with Mexico and his pledge to deport millions.

“It just keeps getting worse and worse in terms of unaccompanied children, separated families, detention centers that are just horrific, and so what we wanted to say as a church body, as the Lutheran church, we wanted to now act with our feet and take action,” said Evelyn Soto Straw, director of unit operations and programs for the ELCA’s Domestic Mission.

More than 570 voting members of the churchwide assembly signed up to participate in the prayer vigil…

A federal judge this week blocked three Arkansas pro-life laws from going into effect, including one that would ban abortions targeting unborn babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday blocking three laws: Act 493, which bans abortion after 18 weeks; Act 619, which bans abortion if the purpose is to end the life of an unborn baby with Down syndrome; and Act 700, which requires that abortion doctors be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology. All were signed into law this year.  

Pro-choice groups applauded the injunction. Baker, who was nominated by President Obama, previously had temporarily blocked the laws. 

“These extreme bans and restrictions would have decimated abortion access in Arkansas, so we’re relieved the court has again blocked them from taking effect,” said Holly Dickson, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

“This ruling ensures our clients can continue to provide quality, compassionate medical care to Arkansans while we work to strike down these laws for good,” Dickson added.

Act 619 prevents an abortion doctor from performing an abortion on a woman if her sole purpose is based on a test result or prenatal diagnosis indicating “Down Syndrome in an unborn child.” The…

A Christian rapper who has recorded songs with Toby Mac and Flame has the top-selling album in the United States according to Billboard.

NF’s new album The Search grabbed the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s chart for the week of Aug. 10, edging Of Monsters and Men, Chance the Rapper, the Grateful Dead and Justin Moore. His 2017 album Perceptionalso hit No. 1 on the chart.

“I put my life into this and to see this much support means a lot,” he wrote on Twitter. “… The fans made this album #1, and I am forever grateful.”

NF’s songs are free from the coarse language that litters much rap music, although he mostly rejects the “Christian rapper” label. Two of his first three albums were released by a Christian label, Capitol Christian Music Group (CMG).

“I’m a Christian, but I’m just an artist,” he told Idolator, a music blog, in 2016. “To me, it’s like if you’re a Christian and you’re a plumber, are you a Christian plumber? That’s the easiest way for me to explain it. I just make music. I talk about my life, I talk about my faith. I talk about positive things that I’ve dealt with that have taught me things and I talk about negative things that I’m dealing with. I wouldn’t describe myself as that, but I am a Christian.”

NF, whose real name is Nathan John Feuerstein, has drawn comparisons to the rapper Eminem, who he credits with…