Supreme Court Punts on Religious Liberty Case; AGs Say Biden’s “Misapplication” of Bostock Could Damage Religious Freedom; Quiz on Middle Eastern Religious Sites; Methodist Woman, 82, to Go Into Space; Video: Inside a Zoroastrian Fire Temple
Christian Floral Designer Loses Religious Liberty Case
AGs Say Biden’s “Misapplication” of Bostock Could Damage Religious Freedom
A group of 21 state attorneys general have denounced recent efforts to expand LGBT policies in schools on the grounds that they believe such policies would circumvent religious liberty protections and free speech rights. Last month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Education sent out guidance for states to implement the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Bostock v. Clayton County. In the 6-3 ruling from June of last year, the Supreme Court majority concluded that federal Title VII civil rights law banning employment discrimination on the basis of “sex” applied to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” However, the attorneys general took issue with the EEOC and Department of Education guidance, stating in part that the administration was misapplying the Bostock ruling.
Quiz on Middle Eastern Religious Sites
Methodist Woman, 82, to Go Into Space
Video: Inside a Zoroastrian Fire Temple
With roots dating back to the Second Millennium BCE, Zoroastrianism enters written history in the 5th century BCE.[13] It served as the state religion of the ancient Iranian empires for more than a millennium, from around 600 BCE to 650 CE, but declined from the 7th century CE onwards following the Muslim conquest of Persia of 633–654 and subsequent persecution of the Zoroastrian people.[Wikipedia] Recent estimates place the current number of Zoroastrians at around 110,000–120,000 at most, with the majority living in India, Iran, and North America. The village of Chak Chak, Iran is home to many Zoroastrians from Iran, India and other countries. The sacred fire temple contains an eternal flame, a symbol of purity and life.