Oklahomans Challenge Public Funding, End of Religious Exemptions for Vaccines in CT & Secrets About Prayer

Parents, clergy and public education advocates are challenging Oklahoma’s approval of the first publicly funded religious charter school in the nation.

The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee (OPLAC), a statewide public education advocacy group, is joined by nine parents, educators and clergy in the suit to block the St. Isadore of Seville Virtual Charter School from receiving public funding.

The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board initially rejected the application for St. Isadore, but approved an amended application despite public concerns over separation of church and state. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa plan to open the school that could cost taxpayers an estimated $25.7 million.
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A U.S. appeals court has upheld the elimination of religious exemptions for childhood vaccine requirements in Connecticut on August 4.

The Connecticut Legislature in 2021 ended the state’s longstanding religious exemption for childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities, citing public health concerns, but left medical exemptions in place.

We the Patriots USA Inc., the lead plaintiff in the case, objected to the change as a violation of religious freedom, a hostile act towards religious believers and an impediment to medical freedom and child rearing, citing the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

We the Patriots co-founder and president Brian Festa said the group will continue its appeal.
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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Kie Bowman reminds us that Jesus withholds some blessings until you pray.

Bowman writes, “Billy Graham said he imagined a room in heaven of unopened gifts that no one bothered to ask for. As stunning as it seems, our sovereign God chooses to utilize the prayers of His church to accomplish some things that, apparently, otherwise will not occur. For instance, James said, “…You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).

Prayer, after all, is not a way to get our will done in heaven; it’s a way to get God’s will done on earth.”

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