Jan. 18, 2020: China surveillance state; Melania Trump ‘Woman of Distinction’ for 2020; Couple win right to hold Bible study
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020
Here are the latest headlines, brought to you by The Christian Post
— Supreme Court to review Trump's religious exemptions to Obamacare mandate
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The Little Sisters of the Poor will head back to the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices review a federal appellate court decision striking down a Trump administration rule giving religious organizations the ability to opt-out of an Affordable Care Act mandate that requires employers to cover birth control and abortifacients.
The Supreme Court announced Friday that it will hear two challenges dealing with the Trump administration’s measures that make it easier for employers with moral objections to obtain exemptions in health care plans.
— China creating ‘system of persecution for the future,’ Open Doors warns
Open Doors CEO David Curry issued the dire warning about how China could be shaping the future of international religious minority oppression through its use of surveillance technologies to monitor Christians and other religious adherents.
At a news conference for the release of Open Doors’ annual World Watch list report, Curry said China is creating a “blueprint” “system of persecution for the future” that could be sold to persecute people across the globe. China rose in the rankings from No. 27 to No. 23 in the 2020 report. Although the communist nation is not ranked as highly as other violators on the list, Curry stressed that the implications lie in China’s development of surveillance to control its people.
— Virginia couple wins battle to hold Bible study at retirement center
A Virginia couple who were threatened with eviction from their retirement home if they continued to hold Bible study meetings have won the right to hold classes again. Kenneth and Liv Hauge recently reached a settlement with the Evergreens at Smith Run in Fredericksburg, allowing them to continue holding Bible classes and movie screenings at the community room.
In July 2018, the Community Realty Company, the parent company for Evergreens, sent a notice to the Hauges saying they must stop holding their Bible study at the senior living center’s community room or face eviction.
According to the notice, the weekly Bible study "caused, and continues to cause, serious and substantial disturbances with other residents in the community."
— Facebook says 'denying existence' of trans identities on platform is 'hate speech'
In a move that mirrors Twitter's recent update to its user rules forbidding "misgendering" on the platform, Facebook has updated its terms of service to say that "denying existence" of self-determined gender identities will be considered "hate speech."
Facebook's Community Standards page on what constitutes hate speech says in a December 2019 post that their rules extend to protected traits which not only include race and religious affiliation, but now adds "gender identity." The platform has over 50 pre-filled potential gender identities with words that have no dictionary definition or coherent meaning such as "Bigender," "Neutrois," "non-binary," and "Pangender."
— Christian univ. names Melania Trump ‘Woman of Distinction’ for 2020
Palm Beach Atlantic University, a private Christian university in West Palm Beach, Florida, has named her as their “Woman of Distinction” for 2020, citing her “Be Best” campaign. A report in The Floridian said the first lady was being honored for her work on the “Be Best” campaign she launched in 2017 that focuses on healthy living among children, online bullying and opioid abuse.
Other women who have received the award include Candy Carson, wife of Housing Secretary Dr. Ben Carson; U.S. Ambassador to Finland Bonnie McElveen-Hunter; fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau; Barbara Nicklaus, the wife of professional golfer Jack Nicklaus; and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation founder Nancy Brinker, the publication reported.
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