God at the U: He's not dead, just suspended

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The Freedom from Religion Foundation is declaring partial victory in its spat with the University of Minnesota. As City Pages reported previously, the Madison-based organization of free-thinkers sued the U in federal court this spring. The cause of action? The U's participation in an organization called the Minnesota Faith Health Consortium , which in the view of the FFRF violates the constitutional prohibition against government promotion of religion.


On July 5, the U's lawyers blinked, sending off a letter to the folks at the FFRF formally agreeing to end the U's membership in the Consortium.

That agreement, however, does not spell the end of the lawsuit. According to FFRF co-founder Annie Laurie Gaylor, the U is still forging ahead with course offerings aimed at training professionals to be 'faith/health leaders.' Such classes, writes Gaylor, "clearly belong at a seminary, not a public University."


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