FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Marlena Villers
214.977.6658
First
Amendment Institute to Study Freedom of Religion in Houston
The
First Amendment Institute, an annual program of the Freedom
of Information Foundation of Texas, is holding the third session
of its 2004 series July 23-24 in Houston.
The
July class will focus on freedom of religion and will explore
the age-old discussion of church-state separation. After
a historical understanding is established, the issues will
be studied in context of the current climate of our renewed
patriotism and the passionate debates it produces among the
citizenship.
This
session's instructors are Dr. Ronald B. Flowers, John F. Weatherly
Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, Texas Christian
University, and Dr. Dr. Derek H. Davis, Director, J.M. Dawson
Institute of Church-State Studies, Baylor University.
The
law offices of Locke Liddell & Sapp L.L.P. are generously
supplying the space for the class to meet and The Houston
Chronicle is sponsoring dinner on July 23 for the group.
The
speaker at this dinner will be R. Ted Cruz, Solicitor General
of the state of Texas. Mr. Cruz is responsible for representing
Texas before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Texas Supreme Court,
the U.S. court of appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Texas
appellate courts. His address will cover recent church-state
issues before the Texas courts.
Class
participants will also tour the Houston Holocaust Museum the
afternoon of July 23, guided by a Houston Holocaust survivor.
The artifacts and stories presented by the museum offers
powerful testimony to the ultimate value of our religious
freedom.
The
2004 FAI series began in March in Dallas with a study of the
freedom of speech. Freedom of the press was the topic
for the second session, which took place in San Antonio in
May. The final course is scheduled for September in
Austin and will study the remaining freedoms of assembly and
petition.
The
goal of the FAI is to provide a select group of individuals
a year of in-depth, graduate-level study of the importance
and applications of our First Amendment, its relationship
to freedom of information and its implications for our democracy.
The
opportunity to participate in this yearlong study of the First
Amendment is open to all. If you are interested in applying
for the 2005 class, or sponsoring a member of your staff or
organization, please contact the FOIFT offices at 214.977.6658,
via e-mail at foift@airmail.net or visit our Web site at www.foift.org.
The
FOIFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supported through
grants and tax-deductible donations from private citizens,
corporations and foundations.
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