U.S. Court Denies German Homeschool Family Asylum
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld the Obama administration's refusal to grant asylum to a German homeschooling family, CBN News reports.  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder filed against the Romeike family, arguing that asylum should not be granted because homeschooling is not a fundamental right protected under religious freedom.  The Romeikes fled Germany in 2008, facing criminal prosecution for homeschooling.  In 2010, they were granted political asylum by immigration judge Lawrence Burman, but his decision was overturned by the Board of Immigration Appeals last year.  On Tuesday (May 14), the three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit issued a unanimous decision against the family.  While the 6th Circuit did acknowledge that the U.S.Constitution recognizes the right of parents to homeschool, it refused to grant that what the Romeikes face amounts to persecution deserving of asylum.  The Romeikes said they were disappointed but said, "God is in control."  They know what they face in Germany if they are deported.  "First, they would fine us with increasingly high fines and they would threaten to take away custody.  There might be jail time too, but the main threat is the aspect of custody because then of course the children are taken away from you completely and that's what no family wants."  The Home School Legal Defense Association plans to appeal the decision.

Franklin Graham: IRS Targeted Us,Too
The IRS also came after Billy Graham, his son charged Tuesday in a letter to President Barack Obama, POLITICO reports.  Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, said the IRS notified the organizations in September that it was conducting a "review" of their activities for tax year 2010. With the IRS admitting it gave extra scrutiny to conservative political organiaztions, Graham says he now believes that the review was part of an Obama administration effort of "targeting and attempting to intimidate us."  The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's urging of voters to back "candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel" during last year's presidential race was the reason why IRS agents visited the North Carolina offices of both Graham groups, the letter accuses.  "While these audits not only wasted taxpayer money, they wasted money contributed by donors for ministry purposes as we had to spend precious resources servicing the IRS agents in our offices," Graham wrote in the letter.  "I believe that someone in the administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us.  This is morally wrong and unethical  -  indeed some would call it 'un-American.'" Graham said that "in light" of the IRS admission that it targeted tea party groups for added scrutiny, "I do not believe that the IRS audit of our two organizations last year is a coincidence  -  or justifiable."

Blasphemy Charges Becoming New Weapon Against Egyptian Christians
According to a new study, blasphemy and evangelizing accusations are disproportionately used against members of Egypt's Christian minority  -  particularly those working in education, Christianity Today reports.  A study to be released at the end of this month by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) found that 41 percent of blasphemy cases taken to court from Jan 25, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2012, were filed against Christians, who make up only about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 83 million people.  Ishak Ibrahim of the EIPR said people are targeting Christians using the nation's blasphemy statues as a weapon. The total of 36 blasphemy cases involved 63 people, and the country's Sunni Muslim majority, which makes up almost 90 percent of Egypt's population, were charged in 59 percent of the cases. Ibrahim noted that approximately 30 percent of the blasphemy cases were filed against someone in an education environment Ibrahim also expects to see an increase in charges against Christians, as Egypt's new constitution employs vague language that could prohibit evangelism, though evangelism is not specifically illegal.  At the same time, the new constitution more explicitly criminalizes criticism of Islam.  Along with the disproportionate number of Christians charged with blasphemy, sentences are harsher for Christians compared with those handed to Muslims, EIPR noted. The study notes that the sentences are also unusually harsh in relation to the nature of the offenses.

Black Pro -Life Leaders: Gosnell Worst Kind of Racist
Black pro-life leaders are calling for investigations of other abortion clinics like the one run by Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell,CBN News  reports.  Many gathered in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, accusing the abortion industry of targeting black Americans. "Kermit Gosnell is a racist of the worst kind because he preyed on women and young girls of his own race," said Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union. "For more than 30 years, Kermit Gosnell participated and perpetuated the epidemic of black-on-black crime." Rev. Walter Hoye of the Black Pro-Life  Coalition, said, "From 1882 to 1968, 86 years, the Ku Klux Klan lynched 3,446 Negroes.. While it took the Klan 86 years to accomplish this, abortion on demand in America accomplishes that in less than four days."  Rev. Arnold Culbreath, founding member of the National Black Pro-Life Coalition, noted, "79 percent of Planned Parenthood's surgical abortion facilities are intentionally placed within walking distance of minority neighborhoods."  Earlier this year, black leaders pledged to find new strategies to spread the pro-life message to their communities.

Tebow Finds Fulfillment Off the Field
Eleven days after the New York Jets cut him, Christian quarterback Tim Tebow told a crowd of about 3,000 at Lake Michigan College that his main goal is to impact lives, whether on or off the field.  And that shouldn't be too hard considering a Forbes.com survey released last week named Tebow American's most influential athlete.  Despite the controversy surrounding his public faith,Tebow finished ahead of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Jamacian track star Usain Bolt and Yankees shortstop Derik Jeter.  "That's a huge honor," Tebow said in response the survey.  "I see it as a great responsibility to be a role model for future generations.  That's something I care about more than winning football games.  If I can take the game of football and can transcend football  -  go to hospitals and make kids smile  -  I'll be doing things that matter."  Although Tebow didn't mention his dismissal from the Jets during his hour -long speech or offer any insight as to what his next move might be, the 25-year-old did talk about finding a life of fulfillment after the game.  "What I want to do with my life is impact lives," he said.  "When a kid in a hospital is fighting for his life and I'm trying to win a football game, what really matters?  This game isn't as important as a lot of us make it out to be.  If I can give him a little bit of hope, I can do something that matters. That's what I want my legacy to be about.  That's how I want to be remembered."

(All articles from Religion Today Daily Headlines, www.ReligionToday@crosswalkmail.com)