Religious Liberty

A Historian Complains About a Cross on a Float Alongside Jefferson and Franklin

/ Debbie / 1 Comment

The History News Network (HNN) posted a letter sent to Newsday from a retired historian after he attended a local Parade Celebrating Independence Day. The parade included a float with a large cross with the words “In God We Trust” displayed alongside Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. The historian, Bill Bernstein, complained that “[t]he float implied that there is a state religion.” You can imagine the responses!

I love the way one of the responders (Leslie Dimmling) explains that the Declaration of Independence included the “word ‘God’ in the first sentence, and ‘Creator’ in the second” [these words are not actually found in the first and second sentence but the first and second paragraph] but she forgot to mention the word “Nature’s” that appears before “God.” As she probably knows (or on second thought she may not know) “Nature’s God” is not the god of Christianity. For more read the post at the HNN.

In a New Pew Report Americans View Jews, Catholics, and Evangelicals Most Favorably and Atheists and Muslims Least Favorably

/ Debbie / Leave a comment

This is probably not too surprising, but in light of our history of anti-Catholicism and anti-Semitism this is amazing. It was not that long ago (1960) that

JFK had to explain that he believed in the complete separation of church and state because of fears that, as a Catholic, he would be under the control of the Pope if was elected as president. Too bad that some current Catholics don’t believe in the separation of church and state!

Unsurprisingly, Evangelicals and atheists mutually despise each other. On a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 the most unfavorable and 100 the most favorable, the Evangelicals rated atheists with a mean score of 25 and atheists rated Evangelicals with a mean score of 28. (Pew study)

How did the Individual Right to the Free Exercise of Religion become a Right to Impose One’s Own Religion on Others?

/ Debbie / Leave a comment

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hobby Lobby case that exempts closely held corporations (not publicly owned) from the Affordable Health Care Act’s mandate to pay for contraceptives, the supporters of Hobby Lobby are declaring it a victory for religious liberty. On the other hand, the Left has framed the issue in terms of women’s rights. Even the respected legal scholar, Douglas Laycock, has framed the issue as a choice between religious liberty on one side and women’s rights on the other (“A Flood of Suits”). While the Court framed it as a balancing act between religious liberty on one side and government interest on the other, per the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). This framing falsely sets up the debate as one between religious liberty on the one hand (represented by Hobby Lobby and its supporters) and either women’s rights or government interest on the other. No one is questioning whether or not Hobby Lobby’s request really is about religious liberty. How can a decision that allows a particular individual’s (or a corporation’s) right to the free exercise of religion trump the right of other individuals to act according to the dictates of their own consciences be a victory for religious liberty?
Continue reading →

A Lesson From England: “Education Should Be Beyond Belief”

/ Debbie / Leave a comment

In today’s The New York Times, Kenan Malik wrote a great piece about the alleged “Muslim Plot” in Birmingham: “Education Should Be Beyond Belief: A ‘Muslim Plot’ in Birmingham Shows the Folly of Faith Schools.”