By Jason Hines – 2010 has been an interesting year in the area of church-state relations, both at home and abroad. While we cannot cover every event of magnitude that took place this year in this forum, we will touch on some of the more important events have taken place over the last 365 days….
Year: 2010
Greg Hamilton’s Book Shelf – 2011
Greg Hamilton, President of the Northwest Religious Liberty Association and advisory panel member of ReligiousLiberty.TV presents his book list for 2010-2011. Amazon.com Widgets 1) Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788 by Pauline Maier 2) Decision Points by George W. Bush 3) The Second Disestablishment: Church and State in Nineteenth-Century America by Steve Green 4)…
Secrecy v. Transparency – Wikileaks and the Gospel
The keywords for today are “Secrecy” and “Transparency.” There are good secrets and bad secrets. Things to be concealed and things to be revealed. Some people want to know, others want to hide. Secrecy is an valuable commodity. From universities that want to protect professors’ academic freedom by keeping their controversial viewpoints from public criticism…
Say No to the Defamation of Religions Resolutions, Yes to the Right to Believe (Open Doors)
This year the Defamation of Religions Resolution will once again be voted on in the UN General Assembly. Its supporters claim that it protects religious freedom… but in fact it does the exact opposite. It allows governments the power to determine which religious views can and can’t be expressed in their country, and it gives…
Hillary Clinton: Religious liberty is essential and must not be kept private
November 17, 2010. Speaking at the launch of the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report, Hillary Clinton spoke of the importance of religious freedom. She said the freedom is “both a fundamental human right and an essential element to any stable, peaceful, thriving society”.
Respecting the Religion of Your Brother
By Rajmund (Ray) Dabrowski – Authentic religion calls for a respect, sensitivity and acceptance of another’s beliefs and practices. Do unto others the saying goes. It really did not matter which one of the muezzins woke me up. The melodic reciting of a call to prayer from one of the minarets at 4:45 in…
In Peru, ‘historic’ religious liberty legislation passes (ANN)
Law recognizes religious pluralism; all faiths to enjoy same ‘rights, obligations and benefits’ 7 Dec 2010, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States Adventist News Network Staff Members of Peru’s congress voted last week to approve legislation guaranteeing the religious liberty of all citizens, a freedom already recognized by the South American country’s constitution. The act comes…
What Wall? (Alison Agins)
A guest editorial by Alison Agins. It was originally published on her blog “Progressive Christian on the Wall” at http://aliagins.wordpress.com/2010/10/18/what-wall/ Our Founders in the late 1700′s were very familiar with what happens when the church runs the state. They were not ignorant of the Puritans fleeing to the new country to practice their brand of…
Residents, Church Vie For History-Rich Russian Isles (NPR)
Russia’s Solovetsky Islands, less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle, have become a popular tourist destination. Originally an outpost of the Orthodox Church, they later became home to a brutal prison. Now, islanders and church officials are battling for control.
CalChamber Sounds Alarm on Employer Impact of Proposition 19
“This initiative would change the way employers are required to do business in our state,” said Allan Zaremberg, President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce. “Essentially any employer would be required to offer marijuana users extra protections above those provided to other employees. If Proposition 19 becomes law, our state’s workers will face increased exposure to injuries and our employers will face increased exposure to liability. Proposition 19 is bad for employers and their employees.”