A 16-year-old Clackamas, Oregon boy, Neal Beagley, died Tuesday, June 17, following complications from an infected urethra. As he was older than 14 years of age, he could determine which medical treatment he received or did not receive, and he chose the path of faith healing. Physicians felt that a catheter would have saved his life had he…
Author: Michael Peabody
Religious Freedom Problems Growing in Indonesia (UPI)
Although the Constitution of Indonesia provides for the freedom of religion and belief since 2000, these freedoms have been increasingly restricted. In an article published today, Dr. Philip Setunga, a staff member of the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong, reports on Indonesia’s issues at: http://upiasiaonline.com/Human_Rights/2008/06/10/religious_freedom_not_secure_in_indonesia/8244/
OPINION: Courtship of religion complicates McCain and Obama campaigns
In an opinion piece published June 9 by Robert Novak, Novak describes the difficulty McCain has had winning the votes of religious right icons such as James Dobson and John Hagee and Catholics. Hagee, of course, has alienated Catholics with his description of Catholicism as “Godless theology,” something that McCain couldn’t abide, and Hagee has…
PROFILE: Rep. Chet Edwards Champions Separation of Church and State in Congress
Rep. Chet Edwards represents President George Bush’s home district (including Crawford, Texas) in the United States House of Representatives. A moderate who considers himself a bridge-builder between left and right, and a Methodist who attends the Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, Rep. Edwards is a staunch supporter of the separation of church and state….
Barack Obama to Launch “Joshua Generation Project” to Reach out to Evangelicals
By Michael D. Peabody – RELIGION SEEMS to have taken center stage this election cycle. Obama’s program, “Joshua Generation Project” is designed to reach young evangelical voters. It is quite inspiring, actually. In March, Obama spoke at a commemoration of the march to Selma, and linked the Biblical story of Joshua to the Civil Rights…
Thought & Crime (Liberty Magazine – March/April 2008) – An Update
Update on “Thought and Crime” published in the March/April 2008 issue of Liberty magazine. You may recall that Pastor Stephen Boissoin had gotten himself in hot water with the Alberta Human Rights Commission when he wrote a letter to the editor of the Red Deer Advocate that was critical of the “homosexual agenda.” The community…
NEWS / OPINION: Law Professor Denied Communion Because He Supports Obama
No Religious Tests for Public Office? What about Political Tests to Receive Sacraments? Pepperdine University School of Law Professor, and former Constitutional law advisor for President Ronald Reagan, Douglas Kmiec was denied communion recently at a mass connected with a gathering of Catholic business people. The priest denounced Kmiec’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama, then…
Testimony of Michael Peabody in favor of the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (SB 786)
April 9, 2009 Senate Judiciary Committee Oregon State Legislature Salem, Oregon RE: SB 786 – Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act (SUPPORT) Mr. Chairman and Members, Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Workplace Religious Freedom Act. As an attorney I have had the privilege…
Toward a Medieval Model
Published in Liberty Magazine – March / April 2006 Amid all the activity of a turbulent year, many missed the March 3, 2005, filing of the Constitution Restoration Act of 2005 (CRA) in both houses of Congress (S. 520 and H.R. 1070). If enacted, the CRA would effectively turn the United States into a theocracy,…
In Human Hands
When President Bush introduced his nominee for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts to the nation in July of 2005, Bush said, “When a president chooses a justice, he’s placing in human hands the authority and majesty of the law.” The U.S. Constitution, as considered and dissected as it is, is a written…