Current Events

This week, two members of the North Carolina House of Representatives submitted a resolution which would declare that “the Constitution of the United States of America does not prohibit states or their subsidiaries from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.” In other words, the legislation declared that that the state could make its own laws about religion and the federal government would not be able to stop them. Although the resolution is not likely to be approved, it does deserve some serious examination as it reflects a common argument arising in the religious right that the Establishment Clause does not apply to the states.

Soren Kierkegaard identifies five requirements to be a knight of faith. I do not consider these requirements to be hard and fast rules (in fact I will challenge at least one of them), but I do think that these are good things to think about if we are going to live a life of faith.

Many people want those who do wrong to be brought to justice, but often neglect the greater need of those same people being brought to Jesus. [dc]B[/dc]efore fugitive former police […]

President Obama has responded to public outcry by announcing a plan to reduce gun violence while respecting the rights of the vast majority of gun owners who are law abiding and use their guns safely. His plan, which included recommendations from a task force of stakeholders led by Vice President Joe Biden, is a commonsense proposal that Congress should pass promptly.

Although Benedict XVI has cited health concerns, there is some speculation that the resignation may be related to the ongoing sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the church in the past decade. Before becoming Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible for ordering that all reports of sex abuse be channeled through his office at the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith which he operated from 2001 to 2005.

In April of 1990, Reader’s Digest published an article “Dr. Ben Carson: Man of Miracles.” As a 9 year old child, I remember reading that article and admiring Dr. Carson. I admired his struggle, his ability to overcome the challenges of his childhood. I marveled after his obvious intelligence and his miraculous accomplishments. When I found out he was Seventh-day Adventist like me that cemented my fandom. His story spoke to me as a shy smart kid, making my way through my first year at a public school.

The early Christians did not engage in war. They
would die rather than kill a fellow-being. It was not until apostacy had honeycombed the church that Christians
were to be found bearing arms and engaging in carnal warfare.

[fblike style=”standard” showfaces=”true” verb=”like” font=”arial”] The Religious Liberty Essay Scholarship Contest is open to all high school juniors and seniors. To enter, write an essay of 800 to 1,200 words addressing the […]

Dwayne Leslie, Legislative Affairs Director for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists shares his perspective on the current U.S. Congress. EXCERPT:  “The more voices, the more diverse points of view […]

The Act, written by Thomas Jefferson, allowed Virginia to become the first state to separate church and state and remains part of Virginia’s constitution. It was later used as a model for other state constitutions as well as the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.