The real sleeper issue here, as it is with much of the political warfare of the present day, is money. Liberty magazine has consistently warned church organizations against taking state money. We have from the very beginning of the Faith-Based Initiative of the previous administration (an initiative still alive and kicking against the First Amendment establishment prick) warned that it is inimical to church-state separation for public monies to be used to advance any particular faith view. So it would seem a little ungrateful to the public purse for a church to object when the state applies generally applicable regulations to an operation it might tend to see as its pocket money project.
Category: Church and State
Dangerous Redefinition: Candidates Recast Role of Religion in American Life
By Jason Hines – I would like to say that Franklin Graham’s appearance on “Morning Joe” was unique in this political season. On Tuesday, Graham was asked whether he thought President Obama was a Christian. Graham said he has to take President Obama at his word, but that he did not know whether Obama was…
Op-Ed: What is a Christian Nation?
I think we have to start at the most basic point – what do we mean when we say “Christian nation?” Part of what makes the notion of a Christian nation unworkable is that I don’t think Christians in America (or anywhere else for that matter) could ever agree on what a Christian nation should be. If Christians can’t agree on what it is, how could the ever actualize it? In some of the comments on left on the Facebook page, some have noted that a Christian nation is impossible because of Christ’s statement that his kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:35-37) While this argument has merit, I mention it only to make the point that it would be hard to actualize a Christian nation if you had a contingent of Christians saying that having a nation is against the very premise of Christianity. In order to address the idea of what a Christian nation is, we have to define both what a nation is and what it means to be Christian.
Has Obama Waged a War on Religion? (NPR)
NPR’s Barbara Bradley Hagerty addresses this question. Here is an excerpt followed by a link to the article: Americans’ religious liberties are under attack – or at least that’s what some conservatives say. Newt Gingrich warns the U.S. is becoming a secular country, which would be a “nightmare.” Rick Santorum says there’s a clash between…
Vatican again urges radical reform of global marketplace – The Irish Times
Excerpt: TRADE ISSUES: FOR THE second time in the last month, the Holy See has argued that international trade markets need to be radically reformed. The point was made by secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone who, at a Vatican meeting of European Bishops’ Conferences on the New Evangelisation yesterday said: “The [global] crisis illustrates…
John F. Kennedy’s Speech Affirming Separation of Church and State
I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.
ANALYSIS: Bishops Claim Religious Liberty Under Assault
The Church can assert its right speak in the the public square, but it should not assume power it does not have in order to force the rest of society to follow its lead.
Film Review: “One Nation Under God” (2011): Misinterpreted facts and frightening conclusions
By Jason Hines, Esq. – Yesterday was a premiere event for the Religious Right movement. In churches, homes, and other venues around the country, conservative Christians watched the premiere of “One Nation Under God,” a DVD created by the group United in Purpose, headed by Bill Dallas. (You can find out more general information about…
Fifth Circuit approves prisoner’s religious right to receive publication
Today the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, affirmed the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana’s ruling that the newspaper “The Final Call” cannot be censored or denied to a prisoner who has requested it as part of his religious practices For more: http://www.katc.com/mobile/news/court-affirms-prisoner-religious-right
Eric Foner on the separation of church and state at America’s founding
History professor and author Eric Foner answers the question: Getting to the American Revolution, what was the impact of the Revolution on religious freedom and the separation of church and state? Click on the video for links to more parts of the Norton interview.