By Michael Peabody – Parties to these kinds of disputes should be well-served if they cooperatively seek solutions by identifying and respecting those specific personal areas which are non-negotiable and cordoning them off, while respecting the freedom of the areas in between where both sides must intersect. Identifying and preserving these areas of respect and finding opportunities for accommodation is not an easy process in today’s ideologically divided world, but the results will be much more profitable for both sides than engaging in perpetual conflict in the public arena. At the same time, the religious rights of the participants on both sides to belief and practice would be honored and protected.
Will Lawyers In Canada Soon Face A Religious Test? The Hypersensitive Response Over Canada’s First Openly Christian Law School
By Barry Bussey – The hypersensitive response over Canada’s first openly Christian law school at Trinity Western University (TWU) has led to a demand that law societies across Canada not allow TWU law graduates to practise law – because of the religious belief of TWU concerning marriage. In essence, a religious test to determine one’s suitability to practise law.
Pew Research Reports Six-Year Peak in Religious Hostilities
According to an in-depth study by the Pew Research Center, 33% of the 198 countries and territories had high religious hostilities in 2012, which has increased from 20% as of mid-2007, with interval studies demonstrating a steady increase. The study indicates that the largest increase in hostilities was in the Middle East and North Africa…
Arguments scheduled on whether RFRA allows employers to limit contraceptive coverage
The United States Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments on the Hobby Lobby case for March 25, 2014. According to SCOTUSBlog, the issue is: “Whether the [RFRA], which provides that the government ‘shall not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion’ unless that burden is the least restrictive means to further a compelling governmental interest,…
Reviewing 2013 – The Year in Religious Liberty
By Stephen N. Allred – Ultimately, 2013 was a rough year for Christians in many parts of the world who were harassed, raped, murdered and persecuted on account of their faith. In comparison, American Christians, though they faced some challenges, fared rather well.
Guest Opinion: Endless exemptions for faith? Hobby Lobby case not a simple one
By Robert J. Ray – Realistically, can a government allow every employer to customize the rules without descending into administrative chaos? Justice Antonin Scalia argued in Oregon v. Smith that one’s religious beliefs don’t negate the need to comply with valid laws.
On the other hand, freedom of religion is a crucial principle that must be defended. But how far?
One-third of Americans reject evolution, poll shows (Reuters)
Excerpt: NEW YORK (Reuters) – One-third of Americans reject the idea of evolution and Republicans have grown more skeptical about it, according to a poll released on Monday. Sixty percent of Americans say that “humans and other living things have evolved over time,” the telephone survey by the Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life…
Obama administration should promote international religious freedom | Washington Times Communities
The Obama administration should take greater steps to promote religious freedom internationally. In First Things magazine, Thomas Farr notes the importance of religious freedom in American efforts abroad. “Religious freedom plays a necessary role in the consolidation of democracy, in economic development, and in social harmony,” he says. Religious freedom leads to respect for dissenting…
Congress strengthens religious freedom for the military | Dec. 26, 2013
Excerpt: The Senate passed a defense bill with strong bipartisan support last week that includes important language to strengthen and protect the religious freedom of military members and chaplains. https://www.worldmag.com/mobile/article.php?id=28724
Michael Gerson: Free speech requires tolerance | Cjonline.com Mobile
Excerpt: It is easy to downplay or domesticate the Christmas story. The whole thing smacks of squalor and desperation rather than romance – the teen mother, the last-choice accommodations, the company of livestock. If you ascribe eternal significance to these events, they are theologically and socially subversive. Rather than being a timeless Other, God somehow…