In opposition to many of his Calvinist colleagues who believed in predestination, Milton argued, through the unrhymed lines of poetry in Paradise Lost, that the push for more political freedom on earth is an unstoppable tide of progress. That desire for liberty exists only because of the divinely instilled presence of free will given to humanity by the Creator, who, while He may have foreseen the Fall, allowed it to happen in order to give humanity an opportunity to make the greatest decision the universe could ever present.
States Rights and the Religion Clauses: Examining the North Carolina Resolution
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.
Guns, Teachers, and Religious Freedom: What kind of conversation should we be having?
As the constant state of conflict in the Middle East demonstrates, violence begets violence. In order to tackle our culture’s problems with violence we need a generational shifting of ideas.
Stanford Law Program Promotes Religious Accommodation
Students at Stanford University School of Law have a unique opportunity to participate in the nation’s only law-school based clinic program that focuses on issues regarding religious freedom and accommodation.
ROMANIA: Hamilton Promotes Importance of Legislation to Protect Religious Freedom
Gregory Hamilton, president of the Northwest Religious Liberty Association and a member of the ReligiousLiberty.TV advisory panel, spent most of the month of March traveling throughout Romania, a formerly communist country where church members experienced severe religious persecution throughout much of the last century, meeting with religious and government leaders to discuss trends in religious liberty and to urge constitutional reform.
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Defense of Marriage Act: Is Federal Government in the Marriage Business?
One of the more interesting aspects of the gay marriage debate that the arguments of the last two days have highlighted is how different the discussion of marriage is from the religious to the legal realm. Religion was not mentioned one time over the course of the two days and neither should it have been. The issues of the extension of civil marriage are not issues of theology or spirituality (and they still won’t be if same-sex marriage became legal nationwide tomorrow).
Outcome Unpredictable but Prop 8 Supporters Had Tough Day in S. Court
By Jason Hines – Today was a landmark day for the Supreme Court, as it heard arguments on the constitutionality of Proposition 8. I have written about this case at every level (on the state level and at the 9th Cir.) so it only seems right that I talk about the arguments that took place earlier today. However, it doesn’t make sense to give a straight up and down summary or even a major analysis (there are plenty of people who did a good job of that, including this article by Adam Serwer), but there are some things that I want to highlight. Some will be important, some won’t, but these are the things that came to mind as I listened to the oral arguments –
ANALYSIS: Supremes Hear California Marriage Case – Prop 8 Advocate Argues It’s All About Procreation
Once again making the same tactical mistakes that were made in the lower courts, the Proposition 8 advocate failed to make an argument that would pass the muster of the “rational basis” test required before rights can be denied, and lost any ability to frame the debate.
(UPDATE) Kentucky Governor Vetoes Religious Freedom Bill; Legislature Overturns Veto
On Friday, March 22, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear (D) vetoed a religious freedom Bill (HB 279) claiming that the bill would “cause serious unintentional consequences that could threaten public safety, health care, and individuals’ civil rights.” The legislature is expected to override the veto.
Three Attorneys Discuss Religious Liberty, Same-sex Marriage Laws and the Supreme Court
Courtesy Spectrum Magazine – Juan Perla, Christensen & Hymas and Michael Peabody discuss two Supreme Court cases that challenge accident laws: Proposition 8 and the Defense of Personal injury Act. The panel is moderated by Alexander Carpenter. Download MP3