religious test

Church and State Constitution

Trump judicial nominee Barrett faces religious tests from left and right

At the committee hearing, Democrat Sen. Feinstein questioned her Catholic beliefs on abortion and Republican Sen. Cruz questioned her on the death penalty.

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Politics Religion

Yom Kippur, the Scapegoat Ritual, and the Politics of Blame

Political careers are made by identifying, or in some cases creating, amorphous bogeymen who have nothing in mind but the destruction of “The Constitution” and the “American way of life.” The call to get rid of the bogeyman and “all will be well” is a pernicious promise.

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Church and State Current Events Free Speech Politics Religion Tax Exemption

Pastors Challenge the IRS: Using the Pulpit to Promote Candidates

During this hotly contested election year, some church pastors are deliberately promoting candidates, knowing that the Internal Revenue Service could remove their tax-exempt status as the result. In Minnesota, Pastor Gus Booth, of the Warroad Community Church, not only promoted a candidate, but wrote to the Internal Revenue Service, told them what he was doing, […]

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Current Events Politics Religion

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 […]

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