tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29502472635092927722024-03-13T15:15:06.643-04:00Religion, Politics, and LawThis blog is the collaborative project of students at Duke University (North Carolina), the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and Providence College (Rhode Island). Though they are in different courses, they are engaging in a conversation together about religion, politics and law and their intersecting role in U.S. history and in current events.Seth Dowlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01103158897766648257noreply@blogger.comBlogger357125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-43803056598656396872013-02-25T10:22:00.002-05:002013-02-25T10:22:55.704-05:00Catholic Threat<object width = "576" height = "324" > <param name = "movie" value = "http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" > </param><param name="flashvars" value="width=576&height=324&video=http://video.pbs.org/videoPlayerInfo/1610731418/?player=PBS_Partner_Player_v1&start=0&end=0&balance=true&player=viral&chapter=5&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0;ov:pbs:3375,3390" /> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param > <param name = "allowscriptaccess" value = "always" > </param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param ><embed src="http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf" flashvars="width=576&height=324&video=http://video.pbs.org/videoPlayerInfo/1610731418/?player=PBS_Partner_Player_v1&start=0&end=0&balance=true&player=viral&chapter=5&lr_admap=in:warnings:0;in:pbs:0;ov:pbs:3375,3390" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="576" height="324" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></object><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #808080; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 512px;">Watch <a style="text-decoration:none !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#4eb2fe !important;" href="http://video.pbs.org/video/1610731418" target="_blank">God in America: Two: A New Eden</a> on PBS. See more from <a style="text-decoration:none !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#4eb2fe !important;" href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/" target="_blank">FRONTLINE.</a></p>Brantley Gasawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02894338478934982958noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-31981025114138240312009-04-29T05:00:00.001-04:002009-04-29T05:03:58.272-04:00Relocating Faith<span style="font-family:arial;">Is it problematic to have a city comprised of people with the same religious beliefs establishing a community and implementing policy based on those beliefs? A segment about a Jewish community in Dothan, Alabama confronts this question of church and state in a segment by Kathy Lohr for NPR's program All Things Considered on April 9 entitled "</span><a id="r:4e" title="Alabama Community Tries to Draw Jewish Families" href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102844596" goog_docs_charindex="429"><span style="font-family:arial;">Alabama Community Tries to Draw Jewish Families</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">."<br /><br />The rural city of roughly 60,000 is home to many different religions, but the local Jewish synagogue has been recruiting Jewish families, offering the incentive of up to $50,000 for relocation after seeing several residents leave the area. The Jewish community developed in Dothan after Jewish peddlers came to the area and eventually settled in the early 20th century. Now, the synagogue hosts 54 families in its congregation. Since the 1970s, families and younger members of the community have been leaving Dothan to pursue better economic interests elsewhere and to find a "dynamic Jewish community."<br /><br />At face value, the project would look as though the community wants to maximize its social capital; however, one of the prerequisites for becoming a contributing member is Judaism. <br /><br />The relocation program involves interviews, background checks and requires that families stay at least five years to keep the full compensation. Because the relocation program seeks to not only bolster the Jewish community, but also to alter the demographics of the city, the situation could potentially alter the ways in which the town operates. In a region of the country where White Protestant Christianity has historically dominated the culture and influenced policy-making, a change in demographic specifically based on faith could challenge the perceived status-quo of the majority religion. The situation also addresses how a dominant religion can establish itself in the political realm when like-minded people come together and form a community. <br /><br />The Mayor Pat Thomas claims that the relocation program seeks to add families to the community who will contribute to the overall social dynamic and that dynamic happens to also be a part of the Jewish faith.<br /><br />"This is recruiting quality families who are going to add to this community, and that's the aim of the Jewish community and synagogue right now. That's also our aim as well."<br /><br />If the program is successful, the town will provide an interesting look on how religion permeates through local politics and community programs. Christianity has enjoyed the success of influencing all levels of government in the United States for over 200 years, now, in an increasingly pluralistic religious society, let's see what another faith can do to establish itself in policy-making. </span>hsharpehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07103932582009208012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-89151181503012978412009-04-29T00:32:00.003-04:002009-04-29T01:03:45.531-04:00Paterson on 'Guilt' And Gay MarriageThe New York Times article from April 28th, 2009, "Paterson on 'Guilt' and Gay Marriage" is almost poking fun at Governor of New York David Paterson's explanation for why those who oppose or have been opposing gay marriage for a long time are still standing by their views. The explanation of Governor Paterson, a Democrat and a Roman Catholic, is that the reason is guilt. Although he does take a pretty long time and way too many words to explain this viewpoint, what he's saying is not completely nonsensical, as the author of the article, Nicholas Confessore, tries to make it out to be. One of the comments on this article from a NYT reader sums it up very nicely (except for the offensive word "bigot"):<br /><p>"Governor Paterson is saying that gay marraige is a recognition of gays and lesbians as people deserving full human rights. And thus if you vote that way now you would have to admit that you were wrong when you voted against gay rights before. Hence to avoid the guilt, you continue to oppose gay marraige.</p> <p>He’s not talking about the hard core bigots in this case but rather people who are on the fence but unwilling to make the leap becuase of the guilt they would have to acknowledge about their past attitudes and actions (or inactions)." </p><p>In a way, Governor Paterson is making a similar point to Martin Luther King Jr. in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail" when he talks about the real problem with the Civil Rights Movement, and that is the white moderates choosing not to do anything and rather stand on the sidelines and wait for something to happen with time. He talks about how their refusal to support the Civil Rights Movement, even if it was not to oppose it, was very detrimental to the movement because they had a lot of power and a lot of influence in society among the whites and their stance could have changed the public opinion. Similarly, the Governor is addressing the "moderates" in this case , or those whose personal beliefs are torn between what their religious institutions have been telling them and their personal moral values, or if their opinions have changed as they have personally become more tolerant on the topic of gay marriage. In a way, he is addressing the topic of guilt and the possibility of it being a reason of these moderates who are personally on a fence on this issue to not be in favor of gay marriage so that they will not feel ashamed and express their views freely if their opinions have changed from being against gay marriage to being pro gay marriage. I think this is intention of the Governor, although he does have a hard time getting his point across.<br /></p><p>Link to the article: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/paterson-on-guilt-and-gay-marriage/?scp=7&sq=religion&st=cse<br /></p><p><br /></p>Cati D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04225163266159660527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-323831185096547302009-04-29T00:12:00.002-04:002009-04-29T01:01:32.689-04:00Teaching the Bible in the ClassroomIn this <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1601845-3,00.html">cover article</a> for Time Magazine, David Van Biema looks into the highly debatable issue of using the Bible in a public school classroom. The majority of Van Biema's report is about his experience shadowing a teacher, Miss Kendrick, at a public high school in Texas. Miss Kendrick teaches a Bible-literacy class that is open, voluntariy, to all students at the school.<br /><br />Van Biema reports that the number of classes involving the academic use of the Bible are slowly increasing in the United States. Teachers and Supreme Court judges are steadily learning that there is a difference in "teaching religion" and "teaching about religion." While controvery still exist (and probably always will exist) in having the Bible in the classroom, Van Biema claims it needs to be because it its historical importance and influence on many Americans' lives. Of course, he writes, the key is make sure that all religious text and faiths are taught equally; if not one can find establishment within the school and a violation of the First Amendment. Of course, some teachers are not prepared to teaching religion and many groups from the secularist to the religious fundamentalist fear that the teacher will misrepersent or promote one text over the other. Hence one of many reasons why the movement is only slowly growing instead of steadily.<br /><br />As a future high school social studies teacher, I feel the Bible and other religious text have a proper and necessary place in the schools. In the global age we live in, it is ignorant and unprofessional for an educator not to teach these text that have such an impact on our lives. I understand the legal hoops and roadblocks that hinder the education of these topics, but separation religion and faith from American life is very hard to do. If the role of an educator is the create informed citizens ready for the world, then a basicaly knowledge of the major world religions, their text, beliefs, history, etc are all vital to this process. The courts and school boards must find a way to get around what some might consider unconstitutional and make it so that students can obtain the knowledge that has been absent from the classroom for too long.<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-32975221256785237192009-04-28T22:14:00.002-04:002009-04-28T22:27:23.704-04:00Religious Right Opposes Sebelius NominationWith the outbreak of swine flu gripping the country, the Senate confirmed former Kansas Governor Kathleen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sebelius</span> to HHS Secretary today. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sebelius</span> has come under fire from numerous religious right outlets, like the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America. According to a <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/22/conservatives-urge-senate-to-oppose-sebelius/">CNN</a> article the groups said that "Given her propensity for abortion radicalism, her failure to pay her own taxes and her demonstrated lack of integrity, she will be a divisive force in this important office."<br /><br />The office of HHS, especially during this critical point in our nation, should not be the focus of partisan political attacks. Gov. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sebelius</span>' record in Kansas is one of honor and integrity. According to statistics released from her office, the number of abortions in Kansas declined 12.6 from 2001 to 2007 under the Governors watch. This is due in large part to an aggressive <a href="http://www.governor.ks.gov/news/newsrelease/2008/nr-08-0421a.htm">health care reform package</a> instituted by the Governor that included ""adoption incentives, extended health services for pregnant<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnant" title="Pregnant" class="mw-redirect"></a> women..., sex education and... a variety of support services for families."<br /><br />I can understand why opponents of abortion would begin to attack Governor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sebelius</span> for her own personal stance on abortion (although the Governor is a devout Catholic). But it makes no sense to drag a religious oppositional stance into the national dialogue. The facts show that Gov. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Sebelius</span> has done almost everything in her power to decrease the number of abortions in her own state, while abortions around the country declined at a substantial percent as well. It seems that the tired <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">argument</span> against abortion is running its course as the national percentage of abortions takes a downswing and the increase in sexual education and adoption programs increase. Perhaps now we as a country can move past the bitter partisan divide that locks our country into red and blue. The Department of HHS is not just about abortions, it's about protecting our American society from pandemics, disease, and educating our people about the dangers of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">unwanted</span> pregnancy and unsafe sex. Governor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sebelius</span> represents all that's good about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">healthcare</span> reform. The religious right and Americans as a whole should stand with our new Secretary of Health and Human Services and begin to look past the partisan divide.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius#cite_note-autogenerated1-56" title=""><span></span></a>Matthew Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15911696155364830128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-75294006317103627642009-04-28T21:01:00.003-04:002009-04-28T21:15:27.332-04:00America is Not a Christian Nation<a href="http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/04/14/christian_nation/index1.html">http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/04/14/christian_nation/index1.html</a><br /><br />The article <em>America is Not a Christian Nation</em> featured on Salon.com is an extremely thought provoking and creates the potential controversial debate and discussion surrounding the role of Christianity in American politics. Although written with a clear liberal bias, the article argues that the United States is not and never has been a nation founded on Christian principles, as many religious citizens and conservatives claim. On a trip to Turkey, President Obama said that the United States is not a Christian nation, thoroughly inflaming religious conservatives. In support of Obama's statement, the author, Michael Lind, cites the writings and speeches of George Washington, the Treaty of Tripoli, John Tyler, and others in making his case that America is not truly a Christian nation. The part of the argument I found most insightful was his analysis of the influence of John Locke on American political tradition and origins of natural rights theory and social contracts. Lind argues that although US politics was very much influenced by Lockean theory, he claims that Locke generated his ideas from non Christian Greek thinkers predating Plato and Aristotle.<br /><br />I think that this article is extremely important considering the increasing plurality of American society. Labeling the United States as a Christian nation divides the population and makes legitimate citizens who may not practice Christianity feel like outsiders in their homeland. Although the article is obviously biased, it provides accurate information about some aspects of the relationship between Christianity and American politics. It will be interesting to see if there is any further discussion about Obama's comment or the perceived decrease in Christian influences.Elizabeth Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03380763936679504138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-48732139682388170512009-04-28T20:41:00.000-04:002009-04-28T20:43:37.741-04:00In her New York Times article on April 26, 2009, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html?_r=1">More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops</a>, Laurie Goodstein writes about a growing movement among Atheists to go public with their views and hopefully attract a larger following of secular humanists. In Charleston, South Carolina, the movement has gained significant momentum and the group known as the Secular Humanist of the Low Country decided it was time to expand their movement to a national level. According to the article, the group claiming “no religion” is the only demographic to increase in all 50 states in the last 18 years. This reflects a decrease in the number of Mainline Protestants throughout the United States. This also illustrates the growing secularization of the American Population.<br /><br />Goodstein also writes about how atheists are attempting to improve their public image. Herb Silverman, the founder of the Secular Humanist of the Low Country, compares going public as an atheist with the gay rights movement, and that someone who openly states they are an atheist has “come out of the closet.” As more atheist surface it will create a whole new “religious” group which will have a significant impact on American politics. Many atheists, according to the article, became upset with the way George Bush supported the religious right.<br /><br />As a result the atheists have attempted to become more unified. By doing this they can begin lobbying in Washington in attempt to gain influence in political decisions. They hope to promote separation of church and state. Already they have seen relative success, as shown by President Obama’s inauguration speech in which he mentioned non believers. However, with their success it is more than likely this will create a situation in which mainline protestants and other Christian groups will attempt to unite together in order to negate the influence gained by atheists. So while there is optimism for atheists in politics, they still have a significant uphill battle.JohnKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18252704940725367715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-58623233983194369102009-04-28T17:14:00.002-04:002009-04-28T17:45:37.718-04:00Faith in Flux?A recent <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/04/27/changing.religion.study/index.html">CCN article</a> by Richard Greene argues that rather than Americans losing their faith - which has been inferred by several leading <a href="http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/">studies</a> - they are simply switching between various faiths and denominations over the course of their lifetime. <br /><br />The article uses Ingrid Case, an Episcopalian turned Quaker, as a case study to highlight the rather startling fact that over half of American adults have changed religion at least once in their lives. Gregory Smith, a researcher at the Pew Forum puts this down to the religious "free market" that exists in America, by which various denominations can cater - both theologically and otherwise - towards their niche target audience. The study indicates that more than 4 in 10 American adults are no longer members of the religion that they were brought up in as children.<br /><br />But what is most interesting about the study is that it argues that "some factors that might be expected to drive people away from religion -- such as sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, or a belief that science 'disproves' religion -- actually play a very small role". The study seems to show that the moving between denominations and faiths is a more gradual change, rather than "carefully considered, conscious decision-making". <br /><br />First of all, I find it astounding that a person's decision to change their faith is not based on careful consideration and conscious decision making. I realize that for many religious believers their faith is based on personal experience and emotion rather than simply the raw intellectual arguments for the truth claims of a specific religion, but surely there must be intellectual backing for those considering changing their faith?<br /><br />Secondly, while the number of people who were raised Catholic and then became Protestant is 5%, the number of people raised protestant who have switched to a different protestant denomination is a staggering 15%. <br /><br />There seem to be 2 options for this. First, evangelical Christians are realizing that science does indeed disprove the literal biblical story of 6 day creation and a young earth model, and are therefore moving towards mainline protestantism. Second, many mainline protestants are becoming unhappy with the more liberal tendencies of their church and are moving towards the more traditional, conservative branches of evangelical protestantism. <br /><br />Certainly the data from the <a href="http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/">Trinity College survey </a>would indicate that the second is the most likely. Perhaps this does indeed prove that "not all of this is the product of carefully considered, conscious decision-making" after all.Ed Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381771525481699492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-62224794055005765522009-04-28T16:23:00.000-04:002009-04-28T16:36:32.539-04:00The Christian Right seen in a new light by some liberals<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ccengiz%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ccengiz%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ccengiz%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 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margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left">The Christian Right is commonly portrayed in the liberal media as the antithesis of secular democracy. <span style=""> </span>With Bible-toting evangelizers, protesters with pictures of aborted fetuses, and political leaders who often cite Bible verses, the Christian Right does not seem like a force for liberal democratic virtues, some writers outside the conservative camp disagree though.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left">I came across an <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-04-23-roose-falwell-liberty_N.htm">article</a> about a student from Brown University who spent a semester undercover at Liberty University, Jerry Falwell’s conservative Christian college, in order to write a book about his experience.<span style=""> </span>The author, Kevin Roose, produced a story about “rigorously normal” students in a setting where he expected to find "hostile ideologues who spent all their time plotting abortion clinic protests and sewing Hillary Clinton voodoo dolls."<span style=""> </span>While the Chancellor of LU, Jerry Falwell Jr., said, “We appreciate Kevin's generally positive tone toward LU but he admittedly comes from a culture that has very little tolerance for conservative Christianity and even less understanding of it,” the book still paints a surprisingly positive and normal view of a supposed conservative Christian training camp.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left">This article got me wondering whether there are other sources of praise for the Christian Right coming from a leftist perspective.<span style=""> </span>I found an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/us/25beliefs.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=">article</a> in the NY Times reviewing a book by Jon A. Shields, Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College, titled “The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right.”<span style=""> </span>This book argues that “Many Christian-right organizations […] have helped create a more participatory democracy by successfully mobilizing conservative evangelicals, one of the most politically alienated constituencies in 20th-century America.”<span style=""> </span>The article explains that in his experience in training seminars for many Christian Right organizations the instructions given were: “Remain civil. Engage others in conversation by inquiring into their viewpoints. Eschew arguments based on religion or the Bible in favor of facts and reasoning that might persuade people regardless of their religious convictions.”<span style=""> </span>He also argues that while there are many “radical” Christian activists these people are not the “representative figures that coverage in the news media often suggests.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="left">These books may be representative of the increasing involvement of Christian conservatives in the workings of politics above the level of purely social issues.<span style=""> </span>As they realize the need to break the stigma of religious zealots, Christian conservatives need more support from the left such as these works by authors in the academia.<span style=""> </span></p> <p></p>Ali Cengizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14032987802435998427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-19786407914792866922009-04-28T14:15:00.002-04:002009-04-28T14:27:44.227-04:00Why So Many Americans Switch ReligionsThe <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0428/p02s01-ussc.html">Christian Science Monitor</a> recently published an article describing the results of a new Pew forum survey titled “Faith in Flux." This survey examined how many Americans switch their religion in their lifetimes and why. It states that roughly half of all Americans change their religious denomination at least once in their lives, 28% join a new religion, and 16% remain unaffiliated. Many of those who are unaffiliated aren’t necessarily secular—they just haven’t found the “right religion” yet.<br />The article states that many people leave their religions at a young age, usually before 24. This makes sense since many people at that age are students in university settings and are exposed to new ideas and ways of thinking. The actual reasons for leaving differ for each person. Roman Catholics, for example, leave because they don’t agree with church doctrine. Young people may leave because they don’t agree with the church’s official position on abortion; clergy may leave because of the requirements of celibacy. Protestants, on the other hand, tend to leave because of “life changes” like moving, getting married, or sometimes because they don’t agree with church doctrine either.<br />Unsurprisingly, the article states that the “unaffiliated” is the fastest growing group in the past two decades. Some members of the unaffiliated group stopped going to church because they felt that religion was too “hypocritical.” One woman sought spirituality in her life and was disinterested in religion because it was “man-mad dogma.”<br />Despite all this, there are still individuals who seek religion in their lives because they seek community or spiritual fulfillment.<br />The Catholic church lost the most members and the Protestant Church is on the verge of losing more members. Immigration is a major reason why the number of Catholic church members is still relatively high and it’s also one of the reasons why Protestants are not the major religious group in the US anymore.<br />These statistics show that the US is still fluctuating religiously and that religious groups in this country are continuing to expand over the years. I definitely believe immigration will continue to shape religion in the US. More minority religions will emerge as a direct result of immigration, and Protestantism will no longer be the majority religious group. The numbers prove that more and more Americans are looking for unaffiliated or independent churches for spiritual guidance and I think the rates are only going to increase in the coming years. As for religion in the US, it’s obvious that religion will always be an important element in our American culture and will continue to shape the way we identify ourselves as a people.Chrisy Y.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04123617007673919936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-25423456695331563262009-04-27T23:33:00.001-04:002009-04-27T23:34:38.413-04:00Belief in the Non-Believers<p class="MsoNormal">On April 26, 2009 the New York Times published an article titled <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html?scp=10&sq=religion&st=cse">More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops</a>.<span style=""> </span>In this article, author Laurie Goodstein describes the increase in the number of atheists, agnostics, and non-believers in Charleston, South Carolina.<span style=""> </span>In February of this year, the local atheist organization put up a billboard reading, “Don’t Believe in God? You Are Not Alone.”<span style=""> </span>Instead of receiving hate mail, the organization was overwhelmed with the positive reaction they received from large numbers of atheists, agnostics, and non-believers in the area.<span style=""> </span>The article revolves around the increase in the number of atheists in American society and raises the question of what this means for the future of religion and politics.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I agree with the author that Obama’s recognition of non-believers in his inaugural address has the potential to be an important turning point in the perception of atheists, agnostics, and non-believers.<span style=""> </span>It was the first time a President of the United States made reference to the value of non-believers.<span style=""> </span>It is also important because, as the author cites, polls show non-believers are ranked lower than any other minority or religious group when Americans are asked whether they would vote for or approve of their child marrying a member of that group.<span style=""> </span>An important tactic that Goodstein cites for the possible success and growth of non-believers is their adoption of a similar strategy to the gay rights movement.<span style=""> </span>Goodstein explains that by relating non-believers going public with their beliefs to homosexuals coming out of the closet, non-believers will come out in mass support.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The implications of Goodstein’s article are very interesting.<span style=""> </span>Even though the growth in number of non-believers still is not very large, I believe it has the potential to represent a drastic change in the relationship between religion and politics.<span style=""> </span>Political parties will need to compete for the atheist vote if their numbers continue to grow and this has the potential to completely change the current relationship between religious groups and political parties, specifically the relationship between evangelicals and the Republican party.<span style=""> </span>I think the New York Times article makes people question the future of religion and politics. <span style=""> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-61229929729524117922009-04-26T21:04:00.002-04:002009-04-26T21:12:50.029-04:00NC Sex-Ed and the Religious Right<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ctidol%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ctidol%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ctidol%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> 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Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family:times new roman;">NC House Bill 88 is designed to give parents the opportunity to choose what type of public school sex education their children receive.<span style=""> </span>It will not eliminate the abstinence-only track, it will simply add another track focused more on promoting risk management and healthy, safe behaviors.</p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p>Not surprisingly, lobbies of the far right are outraged by the concept that parents should be able to choose this.<span style=""> </span>But let’s be honest, according to a poll on <i style=""><a href="http://www.publichealthreports.org/userfiles/122_1/12_PHR122-1_73-78.pdf">publichealthreports.org</a></i>, 75% of Americans had premarital sex by age 20 and 95% had rounded the bases out of wedlock by age 40.<span style=""> </span>While the NC Family Policy Council, a group with a predominantly White Evangelical Protestant membership who uses affiliated pastors as its prime method of gaining grassroots support, attempts to provide a statistical and secular reasoning for its vehement <a href="http://www.ncfamily.org/issuebriefs/090413%20Sex%20Ed%20H88%20IB%20-%2002.pdf">opposition to the bill</a>, the fact is that they see recognizing the prevalence of premarital sex as an acceptant of sin.<span style=""> </span>While I am fairly conservative on most issues, I also tend to be reasonable, and to me the idea of promoting a policy that is bad for our children so that a few religious folks can have a clean conscience about their promotion (or lack thereof) of sin seems selfish at best.</p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p>Now, a word on abstinence-only sex-ed from a former NC public school kid.<span style=""> </span>In elementary school, we learned about the necessary body parts in a unit on “Human Growth and Development” that parents could opt their children out of.<span style=""> </span>It was awkward, uncomfortable, and, given the fact that they didn’t tell us what to do with the parts we now knew so much about, pretty pointless for the kids with no prior knowledge.<span style=""> </span>To this day, I have literally never been told by the Wake Count Public School System the necessary procedures for producing a child.<span style=""> </span>Somehow, my parents knew (I assume there is a correlation between this knowledge and the fact that I even exist) and they were kind enough fill me in.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p>Fast-forward to 8<sup>th</sup> grade.<span style=""> </span>We had a unit on STDs and the merits of remaining abstinent until marriage.<span style=""> </span>This enlightening day of science class was conducted by our more or less incompetent guidance counselor.<span style=""> </span>After she told us about “the slifalifalus,” “ghonnarear,” and “the HIV/AIDS,” we were reminded to stay “abstinence” until marriage.<span style=""> </span>The STD education that was designed to serve me for the rest of my life came from a woman who could not conjugate the verb ‘abstain.’<span style=""> </span>I really wish I was making this up and I am infuriated by the fact that her salary is paid by hard-earned tax dollars.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p>The reality of this is that my fellow students and I were pathetically underserved by NC public school policies, which is probably why there were 5 pregnant girls in my high school and countless others who had dropped out to take care of their kids.<span style=""> </span>At our football games, our record-setting 19 year-old running back would be cheered on by his two children.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p>The NC Family Policy Council, in continuing to support an abstinence-only program that obviously doesn’t address the needs of our students, is simply ignorant.<span style=""> </span>While I can appreciate their desire to obey the religious and traditional ideal of abstinence until marriage, this policy stands in contradiction to serious issues of public health and education.<span style=""> </span>In their policy briefing, they point out that NC schools have a zero-tolerance policy toward tobacco, drugs, alcohol, and firearms, and argue that premarital sex should be on that list.<span style=""> </span>Let’s examine the distinction between the aforementioned vices.<span style=""> </span>Tobacco is unhealthy no matter how you use it, drugs and alcohol are illegal for the relevant underage population, and the issue of firearms is pretty self-explanatory.<span style=""> </span>Sex is not necessarily unhealthy and is (in most situations) perfectly legal.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /><o:p></o:p></p><p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p>The only valid point that the NC Family Policy Council makes is that 7<sup>th</sup> grade is too early for children involved in the safe-sex track to be educated on contraceptive options and their respective uses.<span style=""> </span>Ultimately, North Carolina needs to put an end to religiously motivated policy decisions and instead actually focus on what is best for our children, even at a slightly increased cost.<span style=""> </span>House Bill 88 leaves the issue up to the parents so that they can choose whichever style they feel is appropriate.<span style=""> </span>This education will make kids safer and smarter, not destroy the sanctity of marriage because, as studies show, 95% of us already manage to do that on our own.</p> Tucker I.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03671456486717521165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-32404418954124466292009-04-25T20:04:00.004-04:002009-04-25T20:27:05.994-04:00Can Healthcare Workers Have a Conscience?<p class="MsoNormal">Hours before President Barack Obama prepared to take office on Jan. 20, 2009, the Bush administration put a new law into effect allowing healthcare workers to refuse patients certain procedures and information on the grounds of religious or moral objection. The new <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/27/conscience.rollback/index.html">Provider Refusal Rule</a> expanded on the “conscience clause” of a 30-year-old law that had been in place to protect healthcare providers declining to perform abortions. The new law allows healthcare workers “from doctors to janitors” to withhold “services, information or advice” from patients on family planning, contraception, blood transfusions or other procedures they may find morally contentious.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Provider Refusal Rule, however, may be short-lived.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">According to a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5255U420090306">Reuter’s report</a>, the Obama administration formally announced its plans to rescind the law in February, but is still in the process of reviewing the regulation. Repealing the law would be good news for many health organizations, like the American Medical Association, that believe healthcare professionals have an obligation—regardless of their personal views— to advise their patients of all health options available to them.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Not everyone has been happy about the new administration’s announcement, however. Criticism has come from the religious and medical communities alike. According to a <a href="http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0901614.htm">Catholic News Service article</a>, forty doctors, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals held a joint press conference at the National Press Club on April 8 denouncing the Department of Health and Human Services’ plans to undo the conscience regulation.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The press conference was hosted by Freedom2Care, a coalition of 36 medical and secular organizations “dedicated to protecting conscience rights.” Freedom2Care, along with the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life political women’s organization, launched a campaign to file 36,000 complaints against the Obama administration’s repeal. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Committee for a Human Life Amendment filed another 35,000 comments against the repeal.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Criticism has also come from within the Obama administration.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">A <a href="http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctpolitics/2009/04/faithbased_advi.html">letter</a> submitted to HHS by Nathan Diament from the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations included the signatures of four members on Obama’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership Advisory Council, including <i>Sojourners</i> president Jim Wallis, <st1:state st="on">Florida</st1:state> pastor Joel Hunter, Rabbi David Saperstein and Melissa Rogers of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Wake</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Forest</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As the media and political debates continue, the question still holds: can healthcare professionals have a conscience under the law? Critics of the repeal argue that getting rid of the Provider Refusal Rule would jeopardize healthcare providers’ right to practice their profession while staying true to their moral convictions, and would therefore, violate their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. Critics of the rule, however, say that the conscience regulation as it stands sanctions denying patients services they may want or need. They further argue that accepting or declining certain procedures or health options should be left to the conscience of the patient, not the doctor. In the end, the debate on whether or not to rescind the Provider Refusal Rule seems to be pitting patient rights against healthcare provider rights. The debate is also a broader one of religion and politics. Does the government have the right to tell physicians and nurses to drop their consciences at the hospital door? If not, does the government still have a responsibility to ensure that physicians are transparent with patients about all options open to them?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It seems to me that the government does not have the right to dictate doctor conscience, but patients should also be informed if certain information about their health is being withheld from them. Strikingly a balance between the two, however, has proven difficult. So as the revision of the Provider Refusal Rule moves forward, the Obama administration will continue to stand in the middle of an ongoing tug-of-war between the right to know and the right not to tell, the right to care and the right to conscience, the responsibility to the patient and the responsibility to the doctor. In the end, whether the administration decides to repeal or reaffirm this new conscience regulation, it is unlikely that the heated debates over provider conscience will be simmering down anytime in the near future.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Related CNN video: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/18/provider.conscience/index.html#cnnSTCVideo">"Healthcare's moral debate"</a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Olahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09071764794575115710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-27153435037253523292009-04-23T15:36:00.002-04:002009-04-23T15:39:50.542-04:00Same-sex couples get equal rights... except for one minor thing<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="OneNote.File"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft OneNote 12"> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">This morning the state senate of <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Apr23/0,4670,USGayMarriageConnecticut,00.html">Connecticut </a>voted to allow same sex couples to get married after a decade long struggle. This decision was met with the usual religious backlash, however, this case stands out for it allows religious institution to choose whether they participate. Therefore, churches<span style=""> </span>are not required to "provide services, goods, or facilities for same sex wedding ceremonies." </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Religiously affiliated persons against same sex marriage, although not completely content with the decision, have stated that this makes the situation a little better. </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">However, the decision was made in order to give the same sex couples full rights, and move past civil unions, so the question stands: are they really receiving full rights if the church is allowed to pick and choose its position? </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">
<br />I think what will be interesting about this case is that it will force individual religious clergy to make decisions for themselves rather than hiding behind the church and the law. No longer can religious leaders in Connecticut use the excuse that its not legal, and as a result, many will have to choose their personal stance, as well as that of their denominations on the issue.</p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The implications on the gay rights movement are significant, for it could mean that churches will consciously and willingly show their support, something that has rarely been seen in the past.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Is it really giving same sex couples full rights if the church can choose not to participate? </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-48208534472117417722009-04-23T01:42:00.004-04:002009-04-23T02:17:22.192-04:00Who do YOU pray with: Problems at the BorderSomething unconscionable is afoot along our borders. Law-abiding American citizens are being verbally interrogated for hours on end about their religious and business affiliations. Their only mistake: being Muslim during America's War on Terror.<br />According to a new report issued this week by Muslim Advocates, and featured in a <a href="http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/eboo_patel/2009/04/checking_your_faith_and_politi.html">guest blog post </a>on the Washington Post Web site by the group's Executive Director, Farhana Khera<em>,</em> Muslims are facing rough treatment at international borders and airports around the country.<br />The interrogations focus on matters of faith, political persuasion, and associations of the people in question. Despite the lack of any evidence of criminal wrongdoing or possible links to the enemies of the United States, those being detained are treated with hostile interrogation techniques and intimidation tactics.<br />This practice, though for the purpose of keeping the U.S. safe, is absolutely unacceptable. It amounts to little more than racial profiling at its worst.<br />The Supreme Court has ruled that any search that is done at international borders is automatically considered "reasonable" in the eyes of the Fourth Amendment. However, this ruling should not and can not be used as a blank check for border agents to aggressively interrogate U.S. citizens when there is no evidence of actual, or even possible, wrongdoing. At best, it is a perversion of the purpose behind the ruling and at worst, it causes citizens with equal rights and equal protection under the law to feel like second class citizens in their own country.<br />I understand the national security argument. It's important to ensure that Americans are safe within U.S. borders. But we cannot allow that pursuit to undermine the freedoms and protections of law that are afforded to every American citizen.<br />So to the border patrol agents: tone down the investigations unless wrongdoing is apparent. Searches are fine, and welcomed by most as a necessary part of staying safe. But stay kind, courteous, and not overtly suspicious, particularly of fellow Americans, until concrete damning evidence is found.Adam S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00698504754845979115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-81596357199987307472009-04-23T00:36:00.001-04:002009-04-23T00:40:04.981-04:00The Test of Discrimination<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Grant/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} h1 {margin-right:0in; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:24.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal">An article on CNN.com is about a discrimination case that may be coming to the Supreme Court. The thing that is different about this discrimination case is that it is the white males who claim to be discriminated against. The article, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/22/scotus.reverse.discrimination/">High court asked to untangle reverse discrimination case</a> says that there was a test given to firefighters to see how much they knew and if they did well on it they were supposed to get a promotion. After the test was given and scores calculated, they found that a larger number of white firefighters did well, while very few black firefighters did well. So instead of promoting the people who did well on the test, they decided that they should throw out the tests for fear of being sued. They claimed that since too few minorities did well, that they would <span style=""> </span>not promote them because it could be seen as not promoting diversity, even though there was one Hispanic firefighter that did well too.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>So, of course, those who did well and were scheduled to get a promotion were not happy with the decision, so they went to court. So far, the courts have had mixed feelings about the situation. The real question is how far is too far when dealing with affirmative action? I think this was way over the line. What if they did not do well on the test because they did not study for it? And what about those couple of white firemen who studied really hard to do well on that test, and then just to have it thrown out because your coworkers did not do as well as you? They should have looked into why there was such a race gap with the test, instead of deciding to throw it out completely. The clear fact is that those firefighters were not promoted simply because they are white, or put better, not black, and that is just as bad as if the sides were switched. This case will go to the courts, and as most court cases are, the ruling is not just for this particular instance, the whole system of affirmative action is going to be put on trial. This is good. We need the dialogue, because, as bad as discrimination is, reverse discrimination is worse because it so often gets brushed aside.</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-55745531299251790262009-04-22T23:37:00.001-04:002009-04-22T23:39:59.980-04:00Have You Got a Plan B?The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/health/23fda.html?_r=1&hpw">New York Times </a>had an article today announcing that the F.D.A. is going to ease restrictions on the ‘Morning After’ pill or Plan B. It will now allow for girls as young as seventeen to purchase the drug without a prescription. This marked an overturn of a Bush administration health policy and was met by celebration by pro-choicers. The ruling came after Judge Edward R. Korman of the Federal District Court ruled that the age limitations placed on the pill were based on politics instead of health concerns.<br /><br />Despite at first being hailed as a method that would make a sharp dent in the already high teen pregnancy numbers, Plan B it has had no effect on the nation’s abortion or teenage pregnancy rates. Unfortunately, this has not been the cure for unplanned teen pregnancy. <br /><br />On the flip side, abortion opponents predicted access to Plan B would encourage more unprotected sex and abortions were wrong as well. Despite this, Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America was displeased because she claimed that the legislation had ‘complete disregard for parental rights and safety of minors.’<br /><br />While Ms. Wrights misgivings about parental rights are understandable, anyone who has been a highschooler knows that there is a definite disconnect and oftentimes a lack of communication between girls and their mothers. Allowing girls to access Plan B over the counter is a good first step, but I think the reason it has failed to have an impact on unplanned pregnancies is the lack a comprehensive sex education that promotes contraception instead of abstinence. Why don’t anti-abortionists, in the meantime (since under Obama’s administration I don’t see them repealing Roe v. Wade anytime soon), support methods to reduce unplanned pregnancies through dissemination of knowledge to both teenage boys and girls about contraceptives such as Plan B. Reducing the demand for abortion, in my opinion, is much more important that the legality of it.Katie Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12624195446514679378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-66243061699236478062009-04-22T23:00:00.002-04:002009-04-22T23:03:02.035-04:00The Church has to move with CultureTullian Tchividjian is right, the church is suppose to be in the world and not of the world but at the same time, the church must stay up-to-date with the times and adapt its operations in order to fit into the modern day lifestyle. In his article,"Church Should Counter Culture," Tchividjian overstates the efforts of the church to adapt its structure to fit in with a changing culture. The roots and essential functions of the church remain the same despite a willingness to modify traditions in order to appeal to a wider audience. For example, many churches have more casual dress codes today than 50 years ago because the leadership recognized that not everyone has disposable income to spend on clothes that they only wear on Sundays. Likewise, the church has begun to implement new programs to attract the youth; however, the overlying message of the programs remains the same and that is to bring people to Christ.<br /><br />People like Tchividjian are too tied in tradition and have made the church more religious than spiritual and that is dwindling church membership more than people resisting change. Instead of being focused on keeping traditions, focus on saving souls. The church undoubtedly plays a role in the social and political lives and views of people and therefore must fit into people’s daily routines. One cannot expect church members to live double lives. Stay in tune theologically and let your church members take care of the rest.<br /><br /><a href="http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/04/church_should_counter_culture.html"></a>UNCAaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12229446847115228382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-8085244860069385312009-04-22T15:06:00.003-04:002009-04-22T15:22:54.421-04:00More Americans Say They Have No ReligionAccording to a relatively new <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,506849,00.html">survey</a> (March 2009) by the American Religious Identification Survey, more the number of Americans who have "no religion" is ever increasing. This increase is a mere .8% from 14.2% from 2001 but is nonetheless noteworthy. The researchers who conducted the study claim that "no other religious bloc has kept such a pace in every state," referring to the fact that the number of non-religious persons has increased not only nationwide, but in every state as well. <br /><br />Among the other facts the study uncovered was a sharp drop in the number of mainline Protestants and Christians overall. This would make sense, just like we discussed on class--the rise in non-religious people must come from somewhere, and mainline Protestants seem to be taking the brunt of that change. Catholics remain the largest single denomination, at 57 million members, while "non-denominational Christians" went from .1 percent in 1990 to 3.5 percent in this survey. <br /><br />I wonder if any of these trends will continue. Like Professor Lienesch pointed out in class, it seems that people frequently say how America is becoming more progressive and secular over time, so I would be curious to see how these trends play out in the next few years. Some of this may just be cultural adjustments to a President who included in his inaugural address a mention of "non-religious" people. I wouldn't underestimate the value that this may hold to those who are now more open to speaking their mind to survey-takers. <br /><br />I also found it a little strange that the title of the article clearly emphasizes the increase in Americans without religion, and yet that is only mentioned in the first line of the article. And a .8% increase over 7 years? That barely falls above the .5% margin of error, so it was an interesting choice to include that as the title. Then again, this is FOXNews, so they were probably just going for the most provocative title they could think of to maximize their hits.jerrythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02442403368876937682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-71423158671375939572009-04-21T13:26:00.001-04:002009-04-21T13:28:58.459-04:00Religious Intolerance and Guantanamo BayGuantanamo Bay’s torture allegations have controversially filled headlines for years now, as garnering information has become a new face of warfare marred by deception and inhumane activities. Recent reports show the United States did engage in tortuous activities in order to learn information from suspected war criminals. It is clear that a new brand of warfare is among us, and dealing with the morality of acquiring information about the enemy flirts with decisions difficult for most to make. However, <a href="http://www.kuwaitifreedom.org/media/pdf/Guantanamo%20detainees%20accuse%20guards%20of%20religious%20abuses.pdf">reports of religious intolerance</a> by Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald show a brand of torture that is contradictory to the basic ideas of religious freedom in America.<br /><br />There are clear religious overtones to the interrogations of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. They range in severity; from disallowing and withholding religious texts, to removing the pants of prisoners so they cannot pray. Rosenberg reports that in a legal brief issued in defense of the Army interrogation unit Lt. Col. Diane E Beaver, said “"Forced grooming and removal of clothing are not illegal, so long as it is not done to punish or cause harm, as there is a legitimate governmental objective to obtain information, maintain health standards in the camp and protect both the detainees and the guards." That is easy enough to understand, and certainly falls into a category of acceptability when considering some of the other things that have been reported from Guantanamo Bay. However, reports have shown the Army actually cares less about obtaining information when removing the pants. It is a violation of Muslim faith to pray unclothed, so when one prisoner’s pants were removed he asked if he could have them back just during prayer time. He was denied. If the Army was using them for the information they claimed, without religious intent, the prisoner should have been able to use his pants for prayer. This is a direct violation of religious freedom and tolerance. Even detainees should have the freedom to practice religion. It is just unusually cruel to punish a detainee in that way, as there are arguably little informative incentives to restrict them from such activities.<br /><br />I understand that these are not American citizens and thus do not have First Amendment rights. However, America has a history of priding itself as setting standards for morality. Such blatant religious intolerance shows a weak acceptance of minority religions and viewpoints, and does not reflect the diversity of religion and tolerance that America has. There are right ways and wrong ways to interrogate detainees, but restricting them of religious practice to the point of shaving beards and stripping clothes cannot be tolerated if America wishes to keep its credibility as a tolerant nation. If America wishes to keep its moral voice credible, restricting detainees’ ability to practice religion cannot be a part of their interrogation techniques.Taylor Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01791311241677048350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-76611754052355268872009-04-21T10:07:00.003-04:002009-04-21T10:45:36.006-04:00Volleys Over the Wall of Separation<span style="font-size:100%;">In the recent New York Times article "</span><span style="font-size:100%;">Judiciary Committee Finds Itself Under Heat," (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/nyregion/connecticut/29polct.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/R/Religion%20and%20Belief) Mark Pazniokas traces the proposal of and response to legislation in Connectict that would require treating Catholic churches more like corporations. </span>Pazniokas explains,"The proposed changes would have effectively shifted control of parish finances from the bishop and pastors to the congregations, heresy to the Roman Catholic hierarchy." While the state senators argued that the changes would increase transparency and prevent further concerns over questionable usage, the reaction of Connecticut Catholics was swift and decisive in opposing the bill. Thousands of Catholics protested at the state Capitol, and due in large part to this backlash and the vocal opposition of Catholic leaders, the bill was unanimously killed in committee.<br /><br />What makes this case intriguing is not just the issues at stake, but more so the language with which the dispute over the bill has been framed. Pazniokas calls the struggle "a religious war" and uses military rhetoric throughout, and it seems justified by the attitudes of the state senators and the Catholic bishops. The bill is considered by Connecticut Bishop William E. Lori to be just another in a series of state attacks on Catholicism in an ongoing war, with the government winning on issues of same-sex marriage and abortion and the Catholic lobbying arm having victories on state-assisted suicide. Several state senators, including the advocates of the bill, share this "us versus them" vantage in the way they talk about the Church's opposition.<br /><br />It seems to me that the polarization that occurred in Connecticut over the same-sex marriage bill is responsible for this warlike framing of the church-state relationship. The religiously charged nature of that dispute, combined with Connecticut's solid blue-state status, did not allow the fervor of each side to be easily mapped on the liberal-conservative spectrum. Thus, unlike many other issues of religious import, for example abortion law, the same-sex marriage issue in Connecticut throughout the past five or six years has not allowed itself to fall on strictly political lines and thus the controversy has been primarily seen as between religious opposition to same-sex marriage and political support for it. Hence, while it may be impossible to confirm or reject Bishop Lori's claim that the recent financial bill was "a direct assault," the warlike church-state mentality is understandable in the wake of the same-sex marriage debate.Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05936737666659019952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-52534139249158591952009-04-20T15:28:00.002-04:002009-04-20T15:39:46.585-04:00Christianity +Military = ForcedMy article is titled “<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/washington/01church.html?_r=1">Questions raised anew about religion in Military</a>” and it looks at the debate surrounding what the proper role of religion should be in the military and whether a pro-Christian culture permeates the armed forces? According to the article there have been complaints of religious bias and proselytizing in the military. In an effort to keep the line between religion and secular issues separate, the military has enforced tougher restrictions. For example: Chaplains are encouraged to ascribe to pluralism. Military officials have also declared in memorandums that the military is a neutral place when it comes to religious beliefs all in an effort to distance itself from the accusations of religious bias. Regardless of these measures taken by the military many personnel and activists feel that there is forced religion in the military; due to the fact Christian groups like the Officers Christian Fellowship and the Campus Crusade for Christ’s Military Ministry have a great deal of influence on bases. Some groups have taken their negative view of religion in the military to the courts. The leaders of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a non-profit group brought a lawsuit against the Pentagon accusing them of a pattern of improper religious influence such as: Official military retreats at off-base churches, displays of crucifixes at military chapels in Iraq and Afghanistan, and much more. Reading this article I got the sense that leaders of the opposition to “forced religion” in the military want to completely remove any displays of Christianity at the military bases. It is good to want religious freedom, but it seems that they want it at the cost of surpassing another religious group. One of their complaints is that there are crucifixes at military chapels, if that is such a huge problem then there can be formal requests to place other religious symbols of other groups in the chapels. At the end of the day everyone has a right to practice their religious beliefs. Unfortunately for these opposition groups, the reality is that majority of Americans in one way or the other identify with the Christian faith. Like the military officials said it is up to the chaplains to implore a plurality approach in their teachings. But I feel that groups like Military Religious Freedom Foundation are overreacting. Can't we all just get along?Chidera E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15760046172120725085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-30293837417750010882009-04-20T01:20:00.002-04:002009-04-20T01:21:40.223-04:00The Never-Ending Religion vs. Darwin Clash<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In his article “<a href="http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=395">The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution,</a>” David Masci overlooks the never-ending 150 year old fight against Darwinism, how the dispute has recently grown in both size and intensity, and why is it still prevalent today. Analyzing the dispute from the beginning in the early 1900s to the present, Masci digs for the reasons that have caused the issue of teaching evolution to manifest into a national debate on values similar to the culture war issues such as abortion. In his evaluation of the period of the quarrel, Masci reveals that the opposition towards the teaching of evolution has itself evolved over time. From the Scopes Trial to today’s prevalent, national dispute, the arguments against Darwinism has shifted from Biblical Creationism to tactics such as intelligent design and a critical analysis of it as a unproven hypothesis.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In the last decade or so, local and state schools around the nation have presented intelligent design as an scientific alternative to evolutionism, which proclaims the belief that “life is too complex to have evolved entirely through natural processes without divine intervention. Besides this, other public schools have presented the theory of evolution to student as a theory, where the student have to analyze evolution disclaimers, so that Darwinism can be approached critically with an open mind. According to Masci, these alternative oppositions towards the theory of evolution has generated substantial support among American people with 63% of Americans advocating the belief behind intelligent design.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Overlooking this phenomenon, what is most interesting behind these oppositions against evolution is that there are religious and social incentives to fight against the possible theological, social implications of Darwinism, despite the fact that the scientific community has established evolution through natural selection as a fact. Therefore, based on Masci’s analysis, the perpetual struggle is a result of the constant battle to prove to society that Darwinism is a flawed scientific theory that should not be applied by any means to society, the human race, or to anything else because it depreciates God, religion, law, and justice. Thus, the impetus behind this ongoing struggle against evolutionary thought is to make sure that this denigrate way of thinking is never accepted as a fact that can be applicable to the way how the world and nature works. If no dispute against Darwinism never existed, then what would happen if Darwin’s theory was accepted as an ubiquitous fact that could explained how society and nature operates? Then, there would no be need for justice or law because everything would be a fight for survival, which would make murders and mass genocides justifiable and morals unnecessary. </span></p>Mike Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187954628913595791noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-61779049728377130772009-04-19T20:32:00.002-04:002009-04-19T21:00:00.323-04:00Catholic Ambassador WoesIn <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-04-16-vatican-ambassador_N.htm">his</a> recent article, Eric Gorski of the Associated Press discusses the often-overlooked decision of who will represent United States interests with the Vatican under Obama’s presidency. This issue is vital for a variety of reasons, as Gorski reports. Such reasons include potential disputes between the Vatican and the Obama administration over abortion, fears that dissent between the Vatican and the U.S. could encourage Catholic separatism, and also the careful decision of who the appointee should be. Gorski cites a variety of experts on the issues at hand, beginning with abortion.<br /><br />In past years, the deciding factors about Vatican ambassadors have been their personal lives. The Vatican can reject any ambassador it feels does not meet the criteria of the position, which includes openly gay individuals or those they might consider to be ‘living in sin’. Though the Vatican looks more at the personal lives of appointees than their stances on relevant issues, all eight of the past ambassadors to the Vatican have been pro-life, including the Democrats. One of the possible first choices is Douglas Kmiec, a Reagan administration lawyer who endorsed Obama during the recent election. Kmiec is a professor of canon law and fluent in Italian, so he could be a valuable choice because he understands the Catholic and Italian cultures and also the issues facing relations between the countries.<br /><br />While this decision is important, I dispute the notion that Catholic separatism is a real fear. In my research for my final paper, concerning the interesting relationship between the KKK and Protestant Churches, I read George Marsden’s book, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. In this book, Marsden chronicles the factors contributing to the rise of Fundamentalism in late 19th century America, including the great increase of immigration of Catholics. Protestants feared these Catholics would take over their nation, controlled from afar by the actions of the Vatican. The Ku Klux Klan arose partly out of this fear, though the Vatican undertook no real actions to try to establish this sort of control. Based on these historical events, I believe that the most important considerations for the selection of the ambassador are their understanding of both international politics and Catholic traditions and culture. Based on these criteria, the president can make a much better decision than would be possible if he were concerned wholly with the American response of Catholics to the ambassador.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03956109092738703646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2950247263509292772.post-57942548315168948012009-04-19T17:29:00.001-04:002009-04-19T19:06:52.014-04:00In <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0403cardinalapr03,0,4013786.story">this </a>article in the Chicago Tribune, William Daley, the co-chairman of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign discusses a growing trend amongst the “Catholic hierarchy” in the U.S. where Catholic officials have been unnecessarily mixing religion and politics. Daley points to a recent event where President Obama was invited to speak at the University of Notre Dame. Cardinal Francis George reacted to this invitation, claiming that it “is an embarrassment to Catholics because the president disagrees with church doctrine on abortion and stem-cell research.” Daley responds to this comment by stating that George’s response is an embarrassment to Catholics and “furthers the divide among the church, its members and the rest of America.” Daley suggests that in today’s world, it’s in appropriate and unproductive for one religion to be so close-minded about its view of “morality” that it actually prevents its followers from gaining a broad education that can help them understand the issues in the world around them. According to Daley, “this requires that Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists sit down together and explore their common interests, concerns and dreams for the future.”<br /><br />Although being true to one’s religion is critical in following its teachings, it’s unfair to discredit anyone’s word, be it the President or a neighbor, because they have different beliefs. George’s reaction, for example, is ridiculous because not only is it unlikely that Obama would have even mentioned stem cell research or abortion (two of the issues over which Obama’s beliefs and Catholic teachings clash), but hearing from someone whose views differ from yours can be an even more enlightening experience than learning from someone who’s views mirror your own.<br /><br />In <a href="https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2950247263509292772&postID=148812472103772572">this </a>blog post, Amit discusses the same issue, and questions whether or not it would be a good idea to have Obama speak at Notre Dame. Amit points out that the student’s support for Obama was may be due to the fact that they were less religious, but as several of those who commented on the blog pointed out, it’s more likely that the students are simply becoming more open-minded. According to Daley, this is a good trend because it reflects his idea that a nation can be both moral and religious, but the two don’t have to be exclusive. People of different religions can and should recognize and seek to understand each other’s beliefs in hopes of creating a general, nationwide sense of morality. The only question is which generation will win this struggle. Will the older Catholics and other religious leaders who close-mindedly believe very strongly in their religions still hold sway over the younger, seemingly more open-minded generations? Or will the sense of open-mindedness spread throughout the adults as easily as it has through the kids? I don’t think there’s any way this willingness to cooperate, comprehend other religions, and to put aside differences in beliefs in order to establish a common sense of morality and “form a more perfect union” of the people could possibly be detrimental to the nation.Neal Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609413854664576561noreply@blogger.com8