Role of Religion in the Public Sphere

The debate comes down to one major question: “what is the role of religion in the public sphere?” A couple of decades ago and even further back, the issue of prayer in schools came up quite a bit. I have never heard any debate in this area of the country on the issue of school prayer. I think the issue is far more prevalent in the south where there is a more homogenous mixture of Christians. In Wakefield High School, for instance, there is a hodge-podge of religious views ranging from atheist to Christian to Jewish to Hindu to Buddhist. The school as a whole, at least as far as I have noticed, has tried to distance itself from any attachment to a particular religion. During times of community shock, the administration has preferred to use “moment of silence” in place of “prayer” or “meditation.” The phrase “moment of silence” is non-denominational and actually works very well because kids can use the time to do whatever they want, whether it’s think about nothing, say a prayer, or meditate on the situation. And it seems like the nation as a whole has come to the conclusion that in certain areas of public life religion must be preserved like keeping the ten commandments outside of a government building or making people swear an oath upon entering a court room. The issue is really between people who favor a separation of church and state and those who wish to preserve America’s history as a Christian nation. With the growing diversity of religion in America, it’s becoming increasingly harder to preserve prior values. As a whole, I do think the role of religion in the public sphere is still up for debate, but as for prayer in school, I think the issue has already seen its time.

UN Adopts Anti-Free Speech Measure

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.'s top human rights body has approved a proposal by Muslim nations urging the passage of laws protecting religion from criticism.

Members of the Human Rights Council voted 23 in favor of a resolution Thursday to combat "defamation of religion." Eleven nations, mostly from the West, opposed the resolution and 13 countries abstained.

The resolution was proposed by Pakistan. Muslim countries have cited the inflammatory effect of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as an example of unacceptable free speech.

Critics say the resolution, while not binding, will have a chilling effect on free speech and may worsen relations between faiths.

Unacceptable free speech is still free speech and must be protected.

Wake County Judge Rules...

Raleigh, N.C. — A judge in Wake County said three Raleigh children need to switch from home school to public school. Judge Ned Mangum is presiding over divorce proceeding of the children's parents, Thomas and Venessa Mills.

Venessa Mills was in the fourth year of home schooling her children who are 10, 11 and 12 years old. They have tested two years above their grade levels, she said.

"We have math, reading; we have grammar, science, music,” Venessa Mills said.

Her lessons also have a religious slant, which the judge said was the root of the problem. - WRAL.com

Individual over society? No.

Vatican: Give Up Texting...Your Car...Etc

ROME - Roman Catholic bishops in Italy are urging the faithful to go on a high-tech fast for Lent, switching off modern appliances from cars to iPods and abstaining from surfing the Web or text messaging until Easter.

The suggestion goes far beyond no-meat Fridays, giving a modern twist to traditional forms of abstinence in the five-week period Christians set aside for fasting and prayer ahead of Easter.

And it shows the Church's increasing focus on technology's uses — with many of the Lenten appeals posted on various dioceses' Web sites. - Yahoo!

Sorry, Vatican, but I don't think this is a good idea. I agree with Angelo Dente, who said, "I have to decide how to experience the Lent period. I should give up something if I really feel it, not because the Church says so."

Intelligent Design a "Cultural Phenomenon"

The Vatican has admitted that Charles Darwin was on the right track when he claimed that Man descended from apes.

A leading official declared yesterday that Darwin’s theory of evolution was compatible with Christian faith, and could even be traced to St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas. “In fact, what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God,” said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The Vatican also dealt the final blow to speculation that Pope Benedict XVI might be prepared to endorse the theory of Intelligent Design, whose advocates credit a “higher power” for the complexities of life.

Organisers of a papal-backed conference next month marking the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species said that at first it had even been proposed to ban Intelligent Design from the event, as “poor theology and poor science”. Intelligent Design would be discussed at the fringes of the conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University, but merely as a “cultural phenomenon”, rather than a scientific or theological issue, organisers said. - Times Online

This will make many people very happy.

Pope Benedict Supports Jews

Pope Benedict's decision to lift the excommunication of four ultra-traditionalist bishops, including one who has denied the Holocaust, has angered many Jews and Catholics who say the bishops represent repressive and anti-Semitic currents in Catholicism that they want the pope to now explicitly repudiate.

Church officials have been scrambling to downplay the decision announced over the weekend and portray it as a first step in ending the only formal schism in modern Catholicism. But Jewish leaders said the move threatens decades of interfaith dialogue and could harm plans for Benedict's planned trip to the Holy Land later this year. The dispute adds to growing concerns among leaders of other faiths about Benedict's view of interfaith cooperation.

This morning, Benedict made his first public comments on the controversy, telling pilgrims in his weekly audience in Vatican City that he feels "full and indisputable" solidarity with Jews and repudiating the idea of denying the Holocaust. - Washington Post

Good job, Pope.

Priest Stole, Went On Gambling Binge

Every Sunday the parishioners of St Vincent Ferrer Roman Catholic church in Florida dropped their dollar notes into the collection plate, confident that the money would go straight to the church.

It did — but not in quite the way that they might have expected.

First it went into a hiding place in the ceiling tiles of the church in Delray Beach. Then it found its way into an offshore account, from where it was used to fund gambling trips to Las Vegas, lavish homes and even a mistress. More than a quarter of a million dollars was spent on a rare coin collection. - Timesonline.co.uk

Oh snap.

Driver Refuses "Atheist Bus"

A CHURCHGOING bus driver refused to drive a bus bearing a poster reading ’There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and go and enjoy your life'.

Committed Christian Ron Heather went on strike for three days in protest at his bus company employers putting the controversial advertising slogan on the side of their vehicles.

There are 800 buses and 1,000 Tube posters nationwide which have adopted the adverts designed by writer Ariane Sherine to combat aggressive religious posters on public transport. - The Sun

This guy is the man. God bless him.

Judge: Stop Promoting Religion

A federal judge has ordered the Santa Rosa County School District to stop promoting religion and prayer in the classroom and at school events.

U.S. District Court Judge Casey Rodgers ruled Friday after school officials admitted allegations in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU sued the district, Pace High School Principal Frank Lay and former Superintendent John Rogers on behalf of two unnamed Pace High students. - PNJ.com

We know from the First Amendment that Congress can't pass laws respecting an establishment of religion. Can states do whatever they want? Yes. Also, in cases like these, it is important to determine if the prayer was mandatory.

Taliban Warns Obama

"President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama!

"First of all, you must know that protection from the wretchedness in the world and the fire of Hell is only available in Islam. Islam is the only religion that guarantees success in this world and in the Hereafter.

"You are the first black in the U.S. history who has established control on the White House; you should also cause one more addition to the U.S. history by becoming the first president to accept the Truth and by adopting the true faith of Islam....

"Do you know that your nation has been pushed into a war against such an Ummah that is like a single body; there is a beginning to this war, but there is no end.

That's stupid, but the Taliban makes a point when it says:

"Immediately, withdraw all your troops from Afghanistan and other Islamic nations, apologize to the oppressed nations and own up the responsibility for all of their losses.

"Every incident has a cause and until these causes are eliminated, no incident can be prevented [against the U.S.]. The 9/11 attacks in the U.S. and all attacks have some or the other causes. In order to bring peace to your nation and benefits to America, you should try to find and eliminate these causes; which is about America’s failed policy on Israel. Israel is a source of mischief and conflict not only for the Middle East but for the entire world. - MEMRI

An Age Old Debate

"People don't like to be occupied." That's the key point.

Religious Discrimination in Arizona?

The State Bar of Arizona is considering whether to require new attorneys to swear they will not let their views on sexual orientation get in the way of providing legal services. Mat Staver, founder of "Liberty Counsel" and dean of Liberty University's Law School, is concerned.

"I believe that this is a major threat to the practice of law," he contends. "This is an attempt to literally license those out of business and to revoke the license of those who, in fact, have traditional moral values."

Staver believes the campaign is going nationwide and will be a tool used by homosexuals to hold back Christian lawyers. "If they then can hold over your head the license and the ability to practice law, that will be a devastating blow to those of us who believe in traditional family values," he points out. - Secular Heretic

I doubt that this is really religious discrimination.

Support, Critcism and Fr. Roy Bourgeois

The news that peace activist Fr. Roy Bourgeois was threatened with excommunication for his support of women’s ordination unleashed a storm of commentary and reaction from various Catholic interest groups and around the blogosphere.

If the issue is settled for Rome, it is still wide open in some Catholic circles. In addition to the expected sharp division between those who applaud Bourgeois’ action and those who find it scandalous, people have posed thoughtful questions about conscience, and how and whether the church can force someone to violate his conscience. Others, in what amounts to a fairly robust discussion of the question of women’s ordination, raise issues of history and women’s place in the early church based on an understanding of scripture and archaeological evidence. - National Catholic Reporter

I really appreciate what he has done in championing human rights (creating the SOA watch), but I do disagree with his women ordination point of view.

Church/History Words Removed

Oxford University Press has removed words like "aisle", "bishop", "chapel", "empire" and "monarch" from its Junior Dictionary and replaced them with words like "blog", "broadband" and "celebrity". Dozens of words related to the countryside have also been culled.

The publisher claims the changes have been made to reflect the fact that Britain is a modern, multicultural, multifaith society.

But academics and head teachers said that the changes to the 10,000 word Junior Dictionary could mean that children lose touch with Britain's heritage. - Telegraph

Relativism is pathetic.

Attending Religious Services Dec. Risk of Death

ScienceDaily (Nov. 20, 2008) — A study published by researchers at Yeshiva University and its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, strongly suggests that regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death by approximately 20 percent.

The findings were based on data drawn from participants who spanned numerous religious denominations. The research was conducted by Eliezer Schnall, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of psychology at Yeshiva College of Yeshiva University, and co-authored by Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and population health at Einstein, as an ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

The WHI is a national, long-term study aimed at addressing women’s health issues and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

It reduces stress and other things too.

Paddy Power Bets On God

Odds on the existence of God have shortened from 33-1 to a mere 4-1 since news emerged of atheist Richard Dawkins' forthcoming bendy bus advertising campaign with the slogan: "There probably is no God."

Irish bookmakers Paddy Power have already taken £5,000 on scientific proof emerging for the existence of God after the book opened at 20-1 earlier this year to coincide with the switching on of the world's biggest hadron collider in Geneva. When scientists were forced to delay the £14 billion project for six months, odds on the existence of God lengthened to 33-1.

But the bendy bus campaign, to be launched on buses in the Westminster district of London in January, has led to a spate of betting that proof will emerge for God's existence after all, forcing Paddy Power to shorten the odds to a mere 4-1. - Times Online

It's annoying when people tempt God.

Pope Condemns Religious Perseuction

Vatican City (AHN) - At the end of the three-day historic dialogue between 48 Catholic and Muslim leaders and scholars, Pope Benedict XVI said Friday that to safeguard the freedom of individuals to follow his faith, religious persecution is not an acceptable practice.

At the same time, the pontiff apologized to Muslims for a remark he made in 2006 which outraged Islam followers after he linked Muslims to violence in the past. Pope Benedict clarified he quoted a medieval scholar, but he never intended to directly link present day Muslims with the wave of violence taking place in various parts of the world.

The head of the one-billion strong Catholic Church said, quoted by BBC, "The discrimination and violence which even today religious people experience throughout the world and the often violent persecutions to which they are subject, represent unacceptable and unjustifiable acts."

A very assuring step has been taken.

Royal Society Scientist Loses Post

The Rev Professor Michael Reiss, who was director of education at Britain's scientific academy as well as an ordained Church of England minister, sparked controversy last week when he suggested that pupils should learn about the idea that evolution is wrong and the Earth is only 10,000 years old.

He claimed just "banging on" about natural selection would not lead devout Christian or Muslim children to change their beliefs, and said creationism should be treated as a "world view" rather than a misconception.

Two Nobel laureates condemned his "dangerous" and "outrageous" views while the renowned zoologist and atheist Professor Richard Dawkins compared putting a clergyman in charge of education at the Royal Society to a Monty Python sketch. - Telegraph

In the words of Matt Hurton: "Teaching creationism is like teaching about magic fairies instead of gravity."

Pope Advises Against Road Rage

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging Christians to make an examination of consciences regarding their conduct behind the wheel.

The Pope spoke of traffic accidents Sunday in his reflection before praying the midday Angelus with crowds who had gathered at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.

He called numerous driving accidents "another prayer intention."

"Human life is too precious and it is too unworthy of man to meet death or become an invalid due to causes that could mostly be avoided," the Holy Father said. "There is certainly a need for a greater sense of responsibility, above all by drivers, as accidents are often caused by excessive speed and imprudent conduct."

Thank you for stating the obvious, Your Holiness.

Hindu Extremists: We Kill 'Cause They Are Nice

Rome, Aug 20, 2008 / 09:56 am (CNA).- This week, Archbishop Marampudi Joji Hyderabad of India said that Hindu extremists who murdered Carmelite priest of Mary Immaculate, Father Thomas Pandippally, carried out the act for three reasons: “because he was religious, because he was Christian and because he was charitable to the poor.”

In statements to the L'Osservatore Romano, the archbishop explained that Father Pandippally “was killed because the Catholic missionaries are on the side of the poor in this region - in which there still exists a harsh form of servitude in the agricultural industry. Land owners do not recognize the rights of farm workers and make use of fanatical Hindu gangs to put a stop to any improvement to the living conditions of the rural population,” he said.

Wow. Simply wow.