The European Roots of American Christianity
The history and architecture of European churches may actually be baggage
“Maybe European Christianity isn’t all that we Europhilic Christians in the U.S. make it out to be. It sure has more history, better architecture, and civilizational presence. But freed from all the baggage of Christendom, perhaps Christianity is better off. That’s not an expression of American Christian exceptionalism. Nor is it an assertion that American... Continue Reading
Hawaiian Churches Win Partial Victory in Fight Over School Rentals
A judge in Hawaii gutted a new lawsuit filed by two atheists against churches that rent space from public schools
Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents two of the churches—One Love Ministries and Calvary Chapel Central Oahu—asked the court to dismiss their clients from the case, declaring it had no merit because Kahle and Huber’s information came from public records and not from the plaintiffs personal knowledge. Because the False Claims Act forbids people from filing... Continue Reading
Navy Rejects Request for First Humanist Chaplain
The Navy rejects the application to commission a nontheistic chaplain
“The Humanist Society and the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers have provided years of outreach and a great chaplain candidate to the military,” said Jason Torpy, president of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. “We hope nonchaplain military leaders swiftly overturn this discriminatory decision.” (RNS) After the Army recently permitted “humanist” as... Continue Reading
Do Father Matter? A Connection That’s Deeper Than We Realize
A new body of research is explaining why we have a connection with our fathers. They contribute far more to their children than many of us realize
Some of fathers’ contributions are surprising. One might guess, for example, that mothers have more influence than fathers on their children’s language development. Despite the growing number of women in the workforce, mothers still spend more time with children in many families than fathers do. But that turns out not to be the case. Lynne... Continue Reading
Houston Tramples Religious Liberty with New Anti-Bias Policy
Houston City Council approved an Equal Rights Ordinance that adds the LGBT community to the city’s nondiscrimination laws
Liberty Institute lawyers have been looking at the various ordinance proposals for two weeks, and they’re still “scratching their heads,” Mateer said. For example, the ordinance defines religion as “all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief.” By banning itself from discriminating on the basis of religion when seeking city contractors and... Continue Reading
Dear Kids: We’re Not Going to Disney World. Period.
I'm sure you're wondering by now if we're going to Disneyland or Disney World, and I have bad news. We're not.
Summer can still be fun, kids. We’ll go to the pool. Visit friends’ houses. Go camping. I’ll spring for a two-month pass at our local play center if it makes you guys feel better. They’re renovating, you know. I’ll do my best to make pancakes in a special shape. How about a deformed oval? I... Continue Reading
The Hardest Place On Earth To Be A Christian
While there are many terrible places on earth to be a Christian, Pakistan is arguably the worst
“Pakistan used to have a noticeable Christian presence. Presbyterians had a sizeable school system, and those schools were largely responsible for the country’s relatively high literacy. But in 1973 Islam become the nation’s religion and the government seized those schools and replaced their teachers and curriculum. Now the Koran is required to be read and... Continue Reading
Atheists Lose Latest Legal Fight Over ‘In God We Trust’
Atheists lost their case against the “In God We Trust” motto on the nation’s currency on May 28
But the three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York noted that the courts have long looked at the motto not so much as the entanglement of government in religion, but as a more general statement of optimism and a “reference to the country’s religious heritage.” (RNS) Atheists lost their case against the... Continue Reading
Colorado Baker Ordered to Make Same-Sex Wedding Cakes
Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission ordered a Christian baker to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples, ruling his religious objections did not trump the state’s anti-discrimination statutes
Phillips, a devout Christian who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, said the decision violates his First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise. “I will stand by my convictions until somebody shuts me down,” he told reporters after the ruling. The commission disagreed, ruling that religious liberty does not go... Continue Reading
Your Faith is Now Intrinsically Offensive. Are You Ready for the Fallout?
“It’s no longer easy to be a faithful Christian, a good Catholic, a faithful witness to the truths of the Gospel.”
“They threaten us with consequences if we refuse to call what is good, evil, and what is evil, good,” said George, “They demand [we] conform our thinking to their orthodoxy, or else say nothing at all.” Break their rules and, like the beleaguered Christians in Benson’s novel, we could pay a steep price in our... Continue Reading
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