Category Archives: Liberty
Xi for president?
I wonder if anyone sees the similarity between Trump and Xi. Nutty idea? How could that be? After all, Trump is the elected leader of a democracy, albeit a declining one. Xi is the Communist Party’s chosen leader of a … Continue reading
Covid19 goes to church
St. Paul, in urging more-or-less faithful Jewish Christians, reminded them (Hebrews 10:25) “to stir up each other in love and good works, not neglecting to meet together.” That’s evolved in practice to mean no less frequently than on Sundays. In … Continue reading
Fighting COVID-19 with prayer
About three weeks ago President Trump appeared at a campaign event in a Miami megachurch where congregants had been urged to attend by their “Apostle” Guillermo Maldonado. Like a number of fundamentalist churches across America, official White House warnings against … Continue reading
Happy anniversary, Bill of Rights!
Today, December 15, is the 227th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. The first of these ten began with the following words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or … Continue reading
Creeping toward theocracy
Slightly over half the world’s religionists are Muslim or Christian, each powerfully motivated by belief that a loving/vengeful god entices with paradise and threatens with horror. To each camp, the other is anathema. Adherents of each are convinced of a … Continue reading
Legislators set to abuse religious freedom . . . again
State legislatures are busy again considering so-called “religious liberty” bills, and the year’s just begun. Over 160 bills have been filed by legislators around the country thus far. Seasoned observers, after years of watching politicians’ sausage-making, are not fooled by … Continue reading
Religion in the public square
The term public square has become popular in Religious Right language in recent years. There is a great deal of umbrage taken that liberals and atheists have pushed religion out of the public square. Many Christians complain about the “attack” … Continue reading
Blasphemed lately? Watch your back!
The word blasphemy is not as frequently heard in the Western world as it used to be. But among the faithful the concept has not gone away. (Christians often condemn blasphemy in words and deeds while avoiding the seemingly archaic … Continue reading
America chose liberty this week
For those who think their Bible trumps the Constitution in civil matters, this week has been disappointing. The theocratic lunacy of presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and other Christian fundamentalists appeals to and multiplies the ignorance of those who think “freedom … Continue reading
What’s in a word, say, “marriage”?
This week the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is hearing oral arguments concerning two cases brought on the matter of whether states’ denial of rights to marry (or rights to be recognized as married if the act was … Continue reading
Perverting the meaning of freedom of religion
We Americans have long prided ourselves on our civic birthright of individual freedom. Although our history has not consistently honored that ideal, a mixture of empty rhetoric and genuine intentions continues to profess it. Varying public sentiments, court decisions, and … Continue reading
John just thinking . . . . 