Throughout the course of modern history, science and the scientific method have contributed substantially to the reduced the scope of religious claims about the world as well as the scope of religious authority. Science has done far more to both explain the world around us and help us improve our condition than millennia of religion. It's not surprising that some religious believers resent this and among their response is to deny that science is any different from religion.

 

Read Article: Myth: Science is a Religion for Atheists that Requires Faith

In 2008 South Carolina's legislature unanimously approved of a license plate saying "I Believe." It was unambiguously a Christian plate, featuring a cross with stained glass, and was thus also unambiguously an endorsement of Christianity. Despite this, politicians in South Carolina were convinced that it was constitutional and so fought the predictable lawsuit filed against the "I Believe" license plate. Now a federal district judge has ruled that the special Christian license plates are unconstitutional.

According to U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, it's plainly unconstitutional for a state government to single out one religion for special treatment, favorable endorsement, or promotion. Even many Christians objected to the Christian license plate and the lead plaintiff in the case was a retired Christian minister. Nevertheless, many conservatives in South Carolina are astonished that a federal judge can prevent them from using their political power to privilege their personal religious beliefs. Read more...

One of the reasons why Catholics were subjected to so much bigotry and discrimination in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was Protestants' fear that Catholic citizens would vote as instructed by their church, leading to politicians who would govern as instructed by their church. Protestants didn't want to be ruled by the Vatican so they took out their fears on individual Catholics who rarely, if ever, deserved any of that animus.

Why, though, are Catholic leaders in America trying to hard to resurrect that fear and animus by overtly meddling in the legislative process? Read more...

By not taxing churches, the government is prevented from directly interfering with how churches operate. By the same token, those churches are also prevented from directly interfering with how the government operates in that they cannot endorse any political candidates, they cannot campaign on behalf of any candidates, and they cannot attack any political candidate.

 

Read Article: Tax Exemptions vs. Church Political Activity