Newsletter 09-21-05

News items from the past week include the premises behind traditional Catholic opposition to religious liberty, whether people are justified in being proud of Western civilization, how the Bush administration is using faith-based funds for political advantage, connections between genealogy research and tribalism, rethinking the concept of self-ownership, and more.

Catholic Opposition to Religious Liberty
Pope Benedict XVI has come out many times blasting secularism and political liberalism. Given how entrenched they are in the modern West, this might seem strange, but in fact what's probably stranger is that the criticisms aren't harsher. The Catholic Church has a long history of its theology being positioned against religious liberty.

Boy Scouts of America: Discrimination, Bigotry, Prejudice
The Boy Scouts have long had an important place in American society, but do they continue to deserve the same respect and deference that they received in the past? If they discriminated against Jews or Asians, no one would defend them. Here you will find news, information, and court cases dealing with the Boy Scouts of America and their insistence on discriminating against gays and atheists without having to pay any social price for their positions.

Thomas the Apostle: Profile & Biography
Thomas was one of Jesus' twelve apostles and is included in each of the four apostolic lists. Thomas doesn't do much in the synoptic gospels but becomes important towards the end of John. Thomas is also called Didymus (the twin) each of the three times he appears in the Gospel According to John.

Holocaust Theology for Christians & Jews
Different approaches, conclusions

Playing Politics with Faith-Based Funding
Religion as a political football

Genealogy, Tribalism, and Privacy
Interesting connections

Life, Death, and Self-Ownership
Time to rethink our assumptions?

CRITIC
Learning to Evaluate Claims

Gays as Invisible, Second-Class Citizens
Evaluating the backlash on gay marriage

Pride in Western Civilization
Justified or Unjustified?

 

User Polls:

1) Christians taking a chance in not believing in the Norse gods?
A common Christian argument says that one should believe in God because it's too much of a chance not to believe. We can turn it around: why take the chance that the Norse Valhalla doesn't exist? Is it really worth the risk?

2) Are Mothers Criminals for not Obeying Doctors?
There is a growing trend towards criminalizing mothers' decisions when they conflict with doctors' advice. One woman, for example, was charged with murder because she refused to let doctors perform a Caesarean section on her and one of her twins died. Should pregnant women be legally obligated to follow doctors' instructions?

3) Religion Necessary for Good Character, Good Citizenship?
Despite the separation of church and state, religion frequently plays an important role in public politics. Politicians commonly reference religion to justify their policy decision or to attract voters, often implying the necessity of religion for good government and good citizenship. Is that true? Must a person be religious to be a good citizen?