Blogroll

Look who’s caving

I shook my head when I saw the lede in a USA Today article in this morning’s local daily: “The Western world stood up against Islamic terrorism Wednesday after 12 people, including four cartoonists, were assassinated in the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo outside Paris.” Fact is, akin to Sony and the movie […]

A dubious honor

I learned through South DaCola that the City of Sioux Falls received a singular “honor.” It was acknowledged by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty for getting “right” the “Happy birthday, Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” messages painted on city snowplows. I don’t view it as much of an honor.

First, consider who’s giving the award. […]

Not to say I told you so, but…

Following the Hobby Lobby decision, I wrote that one of the more problematic issues I saw was that the decision was framed in terms of the “sincerely held religious beliefs” of the company’s owners. My concern was this could result in judging a person’s beliefs. The Satanic Temple is stepping through that door.

It is […]

Potential effects of ‘sincerely held religious beliefs’

I have a number of problems with the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision on health insurance coverage of contraceptives and religious freedom. But the concept that corporations can freely exercise religion isn’t the main one. I’m more concerned about what I perceive to be far broader and more problematic issues.

The decision is framed in […]

Justice Clarence Thomas still pushing state theocracy

This week’s Supreme Court decision on prayer before municipal meetings wasn’t really that surprising. Particularly given the make-up of the Court, it’s a fairly narrow decision that is based in large part on its particular facts. Yet while it got plenty of attention, one thing that went largely unmentioned is something I blogged about in […]