Mr. Twain's Imaginary Fractures
- January/February 1998
- January 1, 1998
Though some people's meals might be bad, imagine facing criminal charges because of your cooking. That's exactly what happened to George Barghout. Mr. Barghout, formerly the owner and operator of a yogurt shop located in Baltimore, sold both kosher and nonkosher foods. On November 15, 1990, he was fined $400 plus $100 in court cost's
READ MORE"We Christians face persecution right here in America!" said the balding gentleman sitting to my right at a recent banquet. "It's true," the young mother across the table said. "I read about a high school in Michigan that was forced to take down a picture of Jesus that had been there for 30 years. It
READ MOREThe Jehovah's Witnesses The Jehovah's Witnesses–who had already faced persecution by a previous German administration (1933-1945)–report problems in two areas. The first is the dissemination by German states of "anticult" material that defames the church. The church has brought defamation suits against the purveyors of this information, and for now the practices have stopped. A
READ MORESometimes it has to happen to a celebrity before the world pays attention. In 1993 acclaimed American Jazz pianist Chick Corea was disinvited from a concert in Stuttgart, Germany. The government of the German state of BadenWurttemberg canceled the concert because Mr. Corea is a Scientologist. For many, this was the first indication that all
READ MOREThough adults have the right to choose any method of healing, health care for children is different. The state has a responsibility to ensure the proper care of children. In this context, then, the crucial question is On what basis can the state ensure that when religious healing practices are involved, the children in question
READ MOREThere are a number of methods to test if an organization is a religion, and the method used may decide the answer to the inquiry. Four possible methods are as follows: 1. Examine the beliefs/structures/doctrines of the organization to see if they are analogous to more traditional religions. 2. Examine the intent of the organization's
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