The Establishment Clause...That's the Issue
- May/June 2003
- May 1, 2003
To paraphrase folk singer Pete Seeger, "Where have all the Baptists gone?" That's a fair question for those watching today's battles over church-state separation, for those who might be surprised to find people identified as Baptist contending for government sponsorship and funding of religion. After all, Baptists helped forge the American experiment in religious liberty
READ MOREMy title should be an oxymoron. Most religions, based on the spiritual well-being and eternal security of the individual as they tend to be, decry the use of war and violence to advance secular security. Certainly Christianity, as it derives directly from the words and life of Jesus Christ, gives no allowance for religious war
READ MOREThe Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of a national revival of prophetic interest that swept the United States in the early and mid-1840s. Very much in the Protestant continuum, the church has reached out and become a worldwide phenomenon, with almost 13 million members today–966,774 of them in the United States and Canada. From the
READ MOREIllustrations by David Klein Should the Roman Catholic Church be forced to allow hecklers or protesters in the plaza of St. Peter's Cathedral? Is it reasonable to expect a cloister to open its gardens to sunbathers? Cemeteries, courtyards, and gardens at religious sites are designed as oases of peace and reflection in a turbulent world.
READ MOREIllustrations by Ricardo Stamatori First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" . . . and President Bush's plans to fund "faith-based" social programs. Has it all been said? Probably. But I haven't heard this reality set forth: Once religion is established, it will likely never be disestablished. Why be concerned?
READ MOREIllustrations by David Klein In the Northeast, where I live, we have a saying: "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." The same holds true in an interesting case involving the Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its legal briefs have more twists and turns than a Grisham thriller. The issues
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