Recent Religion Commentaries

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Gettysburg Distress
The weather was a breezy sixty-five degrees that day. Amidst a raging war, the featured speaker took his place near the front of a crowd of hundreds who had gathered to hear the solemn words. Looking at his carefully prepared notes, a hushed silence came over the crowd. “President Lincoln,” he began, “served in a time of division like we’ve...
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October 24, 2016
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The Ethical Take: The Long, Hot, Hate-filled Summer
No, this is NOT a joke – Rick Tyler, an independent candidate running for Congress from Tennessee, received a much deserved flood of criticism after putting up a campaign billboard along Highway 411 in Polk County which reads, “Make America White Again.” According to WTVC-TV, Tyler explained his reasons this way: “ ‘The Make America White Again billboard advertisement will...
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July 1, 2016
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What is Religious Freedom?
In another move that can only be described by many as bizarre, North Carolina’s governor decided to sue the federal government over a recent state law limiting bathroom access for transgender people. North Carolina Republican Governor Pat McCrory stated that he would sue the Department of Justice in response to a letter he received from Attorney General Loretta Lynch that...
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May 18, 2016
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Whose Religious Freedom is Threatened?
Ever since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage last June, several states have proposed legislation that would “protect” religious freedom. Legislators claim that opponents of same-sex marriage who own a business need a law that protects their right – based on their religious beliefs – to refuse service to gay couples. On Wednesday, the Missouri State Senate...
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March 11, 2016
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Notables and Quotables of 2015
If a year can be summarized with one word it might be entitlement: entitled to ignore the facts; entitled to change the law in order to suit your own religious beliefs; entitled to own assault weapon(s) and high-capacity magazines; entitled to ban all individuals of a particular religion from entry into the U.S. Let’s dispense with the easy ones first....
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December 28, 2015
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The Message of 2015
To whom do you turn in the midst of crisis? Who has the requisite wisdom to lessen your doubts, your fears and anxieties? Of all the speeches given in 2015, none comes close to that of Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Catholics. During the five days that Francis visited the United States, he was welcomed with warmth...
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December 24, 2015
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The Audacity of Humility
“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.”  – St. Augustine Before his elevation to the head of the Catholic Church, Jorge Bergoglio began as a Jesuit priest from Argentina. Since his investiture as Pope in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis — in honor of Francis of...
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September 25, 2015
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God’s Authority
When a gay couple asked Rowan Country Clerk Kim Davis on who’s authority she was acting when she declined to issue the couple a marriage certificate, she responded “under God’s Authority.” As a consequence, Federal Judge David L. Bunning jailed Davis after refusing to follow the orders of the court and her duty as an elected county official. According to...
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September 16, 2015
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Why Pamela Geller is Wrong
Religion is always a touchy subject. So is politics, but that hasn’t stopped Pamela Geller, who specializes in provoking religious groups, to continue to inflame under the guise of free speech. Welcome to the new American zeitgeist where the Second Amendment is now used as an umbrella ideology to justify all manner of rationalizations. Geller has been waging a one-woman...
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June 5, 2015
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Religious Freedom or Discrimination?
Prejudice has a cunning way of working itself into the smallest of crevices and then gradually expanding. The latest political firestorm surrounds Indiana Governor Mike Pence who last Thursday, signed into law what he and others in the state’s legislature labeled “religious freedom.” No sooner had the governor made his announcement then an avalanche of protests began regarding the fact...
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April 3, 2015