Category Archives: Church & State

Mission to Moscow (Theocon Edition)

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

This is about a piece that comes from the Daily Beast, so a few caveats are in order, even if we ignore a headline (“Why American Social Conservatives Love Anti-Gay Putin”) that may not be the work of James Kirchick, … Continue reading →

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On The Unlearning of History

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

An atheist group is opposing the use of a Star of David in the design of a Holocaust memorial that is to be built on government property near the Ohio statehouse: …In the negative space between the two structures is … Continue reading →

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Innocent Guilty

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Yes, yes, there’s a back-story, and, yes, yes, a later version of the document did get the papal nod, but this snippet of history is too entertaining not to repeat. The Financial Times reports: It was, as these things go, … Continue reading →

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Luke 6: 42

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Guardian (2008): The Roman Catholic Church is calling for the effective closure of secretive tax havens as a ‘necessary first step’ to restore the global economy to health. In a policy paper from the Holy See, Pope Benedict pins … Continue reading →

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Of Monks and Monetary Union

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cross-posted on the Corner: The New York Times ran this oddly revealing story a day or so back: [L]ate last year, the National Bank of Slovakia announced that the European Commission, the union’s executive arm, had ordered it to remove … Continue reading →

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Symbiosis

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Vladimir Putin’s attempt to blend social conservatism and Russian Orthodoxy into the mix that is (nominally: the reality is rather grubbier) the ideology of his regime continues. The Guardian has the details. First, we have an unpleasant piece of anti-homosexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Church & State, law | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Tyndale & More

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Here’s Melvyn Bragg writing in the Daily Telegraph on the topic of William Tyndale (and Thomas More): After almost 500 years, Tyndale continues to command our language and when we reach for the clinching phrase, we still reach out for … Continue reading →

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Ready to Lose in 2016?

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

I can understand the argument that religion can be a handy bulwark against an over-mighty and over-intrusive state (it can, incidentally, also be an ally of just such a state), but there is a limit as to how far that … Continue reading →

Posted in Church & State, politics | Tagged , | 16 Comments

The Return of Alexander III?

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

Yet another reminder of why the Pussy Rioters went to the Cathedral. The Moscow Times reports: President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the Russian Orthodox Church should be given more say over family life, education and the armed forces in … Continue reading →

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First Amendment, Second Amendment

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Economist picks up on this letter from 64 Roman Catholic theologians in favor of gun control. With so much talk of late of the supposed attack on religious freedom represented by Obamacare’s contraception mandate, this passage caught my eye: … Continue reading →

Posted in Church & State, debate, law, politics | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments