Category Archives: Church & State

A Question of Identity (ctd)

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

More on this story (from the Guardian): Proposals to draft ultra-Orthodox men into the Israeli army, ending an exemption that has lasted for 64 years, are bitterly dividing prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition government ahead of a crucial debate on … Continue reading →

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Don’t Confuse the Children!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Commenter Kevin S. kindly responded to my earlier posting on Bobby Jindal’s voucher program with a link to this Reuters story. It’s worth paying some attention. An extract: Louisiana’s plan is by far the broadest. This month, eligible families, including … Continue reading →

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Whoops!

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Former exorcist and current Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has (to quote the Friendly Atheist) “pushed for a voucher program that would allow state funds to be used to pay for religious schools.” The Friendly Atheist is not so keen on … Continue reading →

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For Thee But Not For Me (Ctd)

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Cardinal Séan O’Malley , one of the leading figures in the US Roman Catholic hierarchy, blogs: The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision this week upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s “mandate” requiring adult Americans to purchase health care. The … Continue reading →

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A Question of Identity

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

I’m no fan of conscription, to put it mildly, but, if a state is going to insist on it, it should do so fairly.That does not appear to be the case in Israel, where the ability of the ultra-orthodox to … Continue reading →

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“Religious Freedom”

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

From The New York Times: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan on Friday helped kick off a national campaign opposing President Obama’s health care mandates and other government policies that Roman Catholic leaders say threaten their religious freedom… The bishops timed the … Continue reading →

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“A European Church”

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Iain Martin, writing in the Daily Telegraph: The Church of England’s Archbishops’ Council, headed by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, has made a submission on Europe to the Foreign Affairs … Continue reading →

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Worth Buttressing

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

It was Winston Churchill (an agnostic, essentially) who famously said that he was not a pillar of the Church of England, but a buttress, ”supporting it from the outside”. I feel much the same way (I would still check C … Continue reading →

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Christians & Muslims Unite…

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

…against Lady Gaga. The Guardian reports: Christian groups in the Philippines have called for a ban on Lady Gaga’s Manila concerts, alleging that her song Judas is an offensive mockery of Jesus Christ. Youths gathered at a rally outside the … Continue reading →

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Balkanization Watch

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Washington Post: The Hutterites are Protestants similar to the Amish and Mennonites who live a life centered on their religion, but unlike the others, Hutterites live in German-speaking communes scattered across northern U.S. states and Canada. They don’t … Continue reading →

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