Category Archives: Uncategorized

Oath of office, cont’d

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Walter Olson

Noreen Malone at Slate reports on the varying practices of some early Presidents, notably that conservative fellow, John Quincy Adams: According to official records kept by the Architect of the Capitol, Teddy Roosevelt is the only president who wasn’t sworn … Continue reading →

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Oleaginousness watch

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

William Kristol reports that at least one conservative pundit has already extended to Obama the blessings of his faith.  At the much commented-on dinner that George Will hosted for Barack Obama last week, Kristol says that he overheard one of my … Continue reading →

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Obama as God

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

Conservatives, particularly religious conservatives, undoubtedly guffawed at this New York Times headline: “Poll Finds Faith in Obama, Mixed With Patience.” Faith belongs to God, they probably said, not to Man, and certainly not to a man as untested, lightweight, and … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from the Culture Wars

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Walter Olson

Many readers will already be familiar with that lively secularist redoubt at ScienceBlogs, Dispatches from the Culture Wars, where Ed Brayton often crosses swords with creationists, WorldNetDaily, and a wide assortment of other religion-inspired groups and publications ranging from Focus … Continue reading →

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From Smith To Darwin

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

There’s no rule that says secular conservatives have to be libertarian (or anything approaching that state of belief), and indeed for any number of reasons they do not (the good Mr. Hobbes comes to mind), but I was, nevertheless, struck … Continue reading →

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Church, State & Education (Ctd)

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

Walter, the debate about whether taxpayer-funded vouchers should be able to be used in schools attached to one religious denomination or another has been going on for years. My own inclination has been to think, with reservations, that the answer … Continue reading →

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Church, state and education

Posted on January 17, 2009 by Walter Olson

Catholic schools are in steep decline, their enrollment having “steadily dropped by more than half from its peak of five million 40 years ago”, according to a New York Times account. Among the better-known reasons: 1) nuns and priests who … Continue reading →

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“So Help Me God”

Posted on January 16, 2009 by Walter Olson

Per Peter R. Henriques at History News Network, an oft-told tale about George Washington’s first inaugural oath of office is a “myth that should be discarded“. (h/t: Ian Geldard on Twitter). And I don’t even need to page Jonathan Rowe … Continue reading →

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On Judeo-Christian

Posted on January 15, 2009 by David Hume

I’ve recently triggered a round of discussion on several weblogs around the interwebs relating to the term “Judeo-Christianity,” especially when it comes to definiting the civilization of the West (as in, “our Judeo-Christian culture”).   I started the discussion here, … Continue reading →

Posted in Definition, history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Miscellany, January 14

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Walter Olson

Tattoo-parlor Calvinism at Seattle’s Mars Hill Church, blazing new trails in quien-es-mas-macho discipleship. P.S. DH and I independently noticed this story and posted on it only minutes apart. Read his post. Latest in Michael Newdow’s suit over religious references in … Continue reading →

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