Why the Fading Credibility of Pope Francis Should Worry More than Just Catholics
Depletion of trust and confidence in public and private institutions is happening across the board and leads to more, not less, government.
Religion
Duterte's Deadly Drug War Targets a Catholic Priest
Death squads are after Father Amado Picardal, an early critic of the Philippine drug war.
The Case for a Consistent Approach to Government Discrimination on the Basis of Religion
Both right and left decry implicit government discrimination on the basis of religion when it targets groups they sympathize with. But both are all too ready to turn a blind eye in other cases.
Saudi Arabia Wants To Execute a Female Activist for Protesting the Government
Israa al-Ghomgham would be the first female activist to be executed in Saudi Arabia.
Elizabeth Warren's Corporate Buttinskyism Is the Future Liberals Want: Podcast
What could go wrong with federalizing the corporate charter process and putting bureaucrats in charge of long-term business thinking?
Skeptical of the 'Common Good'? Don't Be!
Libertarians think freedom creates the conditions that lead to human flourishing. The Catholic Church has a name for that.
"Islamic Fundamentalist Fervor Seems to Have Intensified, Such That Evangelical Christians May Now Be at Special Risk in Indonesia"
This leads to a rare potential victory for someone who illegally came to the U.S. from Indonesia, and who is seeking to reopen his asylum case.
New Lawsuit Says Utah's Medical Marijuana Initiative Is a Free Speech Violation
Opponents claim forbidding landlords from discriminating against tenants for using medical marijuana is unconstitutional.
Satanists Use Freedom of Religion To Call for Installation of Demonic Statue in Arkansas State Capitol
"This is a rally for all people who hold sacred the founding Constitutional principles of Religious Freedom and Free Expression..."
Afghan Teen Wasn't Gay Enough to Get Asylum in Austria: Report
According to the official handling the teen's asylum application, his walk, dress, and actions proved he couldn't be gay.
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Want to Lift the Statute of Limitations Amid the Catholic Priest Sex Abuse Report
The bill was passed unanimously by the state Senate, but has remained in the House since February 2017.
Can a Baker Be Forced to Make a Transgender Celebration Cake?
Masterpiece Cakeshop is back with a new lawsuit over another rejection.
Muslim Male Inmate Objects to Strip Search by Apparently Anatomically Female Transgender Guard
An interesting case now being litigated in federal court in Wisconsin.
Mandatory 'In God We Trust' Signs Greet Florida Students at Start of School Year
Thanks to legislation that passed in March, all Florida public schools must display "In God We Trust" signage in "a conspicuous place."
The Pro-Lesbian Anti-Transgender "Pussy Church of Modern Witchcraft" Recognized by IRS as Church
"The IRS recognized it as a 501(c)(3) organization and went the extra step of recognizing PCMW as a church, the most enviable of all tax statuses. exempt not only from income tax but also from the transparency that filing Form 990 creates. A church does not have to apply for exempt status, but it is a prudent step particularly for an innovative organization like PCMW."
V.S. Naipaul: 'Terrorists Can Fly a Plane, But What They Can't Do Is Build a Plane'
The Nobel laureate had a brilliant, sadly ignored insight that would have short-circuited the worst cultural and political reactions of the past 17 years.
Catholic Church Changes Doctrine To Oppose Death Penalty
The church's catechism now calls capital punishment "inadmissible" and says it's "an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person."
A Pennsylvania Town Wants to Force an Amish Widow to Give Up Her Outhouse
A Pennsylvania town is trying to force an Amish widow to ignore her religious beliefs in the name of public utilities.
Muslim Children Ejected From Public Pool for Flouting an Unwritten Swimwear Rule
The modestly dressed kids supposedly ran afoul of a previously unenforced cotton ban.
Religious Leader Demands Suppression of "Blasphemous" Plays
So report Czech media.
Court Says Cannabis Doesn't Count As a Sacrament
An Indiana judge just issued a blow to the state's First Church of Cannabis.
Jimmy Carter: Jesus Would Approve of Gay Marriage, and So Do I
The former president has "no problem" with gay weddings, though he adds that churches shouldn't be forced to perform them.
A Gospel Group Sings Praises After Facebook Restores a Music Video It Deemed 'Political'
Facebook apologizes to Zion's Joy! after treating a music video like a campaign ad.
How a New SCOTUS Ruling on Abortion Could Permanently Alter Economic Regulation
"The majority's view, if taken literally, could radically change prior law," warn the Court's liberal justices.
Initial Thoughts on the Supreme Court's Terrible Travel Ban Decision
Some preliminary comments on a badly flawed ruling.
The "Travel Ban" Decision, in One (Non-Snarky) Sentence
The U.S. has nearly unlimited power to decide when foreigners are admitted to the country, even based on factors (such as ideology, religion, and likely race and sex) that would be unconstitutional as to people already in the country.
After Gay Wedding Cake Ruling, Supreme Court Punts Floral Arrangements Case
Washington State told to revisit ruling against Arlene's Flowers.
Religious Freedom and the Sanctity of the Confessional
The Florida Evidence Code apparently requires clergy to testify about confessions to them, if the penitent allows them to do so -- but Catholic doctrine forbids any such testimony, regardless of the penitent's wishes. Which should prevail?
Child Custody and Vegetarianism
New York appellate court reverses a judgment (likely prompted by one of the parents' religious beliefs) that bars either parent from feeding the child "fish, meat, or poultry" without the other's consent.
SCOTUS May Yet Approve Gay Wedding Cake Demands
Despite its ruling in favor of a Colorado baker, the Court remains hostile to religious exemptions from anti-discrimination laws.
The Court's Religious Discrimination Reasoning in the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case
Why did the Court find that Colorado acted based on hostility to religion -- and thus violated the Free Exercise Clause -- and not just based on hostility to sexual orientation discrimination?
How the Masterpiece Cakeshop Decision Strengthens the Case Against Trump's Travel Ban
The Supreme Court's ruling was based on state officials' apparent hostility to the bakers' religious beliefs. There is far stronger evidence of such hostility in the travel ban case.
Minister Has Sex with Married Parishioner -- Can Church Be Liable for Saying the Parishioner Committed Adultery?
No, says the Iowa Supreme Court, rejecting the claim that such statements (labeled "counterculture practices" by the plaintiffs) were libelous or negligent.
Divided Sixth Circuit Panel Rejects Legal Challenge to "In God We Trust"
Judges split on whether printing "In God We Trust" on currency imposes a substantial burden under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Judge Didn't Err by Refusing to Let Witness Testify With Her Face Covered
So holds the New South Wales (Australia) high court.
Steven Pinker Loves the Enlightenment
The Harvard psychologist splits the difference between Dr. Pangloss and Pope Francis.
Would AG Sessions Have Sent Ayaan Hirsi Ali Back to Somalia to be Killed?
He is questioning the legitimacy of private violence against women as valid grounds for asylum
Anti-Sex Work Crusaders Now Coming for Legal Prostitution in Nevada
"Of course the voices of actual sex workers are nowhere to be found," says brothel worker and PhD student Christina Parreira.
Thoughts on the Travel Ban Oral Argument
The justices' comments in the oral argument suggest this will be a close case that could easily go either way. The outcome could well turn on the views of that perennial swing voter, Justice Anthony Kennedy.
