Religion Commentary
“Welcoming the Stranger” in the Age of Trump
Religious individuals and communities offer sanctuary to undocumented people, defending their actions as acts of religious conscience protected by the First Amendment.
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“A shameful day”
On Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, suspending the refugee program and permanently imposing a religious test for refugees going forward.
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Beyond left vs. right, Madison’s vision of religious freedom
Madison, whose birthday the nation largely ignores every year on March 16, would be appalled to see the true meaning of religious freedom, the great cause of his life, lost in the din of charge and counter-charge in our increasingly ugly political arena.
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In 2016, genocide is taking place and it must end
The New Year begins, mass killings continue, and the United States government has yet to declare what is happening in Iraq and Syria “genocide.”
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Muslims, refugees, and the struggle for the soul of America
The horrific terrorist attacks of recent weeks have brought out the worst – and the best – in the American character.
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Islam, public schools, and the challenge of teaching about religions
What has triggered recent conflicts is not so much inclusion of study about religions in the curriculum – some level of religious literacy, after all, is required by all state standards. The fight is over how teaching about religions – in this case Islam – is carried out in the classroom.
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Politics and perils of Muslim bashing on the campaign trail
According to conventional presidential campaign wisdom, loose talk denigrating a religious tradition practiced by millions of Americans would seriously damage – if not sink – a candidate’s bid for the nomination of either major party.
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In words and gestures, Pope Francis re-awakens the American ideal
At a cultural moment when celebrity trumps character in America, it took a humble priest from Argentina to remind us of the better angels of our nature – and of the kind of nation we must aspire to build in the 21st century.
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Olympic fiasco: Awarding Beijing rewards persecution
Last week, the International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the 2022 Winter Games, demonstrating yet again that selection of a host city has everything to do with politics, money and power — and nothing whatsoever to do with human rights.
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After Charleston
The brutal murder of nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17 was a chilling assault on fundamental freedoms guaranteed every American under the First Amendment.
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