Separation of Church and State

President Obama Straddles the Wall of Separation

Bruce Ledewitz | Posted 04.30.2009 | Politics

Read More: Obama Church and State, Obama Church, Judge Hamilton, Separation of Church and State, Barack Obama, Secularism, David F. Hamilton, Politics News
Bruce Ledewitz

The nomination of Judge David F. Hamilton would be important if it tells us something about President Obama's preferred position on the separation of church and state.

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New York Times' Gay Marriage Nothing New

Emma Ruby-Sachs | Posted 03.26.2009 | Politics

Read More: South Africa, Gay Rights, Evangelical Christians, Religious Freedom, Equal Rights, New York Times, Canada, Constitution, Netherlands, Deaf, Separation of Church and State, Gay Marriage, Marriage Equality, Evangelicals, Politics News
Emma Ruby-Sachs

Imagine my surprise when the New York Times published an op-ed yesterday describing a new "great compromise" on gay marriage that essentially provided for marriage rights with religious exemptions.

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Why Is Religion Taboo in American Schools?

John W. Whitehead | Posted 03.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Schools, Religion and Politics, Religion, Religion in Public Schools, Separation of Church and State, Church and State, Politics News
John W. Whitehead

Some elites cite the "wall of separation between church and state" as justification for censoring, silencing and discriminating against religious individuals, especially in the public schools.

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Obama: What He Said and What We're Getting

Reese Schonfeld | Posted 03.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: White House Office for Faith-Based Programs and Neighborhood Partnerships, Barack Obama Faith Based Groups, Lyndon Johnson, Marx Brothers, Separation of Church and State, Equal Opportunity Order, George W. Bush, President Obama, Politics News
Reese Schonfeld

President Obama appears to be running scared -- scared of the Republican minority in Congress, scared of faith-based groups, scared of boldness.

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One Nation Under Democracy

Michael DeJong | Posted 03.20.2009 | Politics

Read More: Jerry Falwell, Scientology, First Amendment, Rovian, Hell, Pat Robertson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Obama, Rastafarianism, Fundamentalists, Republican Party, Agnosticism, Christians, In God We Trust, Separation of Church and State, Islam, Atheism, World, Beltway Insider, Bahá'í, Presidential Prayer Breakfast, Country, Religion, Confucianism, Jimmy Swaggart, Strange Bedfellows, Jainism, Environment, Hinduism, Buddhism, Neopaganism, Sikhism, Sufism, Wiccanism, Shinto, Politics News
Michael DeJong

One might have thought that Obama would slant more towards the Constitutional First Amendment of Separation of Church and State, and forgo the tradition of "Prayer Breakfasts."

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Wall of Separation Becomes a Low Fence

Craig Crawford | Posted 03.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Religion, Thomas Jefferson, Faith-Based Initiatives, Separation of Church and State, Politics News
Craig Crawford

With two presidents in a row institutionalizing federal funding of churches, Jefferson's "wall of separation of church and state" is crumbling.

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A Nation of Believers and Nonbelievers - Second Thoughts on Obama's Inaugural Speech

Ronald Aronson | Posted 02.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Religion and Politics, Politics, Obama, Atheism, Humanism, Separation of Church and State, Obama's Inauguration, Politics News
Ronald Aronson

Nonbelievers are often treated as if we don't exist. It has been done in Obama's name and, yes, by Obama himself. So to clear the air, we have a few issues to raise with the President.

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An Appeal to Zeus: Returning to Secular Politics

Jeff Schweitzer | Posted 02.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Religion, Presidential Oath, God, Constitution, Separation of Church and State, Secular Politics, Politics News
Jeff Schweitzer

For the first 180 years of existence, the United States never included god in its motto, on its currency, or in any document creating the republic.

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School Moment-Of-Silence Law Ruled Unconstitutional

AP | Posted 02.21.2009 | Chicago

Read More: School Prayer, Religion, Moment of Silence Law, Separation of Church and State, School Moment of Silence Law, Illinois Moment of Silence Law, Chicago News

A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional a law passed by the Illinois legislature requiring the state's schools to require a moment of prayer or ref...

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Take Your Hand Off My Bible

Leora Tanenbaum | Posted 02.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Religion, Obama, Evangelical Christians, Rick Warren Saddleback Church, Separation of Church and State, Gay Marriage, Gene Robinson, Rick Warren Invocation, Religion in America, Constitution, Obama Warren, Obama Inauguration Day, Politics News
Leora Tanenbaum

Most of us have a presidential fantasy. Some of us long to transform the health care system. Some imagine the possibilities in humanitarian aid. Oth...

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The Middle East Conflict is Still a Religion-Fueled One

Ali A. Rizvi | Posted 02.09.2009 | World

Read More: Christians, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Jews, Bible, Gaza, Middle East, Torah, Secularism, Quran, Muslims, Religion and Politics, Hamas, Separation of Church and State, Israel Hamas, World News
Ali A. Rizvi

Despite the current contention that the Arab-Israeli conflict is rooted in politics and economics -- it is naive and dangerous to overlook its religious roots.

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The Separation of Church and God

John DeBellis | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Jews, Church, Bible, Gun Salesmen, Jesus, Dick Cheny, Moses, Constintui, God, Barack Obama, Religion, Muslims, Arabs, Baptists, Reverand Rick Warren, Separation of Church and State, Church and State, Protestants, Cahtolics, Politics News
John DeBellis

I'm not a religious man. What you consider prayer, I consider covering all my bases, or at worst talking to myself (and I know I'm not God, just look at my stack of unpaid bills).

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Minnesota U.S. Senator Klobuchar Requests $500K Earmark for Christianist Program Tied to Ex-Gay Ministry

Pam Spaulding | Posted 01.31.2009 | Politics

Read More: Religion, Religion and Politics, Pam's House Blend, Ex-Gay, Separation of Church and State, Politics News
Pam Spaulding

Senator Klobuchar is requesting a $500,000 earmark for Minnesota Teen Challenge. What is that? MNTC believes that Halloween, Harry Potter and Pokemon are gateways to drug addiction.

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Heathens Stealing Christmas?

Doon Baqi | Posted 01.28.2009 | Living

Read More: Texas, Religion, Islam, Jews, God, Hannukah, Christmas, Christianity, Freedom of Religion, Seasons Greetings, Chrismas Commentary, Religious Right, Happy Kwanzaa, Separation of Church and State, Happy Hanukkah, Living News
Doon Baqi

Happy Holidays is a safe bet. It does not mean Christmas has been stolen. It just acknowledges that not everyone that hears it or reads the signs or sees the commercials is a Christian.

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Constitutional Relativism and Proposition 8

Noah Manne | Posted 01.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Women's Suffrage, Constitutional Amendment, Gay Rights, Proposition 8, Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage, Equal Rights, Equal Protection, California Gay Marriage Ban, Constitution, Civil Rights, Gay Marriage, Poltical Activism, Civil Rights Movement, Separation of Church and State, Freedom of Religion, Politics News
Noah Manne

Let's start with this premise: Equal treatment under the law. That is what the U.S. Constitution guarantees, and that is what we, as Americans, agre...

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Separation of Church and Hate

Dr. Susan Corso | Posted 12.18.2008 | Living

Read More: Mormons, CA Proposition 8, Church, Hate, Separation, Mormons Politicking, Fearmongering, Proposition 8, No on Prop 8, Marriage Equality, Mormons Prop 8, California Gay Marriage, Yes on Prop 8, Gay Rights, Marriage Equality in CA, Religion and Love, Gay Civil Rights, Separation of Church and State, Spirituality, Gay Marriage, CA Gay Marriage, Living News
Dr. Susan Corso

May I respectfully request that anyone who is truly spiritual, and who understands that all humans deserve love, begin to pray for the separation of church and hate?

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Hey Mr. God, Lookie What I Did to Those Nasty Homosexuals!

Tom Gregory | Posted 12.14.2008 | Politics

Read More: Texas Death Penalty, Catholics, California Gay Marriage, Prop 8 Ballot Initiative, God, Gay Protests, Prop 8, Karla Faye Tucker, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, The Rapture, George W. Bush, Mormons, Evangelical, Separation of Church and State, On Death and Dying, Same-Sex Marriage, Don Stewart, Stupid People, Politics News
Tom Gregory

The passage of California's Prop 8 comes to many as a shock, to some as a wake-up call, and to the rest of America as no real surprise. In 2000, B...

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Premature Emancipation? A Pragmatist's View of the Gay Marriage Struggle

Gary Cohan | Posted 12.06.2008 | Politics

Read More: Lawrence vs. Texas, Mormon Church, Karl Rove, Culture Wars, Ballot Initiative, Theocracy, U.S. Constitution, 2008 Election, Homosexual Rights, Civil Rights, U.S. Supreme Court, California Gay Marriage, Red States, Gay Rights, Human Rights, Ban on Gay Marriages, American History, California Supreme Court, Women and Politics, Religion and Politics, Premature Ejaculation, Separate but Equal, Separation of Church and State, Poltical Strategy, Gay Issues, Gay Marriage, Albert Einstein, Prop 8, No on Prop 8, Church of the Latter Day Saints, Yes on Prop 8, Mormon Prop 8, Politics News
Gary Cohan

Civil rights are not won in the war zone of national elections or State referenda but, rather, in a series of small but important evolutionary steps.

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The Third Reich Rises for Prop 8 (Video)

Tom Gregory | Posted 11.30.2008 | Politics

Read More: Yes on Prop 8, Election 2004, Prop 8, Faith-Based Initiatives, No on Prop 8, Right-Wing, Kristallnacht 2008, Skinheads, Sacramento Rally, Brad Dacus, Separation of Church and State, Same-Sex Marriage, California, Kristallnacht, Politics News
Tom Gregory

2008-10-30-prop8pull.jpg At a recent Prop 8 rally Brad Dacus, an official campaign spokesman, actually compared the right of same-sex couples to marry to the rise of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany.

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Prop 8: Preying on California

Tom Gregory | Posted 11.17.2008 | Politics

Read More: Mormon, Holocaust, Prop 8, Constantine's Sword, California Prop 8, Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI, Same-Sex Marriage, Catholic Church, Oren Jacoby, Gay Rights, Same Sex Marriage, James Carroll, Ronald George, Separation of Church and State, Gay Marriage, Politics News
Tom Gregory

The church poking its nose into politics has too long been too pervasive and too powerful in Bush's America.

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Remember the Alamo -- Tony Alamo

Diane Dimond | Posted 10.29.2008 | Living

Read More: Diane Dimond, Protected by First Amendment, Tony Alamo Arrest, Wayne Bent in Northern New Mexico, Like Yearning for Zion Ranch, Separation of Church and State, FBI Arrests Tony Alamo, Jim Jones People's Temple, Transporting Minors Across State Lines for Sexual Purposes, Catholic Priest Sex Scandal, Charlatans, Sex, Living News
Diane Dimond

An 11 year-old said Alamo ordered four men to hit him with a paddle 140 times for some minor offense. The preacher dodged child abuse charges.

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S.C. Legislature: Lord's Prayer a Legal Document

Chris Rodda | Posted 10.27.2008 | Style

Read More: Public Schools, Religion, Separation of Church and State, Ten Commandments, South Carolina, Christianity, Style News
Chris Rodda

A recent bill contrives to add the Lord's Prayer to the list of documents to be included in "educational and informational material regarding the history and background of American law."

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Do Liberals "Get It" When it Comes to Fighting Fundamentalism?

Evan Derkacz | Posted 10.26.2008 | Politics

Read More: Religion, Fundamentalism, The Family, Religious Right, Chuck Colson, Separation of Church and State, Anthony Pellicano, Politics News
Evan Derkacz

Do the liberal values of dialogue and compromise actually have any effect when dealing with this powerful network?

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Praying For Pipelines Not My Kind Of Religion

Linda Hansen | Posted 10.23.2008 | Home

Read More: Separation of Church and State, Darfur, God and Governance, Joe Biden, The Bible and Politics, God, Sarah Palin and God, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Palin: Praying for the Pipeline, Offthebus, God and the GOP, campaign2008, Children of God, Home News
Linda Hansen

Most people of faith pray for peace, an end to poverty, disease and human suffering. For others, their God wants the good guys to have the big bomb, most of the world's oil and plenty of cash.

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The Divided States of America: One Nation Under Two Gods

Michelle Haimoff | Posted 10.12.2008 | Politics

Read More: 2008 Elections, Charity, Liberals, Mccain, Obama, Democratic Party, 2008 Presidential Election, Government, 2008 Election and Abortion, Politics, God, Abortion Laws, Conservatives, Jesus, Barack Obama Religion, Obama 2008, Religious Right, Election 2008, Health Care, Republican Party, Family, Abortion, Democratic Convention, John McCain, Democratic National Convention, McCain Palin, United States, Christian Right, Evil, Democrats, 2008 Election, Republican Convention, 2008 Election and Gender, Election, Barack Obama, 08 Election, Barack Obama 2008, Religion, John McCain 2008, Family Values, Breaking Politics News, Religion and Politics, Christianity, Death Penalty, Presidential Election, Separation of Church and State, Republican National Convention, Republicans, Politics News
Michelle Haimoff

These diametrically opposed, partisan visions of America can never be reconciled because both parties feel that they are fundamentally saving the other party from itself.

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