The Genome Project–Write: As human genome-scale synthesis appears increasingly feasible, a coordinated scientific effort to understand, discuss, and apply large-genome engineering technologies is timely. The overarching goal of this effort is to understand the blueprint of life provided by the Human Genome Project (HGP-read). Some critics express concern that the project intends to synthesize a trans-human: The […]
As California’s End of Life act goes into effect, some doctors question where to draw the line: Physicians are contemplating this new law and whether they would ever write a prescription for death. “We have always, up till now, been able to say we will never hasten a death,” Dr. Neil Wenger said. “Suddenly, that bright line is not […]
The Radical Theology That Could Make Religious Freedom a Thing of the Past: “So, what is it? Dominionism fundamentally opposes America’s venerable tradition of church-state separation — in fact, dominionists deny the Founders ever intended that separation in the first place.” Check other sources on dominionism. This discussion can assist students in the larger discussion of […]
What happens when the military chaplain is shaken by war: One account of several chaplain cases of active duty under fire from Bosnia to Afghanistan to Iraq. The comments section is also instructive. The article prompts the usual issues and questions about suffering, the role of religion in the military, the endurance of faith, and […]
An Interview with Ana Revenga–Ending Extreme Poverty: This discussion of the the poor and left-hand kingdom notes that considers that for the first time in history less than 10 percent of the world’s population was living in extreme poverty—down from 37 percent in 1990 and 44 percent in 1981. Ana Revenga, senior director of the Poverty and […]
A Review of The High House (1998), The False House (2015), and Evenmere (2015): “These three books are wonderfully written fantasy, and Stoddard is nearly as good as C. S. Lewis at recapitulating aspects of the Christian myth. Stoddard’s trilogy does something new and nifty. It is an argument in fiction that narrative is at the […]
The New Hobbesians: This editorial challenges the Canadian government’s movements toward euthanasia. “C-14 does nothing to protect the right of objecting institutions or individuals to decline to participate in assisted suicide and euthanasia…[and] endorses the Hobbesian dictum that “private consciences” are dangerous because they “weaken” the state, and must be comprehensively subordinated to “the public conscience.”
Federal judge urges prompt appeal to Court on transgender rights: Arguing that “time is of the essence,” a federal appeals court judge has called for a prompt appeal to the Supreme Court to sort out the rights of transgender students when they use restrooms at school. At issue in the case of G.G. v. Gloucester County School […]
‘Spiritual But Not Religious’: Rethinking the Legal Definition of Religion – (Note: one download allowed) Courts and legal scholars misunderstand a burgeoning group of Americans who identify as “spiritual but not religious,” excluding them from religious protection. A recent case dismissed as nonreligious the beliefs of a plaintiff whose beliefs are paradigmatic of this growing cohort. […]
When Being Pro-Life Did Not Mean Being Conservative: Students can use this Q&A to consider the extent to which terms such as “liberal” and “conservative” are useful when assessing social views informed by religious heritage and theological traditions. The article explores a time when liberal Democrats opposed abortion with vigor, and conservative Republicans remained largely indifferent.
