Will SB 1146 End LGBT Discrimination in California’s Religious Schools? This background piece from USC’s religion site offers some information on the draft revisions to the state legislature’s bill intended to protect the civil rights of LGBT and transgender students on Christian campuses. The article can be analyzed for the issue it examines, its content, […]
Illinois Governor Signs Bill Amending Conscience Protections For Health Care Personnel: The new Act requires health care facilities to adopt written protocols that assure conscience-based objections by medical personnel will not impair patients’ health. The Illinois Catholic Health Association took a neutral stand on the bill. The Liberty Counsel complains that the new law forces “Christian and […]
Race, Religion, and Political Affiliation of Americans’ Core Social Networks: This study measures the ways in which individuals’ choices and attitudes are influenced by their family and close friends. Americans’ core social networks not only demonstrate substantial homogeneity by race and ethnicity, but Americans are also much more likely to associate with people who share their […]
The Madness Of Humanity Part 4: Science Vs. Religion: One installment in a series. Gleiser’s essay on science and religion is brief. Instructors and students can consider whether his choice of phrases, expressions, and characterizations helps or hinders the S&R disputes and whether they fit his series title, “The Madness of Humanity.” The article could serve […]
Brain-controlled drone race pushes future tech: A drone race has used a brain-controlled interface by which 16 pilots used willpower to drive drones through a 10-yard dash over an indoor basketball court at the University of Florida. This technology delivers an abstract thought through the digital realm and into the real world as programmers write code to translate […]
AP report about private colleges has a familiar doctrine-shaped hole: This opinion/watchdog piece raises issues about how well the mainstream news services report on Christian colleges and the culture shifts. Students can practice basic critical thinking skills by searching and examining several related stories to see if the writer’s concern is justified. The current California […]
When Do Religious Accommodations Burden Others? Available here are two chapters from the forthcoming book, The Conscience Wars: Rethinking the Balance Between Religion, Idenity, and Equality (S. Mancini and M Rosenfeld, eds. (Cambridge University Press, 2017). The two chapters examine situations where the interference with religious freedom is so significant, and the countervailing burden on […]
Ministerial Exception Claim Requires Case-Specific Factual Analysis: In Collette v. Archdiocese of Chicago, (ND IL, July 29, 2016), an Illinois federal district court refused to dismiss an employment discrimination suit brought by plaintiff who for 17 years was employed as the Director of Worship and Director of Music at Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Illinois. He was […]
An After School Satan Club could be coming to your kid’s elementary school: This WaPo guest piece from Katherine Stewart (The Good News Club: the Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children, 2012) presents a view on the current state of religion and equal access to public schools. The Satanic Temple intends to introduce its After […]
