Category Archives: Religion and Culture

5th Circuit Vacates Suit Against School Board Prayers

An interesting split-decision [pdf] found that an anonymous plaintiff, represented by the ACLU, lacked standing to sue a school board for their opening invocations.

While the ADF called this a “blow” to the ACLU’s practice of suing with “offended observers,” it is worth noting that the court did not rule on the merits of the case.

[The “offended observer” refers loosely to accusations of “planting” people in public meetings who are suddenly offended.  Those who accused groups of using that tactic claimed they were unable to find a “real” offended person and thus had to create their own.  This supposedly led to lawsuits where plaintiffs were virtually unknown to the community that was in support of the challenged activity.]

A concurring opinion noted:  Read more

CNN: “God’s Warriors,” August 21-23, 2007

CNN will air a special in late August entitled “God’s Warriors.” Each of three nights will cover “Jewish,” “Muslim,” and “Christian” warriors.

One News Now published a report indicating that some are concerned that CNN may attempt to equate elements of radical Islam with “the Christian Right.” This concern is based in part on the fact that the CNN news release announcing the upcoming special indicates the following lineup:

1. “Jewish fundamentalist” assassination (Rabin)
2. “Islamic jihadist” assassination (Sadat)
3. “Cultural legacy of the Moral Majority movement in America,” with interviews of Jimmy Carter and the late Jerry Falwell.

It remains to be seen whether CNN will emphasize the difference between conservative Christianity and other religions, or if it attempts to equate Falwell et al with the violent extremism of the other religions.

Engaging the Culture: A Christian Worldview

Within the past year, an emerging trend has gathered significant momentum in the greater Christian community. More frequently, Christian leaders are emphasizing living to a Christian “worldview.” The concept of this worldview—and its application to Christian living—is particularly applicable to military Christians. While it is possibly one of the most basic tenets of the Christian faith, encouraging Christians to strengthen their worldview is viewed by many—Christian and not—as a radical suggestion. Read more

Chuck Colson’s “neo-atheists”

An interesting article by Dr. Tony Beam quotes Chuck Colson’s description of “neo-atheists,” who are no longer content not to believe in God–instead, they want to eliminate the practices of those who do.

Chuck Colson also wrote an article for Christianity Today in which he notes that the most popular “religious” books right now are those that belittle Christianity.  The article also notes that many of the bestsellers reference the growing threat of Christian dominionism, which is also the same threat that Weinstein cites when he “wars” against Christians in the military.

Finally, in an interview at the Southern Baptist Convention, Colson restated his assertion that Christians need to “engage the culture” and “answer the attacks” against the faith.

Pagans to Gather in DC on July 4th

On July 4th, the AU’s Barry Lynn will be one of several speakers near the White House and the Veterans’ Administration.  The gathering is to “celebrate” the “victory” of getting the VA to add the pentacle to its list of approved symbols, demand that the VA add more pagan symbols, and advocate for a pagan military chaplain.The call for a pagan chaplain is problematic, since the military requires that chaplains be ordained in their faith.  Since paganism is, by definition, an unorganized belief system, it is difficult for them to create an organization that is consistent with their dogma (or lack thereof).  Even the “world’s largest public school of Wicca and the Magical Arts” (Our Lady of Enchantment) makes a point of saying that their program is designed for those “interested in creating their own spiritual tradition.”  They say they can meet the requirements of legal recognition of ministerial rights without “making a commitment to any particular Wiccan or Magickal tradition.”  Thus, they are “priests” of only their own belief system.

Of the four scheduled speakers that are listed as “reverends,” only Barry Lynn is legitimately ordained in his own faith.  Neither Fox nor Ellison list the source of their “reverend” title.  Akin is ordained through the Universal Life Church–which will “legally ordain” anyone with a valid email address.

The Ethics of Gouge

The recent cheating scandal at the Air Force Academy has highlighted, once again, that the temptation to compromise one’s integrity is a continuing threat.  In this case, nearly three dozen cadets are accused of cheating by sharing answers on an ‘inconsequential’ military knowledge test.  Other cases have revealed that the same temptation occurs on active duty.  In 2005 a dozen students were kicked out of pilot training for obtaining the answers to an Emergency Procedures Quiz (EPQ) prior to the test administration; an instructor pilot facing court martial for providing those answers subsequently resigned under less than honorable conditions.  Again, the EPQ was an ‘inconsequential’ quiz. 

Why would cadets or officers risk their careers over such insignificant tests?  Read more

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