A proposal continued advancing Tuesday in the Senate to allow school districts to authorize chaplains to provide services for students. Under the bill (SB 1044), districts and charter schools could adopt policies to allow volunteer school chaplains “to provide supports, services and programs to students as assigned by the district school board or charter school governing board.”
Religion & Beliefs
How Religion and Politics Will Mix in 2024
Religion is likely to play a big role in voters’ choices in the 2024 presidential election – much as it did in previous years. Despite an overall shift away from participation in organized religion in the U.S. populace, religious rhetoric in the political arena has intensified with end-times rhetoric, talk of divine mandates and the intersection of white supremacy and Christian nationalism.
Blessings for LGBTQ+ Couples: Pope Francis’s Historic Gesture
Pope Francis’ Dec. 18, 2023, announcement that Catholic priests may bless LGBTQ+ couples and others in “irregular” situations marks a definitive shift in the Roman Catholic Church’s posture toward many types of loving relationships. It may also mark a definitive turning point within the Roman Catholic Church.
‘In God We Trust’ Tests Limits of Religion in Public Schools
Louisiana passed a law in August 2023 requiring public schools to post “In God We Trust” in every classroom – from elementary school to college. Even under recent Supreme Court precedents, the Louisiana law may violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from promoting religion.
Amid Horrors in Israel, Temple Beth Shalom Prepares to Celebrate 50th Anniversary in Palm Coast
Fifty years ago, 18 Jewish families who found themselves living in Flagler County in the early 1970s, discovered each other and discovered they had no place of worship to call their own. They founded Temple Beth Shalom, which bills itself not as a Conservative or a Reform temple, but rather an egalitarian, independent house of worship. This weekend, it celebrates its 50th anniversary in Palm Coast.
The Disturbing Jingoism of Amish Tourist Towns
The shops that line the main streets of supposedly peace-loving Amish towns like Berlin, Sugarcreek and Walnut Creek sell a plethora of items that feature Christian nationalist motifs, intense patriotism and ominous suggestions of violence – all antithetical to the core values of the Amish.
Quran Burning and the Line Between Free Expression and Incitement of Hatred
While freedom of expression is a fundamental human right in liberal democracies, the right to express one’s opinion can become complex when expressing one’s views clashes with the religious and cultural beliefs of others and when this rhetoric veers into hate speech.
Court Orders Affirmative Action for Religious Workers, at Other Employees’ Expense
Religious employees may have an easier time getting their companies to accommodate requests. But while on the surface it may seem businesses will bear the costs of doing so, other employees may ultimately pay for much of the burden of accommodation.
Pat Robertson: What We Endured
Televangelist Pat Robertson, who died at the age of 93 on June 8, was a familiar face on television for many conservative Christians, and wielded enormous influence on American politics.
A Former Nun’s Account of Abuse and Brainwashing
“Any thoughts of escaping to a more natural life was regarded as being sinful. The idea of being unfaithful to your vocation was a step on the way to hell. It would be a mortal sin.” So spoke the author’s mother, 15 when she entered a convent in Ireland in 1950 and 34 by the time she finally managed to leave.