“Cristo Church, Havana, Cuba” by Roberts & Co., Havana (CC0). The Regulation of Religion in Communist Cuba Religious groups have been viewed with suspicion by the Cuban government for a long time, as they are seen as potential threats to the socialist state. This distrust has led to subtle forms of repression, such as surveillance…
“In God We Trust” Plaque by USCapitol (CC0). Every year, state legislatures throughout the country introduce legislation that in some way brings together religion and the public education system. This is perhaps becoming more common, as state policymakers recognize the increasingly favorable precedents being put in place by the Supreme Court regarding the presence of…
Image by Wutthichai Charoenburi (CC BY 2.0). Religious rights and civil rights sometimes collide in public schools. In earlier cases, religious rights arguments were sometimes used to maintain racial segregation in schools, which obviously conflicted with the rights of students of color. In later cases, students made religious freedom arguments to justify wearing racially insensitive…
Managua Nicaragua Centroamérica by Hillsong7 (CC BY-SA 4.0). During crises or social conflicts in Nicaragua, the Catholic Church has served as a mediator and promoter of justice and peace. In countries with an authoritarian tendency such as Nicaragua, the Church’s support and guidance has been perceived as a threat to the government’s stability. In that…
Magite Historic / Alamy Stock Photo I read a newspaper column many years ago by Garry Wills. He was writing about a priest and three peace activists, morally outraged by the bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, who participated in a White House tour. At one point, they abruptly knelt, announced that the War was an…
Via Vyacheslav Argenberg on Flickr The tenth anniversary of a papal election is an important milestone. This is especially so in the case of Pope Francis, who was elected on March 13, 2013 in extraordinary circumstances after the resignation of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, who had been in office for less than eight years. Of…
The Internet, devised for the purpose of interconnecting diverse computer networks of research and educational communities, has become a global communication system that joins together widely disparate populaces with different ethical codes. The World Wide Web (WWW), hosted by the Internet, serves both to propagate existing ethe and to undermine them. Communities of the WWW, as…
Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash. Introduction From its establishment in 1928 until the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood developed from a small religious study group into the most influential Islamist movement in the world. After coming to political power in 2012 during Egypt’s brief democratic transition, the group was ousted…
“Library” from Pixabay (License) After its recent attempts to challenge conscience exemptions for medical professionals whose faiths prevent them from participating in procedures such as abortion or gender reassignment surgery, the Biden administration has continued its assault on religious freedom. This time the administration and the Federal Department of Education (DOE) are placing the status…
European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg with Flags by Cédric Puisney (CC BY 2.0). Last year, Dr. Mia Brett wrote on Canopy Forum about the ways in which American law has demonstrated insensitivity to Jewish religious liberty. I found much to criticize in her characterization of Christian involvement in the pro-life movement. But her…