Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “Last Rights? Death Chamber Chaplains and the Law” Matthew P. Cavedon On December 22, 1849, twenty Russian dissidents stood on St. Petersburg square, waiting to be shot dead by their government. They had already been offered last rites. Several were even tied to a post. Suddenly, a messenger…
Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels COVID-19 presents colleges with precisely the kind of problem that those of us in the liberal arts claim that we are preparing people to address in responsible ways. The pandemic confronts us with what academics call an unstructured problem: one that has many layers and for which there is…
Image by Alexa from Pixabay The word spirituality is often misunderstood and even off-putting, conjuring up images of wispy New Age-y practices and a general flakiness. I would like to make the case that spirituality is not only a positive thing, but a necessary thing for anyone who values social responsibility and harmony with all.…
Photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels I have taught the book of Jonah for years, and I used to be very pleased with my reading of it. I taught my students that the author was using the characters of God and Jonah to prescribe a new concept of relating to others. In the story, Jonah…
Image by cocoColin from Pixabay This article is part of our “Self-Defense and Human Rights” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This piece contributes to David Little’s claim that the right of self-defense is universally acknowledged by analyzing the subtle idea of self-defense in the book of Mencius,…
Photo by kareni on Pixabay This article is part of our “Self-Defense and Human Rights” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. David Little has pioneered the study of religion, human rights, and religious freedom during 60 years of distinguished scholarly work at Yale, Harvard, Virginia, Georgetown, and the…
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels The judgment of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Bostock v. Clayton County, decided on June 15, 2020, is, to say the least, quite controversial. It relates to non-discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment practices and has been applauded by many who champion the legal protection…
Photo Wendelin Jacober on Pexels This article is part of our “Self-Defense and Human Rights” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. I am grateful to have the opportunity to respond to David Little’s important essay, The Right of Self-Defense and the Organic Unity of Human Rights. David’s contribution…
Image adapted from Wikicommons by DhLeaks44 / CC BY-SA 4.0 “God in the Attorney-Client Relationship” Matthew P. Cavedon I was taught early on that a criminal defense attorney has to overcome numerous obstacles to win clients’ trust. Hurdles include their past difficulties with authority figures. Their fears for the future. Their mental illnesses and chemical dependencies. The instability…
Reflection of Trees in Germany, Stijn Dijkstra, Pexels This article is part of our “Self-Defense and Human Rights” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. There are few people better placed to contribute to Canopy Forum than David Little, a leading authority on the history of religious freedom, ethics…