Abstract by mahtabahamad on Flickr (CCO) This is the first of a three-part series of essays that discuss the Jewish tradition’s answer to repairing the soul in the midst of wrongdoing, guilt, and shame. This first part uses the biblical story of King David to illustrate the importance of taking ownership of one’s wrongdoing; guilt…
Interior Photography of Church created by freestocks.org (Pexels, CC) Over the last few years, I have attempted to present a universal and coherent legal framework for the treatment of God, religion, and conscience by secular legal systems. This project is based on my objections to both traditional religious and current liberal approaches to religious freedom.…
“Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On” by J.M.W. Turner 1840 / Wikimedia/ PD This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This is the the third installment of a three-part series that explores legal, religious, and…
“Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On” by J.M.W. Turner 1840 / Wikimedia / PD This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This is the the second installment of a three-part series that explores legal, religious,…
“Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On” by J.M.W. Turner 1840 / Wikimedia / PD This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This is the first installment of a three-part series that explores legal, religious, and…
Photo by Ichigo121212 on Pixabay This article is part of our “Race, Religion, and Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. On September 6, 2018, a 26-year-old black accountant, Botham Jean, was murdered in his own apartment at the hands of a white, off-duty police officer, Amber Guyger. Mistaking Jean’s…
Low Angle Photo of Brown and Gray Cathedral during Daytime by Kris Schulze (Pexels CC) The Civil Partnership Act 2004 (“the 2004 Act”) was described by the then Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice as an “important and groundbreaking piece of legislation,” as well as “the greatest advance towards equality for lesbian, gay,…
Photo of red flowers by FanDeLy (Pixabay CC) This article is part of our “Religious Reflections on Forgiveness in Law” series.If you’d like to check out other articles in this series, click here. This essay is excerpted from Samuel J. Levine, Teshuva: A Look at Repentance, Forgiveness and Atonement in Jewish Law and Philosophy and American Legal…
Pixabay (License) During a speech at the United Nations on September 23, 2019, President Trump stated that “protecting religious freedom is one of my highest priorities.” This claim, however, has some advocates of threatened religious minorities crying foul. They argue that Trump has not made good on his promise, citing his ever-shrinking limit on the…
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Chicago, United States, 1893. Wikimedia. Part three of this series on interfaith dialogue focuses on religious literacy. Religious illiteracy is a widespread phenomenon and can seriously hamper attempts to engage in at least some forms of interfaith dialogue. Notably, this problem is not exclusively one of interfaith illiteracy as many…