Category: Politics - Page 26

September 17, 2014

It Isn’t President Obama’s Job To Judge Religions

President Obama gave a speech about his plans to deal with the latest Middle East based terrorist group called ISIS or ISIL depending on how much fear mongering you need. While ISIL is based on a perverted version of Islam, the President shouldn’t be using a ‘No True Scotsman’ argument to point it out. It isn’t his job to decide if a group is following a particular religion correctly or not.

The President spoke on September 10th in a nationally televised address about his plans to “to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.” However one part of his speech really bothered me.

Read the post

September 6, 2014

Ohio Law Allowing Creationism Into Public Schools Sets Up A Dover Trap

The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) reported on August 19th that Ohio Representatives Andy Thompson (R-95) and Matt Huffman (R-4) introduced House Bill 597 to repeal Ohio’s participation in the Common Core curriculum. Even with recent changes, it includes language that would allow creationism and climate change denial to be taught in the public schools.

Read the post

August 25, 2014

Town That Won Invocation Court Case May Exclude Atheists Anyway

image of people on a town council praying

The plaintiff in the precedent setting US Supreme Court case, Town of Greece v. Galloway, recently developed and adopted guidelines in choosing the person or people who could give invocations at the start of their meetings. Unfortunately it looks like the town ignored the courts prohibition on discrimination. The guidelines seem to exclude the nonreligious from being chosen to lead their pre-meeting invocations.

Read the post

August 12, 2014

Secular Majority, Its Time Has Come

Today marks the opening of the Secular Majority project. Secular Majority is ‘an independent, non-partisan, grassroots network of organizers, activists, and voters with the mission of identifying, supporting, and aiding in the election of qualified candidates committed to secular government and civic equality for Secular Americans’. The time has come to have an independent grassroots group who’s goal is to let secular voters know which candidates support their values.

Read the post

August 7, 2014

Enforcing Church Electioneering Rules Doesn’t Violate The First Amendment

clipart of a minister preaching from a pulpit

Last month I posted about a settlement between the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over policing electioneering by churches. The IRS had for years dragged its feet in investigating complaints about churches violating the terms of the tax exemption rules by getting too political. Of course conservatives now claim, with the settlement, that a church’s first amendment rights will be violated. Such a claim is utter hogwash.

Read the post

July 22, 2014

Ohio Bill Introduced To Allow Any Person To Solemnize Marriages

photo of a Humanist Celebrant performing a marriage

Outside of certain government officials, Ohio state law requires other people who want to officiate marriages to be ‘ordained’ in their religious society or congregation. A bill introduced on June 30th would remove the requirement and make it easier for secular people to perform marriages and have non-theistic weddings.

Representative Mike Foley (D-14) and Representative Robert F. Hagan (D-58) introduced the bill, which would reduce religious entanglement with what is actually a civil act between two people.

Read the post