Tag Archives: church and state

A Moment of Doubt in Lancaster

The city council meetings in my hometown, Lancaster, California, start with a prayer, a minute or two long, usually to Jesus. I’m not saying these prayers should stop. But as a member, not of the faith community, but of the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kansas City Bishop Robert W. Finn Knew of the Child Pornography Photographs Taken by Father Shawn Ratigan

Father Robert W. Finn is bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph archdiocese. He is also, according to today’s New York Times, an outspoken theological conservative. And he’s a protector of at least one child abuser. That child abuser’s name is Father Shawn Ratigan. Here’s the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The City of Lancaster, in California, is sued for offering sectarian prayers to Jesus before council meetings

Surprise, surprise. As fundamentalists so frequently do when obtaining power, the fundamentalists who dominate the Lancaster City Council (particularly the mayor, R. Rex Parris, and council persons Sherry Marquez and Ron Smith) have overplayed their hand, drawing a lawsuit against the city. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, declares a Wisconsin federal judge

Of course, it will be appealed. But this is still big news on the separation of church and state front. This today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A Wisconsin federal judge on Thursday found the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“We’re a nation not just where you are free to believe or not to believe; we’re a nation founded for Him”: Rick Warren, Kathryn Jean Lopez, and the Theocratic Temptation

Kathryn Jean Lopez, of the National Catholic Register, offers a theocratic spin to the meaning of America (and Obama’s inauguration prayer): Rick Warren reminded us why all eyes were on the Capitol steps that Tuesday afternoon: “in His name.” We’re a … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment