Founding Father James Madison must be turning over in his grave today. James Madison was the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus of the First Amendment. He was the foremost champion of religious liberty. James Madison’s “Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments”, a document presented to the Virginia General Assembly in 1785, argued … Read more
One of Donald Trump’s very first official acts as president was his Muslim Travel Ban (version 1.0), on Jan. 27, 2017. Trump’s pandering on anti-Muslim bigotry is a sop to his white fundamentalist evangelical Christian Right base in the Republican Party, and their end-times Apocalyptic cult of the Rapture. And it is inextricably linked to the … Read more
“Fanaticism is not synonymous with faith; it is merely faith at its worst.” – Andrew Sullivan, from America’s New Religions. There is religious fanaticism loose in America. Jonathan Davis writes that “Christian nationalism – including the tendency of many evangelicals to seek power for themselves (and their version of Christianity) – is a threat to … Read more
by Pamela Powers Hannley The Arizona State Senate and the House of Representatives begin each session with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. On some level, I understand the inclusion of the Pledge of Allegiance. Since Arizona lawmakers often challenge the authority of the federal government, stating the Pledge of Allegiance may remind them that … Read more