Does Christianity in America Help Contribute to Climate Change Denial?

One of the greatest challenges of the modern era is the changing of the planets climate and the various human causes that attribute to it. With the release of many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere that is caused from human industry, transportation, and agriculture practices, many within America and abroad desire swift action to halt this process with economic and social reform. However, a large portion of those who oppose these reforms within America is the Christian population and the various denominations within them. But why are Christians in America so against not only reform in climate change but the very idea of humanity being the cause of it? What emphasis do Christians put on besides climate change? And what percentage of Christians do believe that climate change is a very real threat in the future?

Do Corporations Have Religious Freedom?

         To what effect does a corporation have the right to religious freedom? How far can the rights of a corporation extend if it means limitations on individuals’ religious liberties? The answers to these questions are as divisive as religious freedom itself. The Constitution and The Bill of Rights were written to provide American citizens with a concrete establishment and preservation of specific rights. One of which was the first amendment. It states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”; this has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout United States’ history. For the purpose of this article I will divide the amendment into two perspectives. The first perspective comes from the left. The political left interprets, “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” as, the United States shall not favor one particular religion over another. People are free “from” religion in this sense. The right tends to focus on, “or prohibition of the free exercise thereof”, meaning that the government cannot restrict an individual’s choice to practice their religion, or their right “to” religion. Both interpretations are reasonable and merit considerable debate in considering the rights of each individual. What makes this increasingly difficult and unjust is when we extend this liberty, this god given right, to the American business corporation.

Religion, Politics and Happiness

Politics, Religion and Happiness

Religion and politics, it can be argued are directly proportional to human happiness. History clearly demonstrates that political and religious stability helps civilization flourish, not just at the national level but also at the international level. There are reliable social and scientific studies that confirm this. Additionally, various leaders, scholars and other influential figures across different disciplines have affirmed the fact that religion by itself can lead to societal happiness and political stability. Much has been written and said about this issue, and an overwhelming number of people around the world still believe that religious and political stability hold the key to many of our problems. However, when we look at the present state of the world such claims hardly seem plausible. In the last fifty years, religious and political conflicts have plagued our civilization unlike anything else. What is paradoxical about the present situation is the fact that, the more progressive human societies become, the more destructive religious and political conflicts get. Hence, the links between religion, politics and human happiness have to be critically examined in order find out if they truly complement each other.

God and Man: Religious Divides in the Sudans

            In July of 2011, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan as the result of a 2005 peace deal that officially ended Africa’s longest running civil war. One of the primary reasons for their separation was the existence of severe discrepancies in religious ideologies, namely between the Christian and Islamic factions of the nation. As the world’s newest state, South Sudan is faced with the challenge of achieving and maintaining political stability. Though South Sudan was created as a nation to provide religious freedom from the Islamic rule of the Sudanese government, it would appear that they are facing just as much, if not more, religious and political disarray as their own independent nation as when they were a part of the original Sudan. Nonetheless, I would make the argument that national independence was a viable decision.

One Nation, Indivisible

Abstract

            Since the words “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, there has been a great debate raging about whether this act by Congress was constitutional. In this article, I examine a brief history of the Pledge, how it acts as a ceremony of civil religion and how state courts and the Supreme Court have recently handled cases dealing with the contested words. From there, I offer my reasoning behind supporting the removal of the contested words.

“Sooner” or Later Shariah will take over

Abstract

Some U.S. states have tried or are trying to pass laws to ban all foreign laws from being implemented in their states. Some people claim they are actually trying to ban Shariah. After all, what threat poses a greater risk to the security of the “free world” than radical Islamic fundamentalism? Imagine if the National Anthem became the Azan, the Islamic prayer call in Arabic! Or not knowing if that was a woman inside the Burka, or a camel. All while you try to wrap your “towel-head” around the idea of your precious daughter and up to three other gals sharing the same polygamous Muslim guy, whose children’s first words will not be “da-da”, but “durka-durka”! Though Osama may have approved of this, it is not a completely accurate portrayal of Shariah. Though the aforementioned thoughts are exaggerated, people are still concerned, most of the time irrationally, about Islam potentially destroying the sanctity of American values.

Holt v. Hobbs: Relious Freedoms in Prison

            Gregory Houston Holt, aka Abdul Maalik Muhammad v. Ray Hobbs, Director, Arkansas Department of Correction, et al., CI 12-3185 began when a man of Muslin belief wanted to exercise his belief by leaving his beard untrimmed entirely. However, this was prohibited by the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Holt then filed a motion under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. He was denied in the lower courts and has thus come in front of the Supreme Court of the United States (Holt v. Hobbs, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to examine this case and make a prediction of what the Supreme Court will decide based on the laws used to argue the case and the precedents that are in place. This paper will examine the laws that are in place and then explore the cases that have set precedents that will affect the Court’s decision in this case.

Should Religion Have Won in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby?

The CEOs of the for- profit corporation, Hobby Lobby, objected to paying for certain contraceptives mandated by the Affordable Care Act because they believed the contraceptives caused early abortions, and violated their Christian beliefs.  The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and yielded a 5-4 decision in favor of Hobby Lobby.  In my analysis, I break down how religion “won” in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case.   I provide an overview of the case and how it made it to the Supreme Court, what precedences were used in the ruling, then end with some discussion topics and my thoughts.

Public Religious Displays and the Courts

       The controversy over the Ten Commandments being placed in schools, government buildings, courthouses and other public places calls into question the constitutionality that has long been fought by the Supreme Court's argument that the U.S. government is not able to endorse a specific religion. This framework for legal precedents is often rooted in the Establishment and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and have been used when dealing with banning government support for religious activity such as prayer in public schools and lessons of creationism being taught. To begin it is best to understand the evolution of the Ten Commandments in terms of the separationist argument between church and state, the accommodation of supporting all religions equally compared to none at all and recent Supreme Court cases that have furthered public perceptions of the legality of what can and cannot be displayed on public grounds.

Martin Luther and Nazi Ideology

This blog post examines the role that Martin Luther and his book, On The Jews and Their Lies, played in Nazi anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. It also examines how Christianity was used in support of Nazi ideals. I conclude that Christianity and Luther were simply used by the Nazis in order to spread and justify their ideas and actions.

Islam and a Reformation

          The Islamic religion is an extremely misunderstood religion in the Western part of the hemisphere. Here in the United States the only information we know about Islam is generally seen on the news and it is about the unrest and war occurring in the Arab world that is dominantly Islamic. What we don’t understand is the reason why Islam is so different than our own ideologies here in the United States and what the cause of the turmoil in that region is. Does Islam need to experience a reformation similar to the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th and 17^th centuries? This paper will attempt to answer that question, and delve into whether or not a reformation is possible or already happening. I will also be using the example of Turkey, which has shown to be a more moderate Islamic democracy.

The Origins of the Christian Right

This post explores the relationship between the Christian Right and social issues of the 1970s, specifically the abortion debate.  Many Christian Groups and leaders that made their names in the 1970s point to abortion as the issue that propelled the conservative Christian Movement into politics.  In researching the Christian Right and its history, more varied reasons and a longer timeline are uncovered.  This changes and in some ways complicated the origins of the Christian Right and its place in American political history. 

Perceptions of Islam: Orientalism and its Effect on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East

This article argues that Orientalism, a term first introduced by Edward Said to describe the scholarly thought that accompanied early British and French colonialism in the Middle East, and later translated by Douglas Little to be applicable to U.S. politics, has deeply shaped U.S. opinion of the Middle East since childhood, and it has caused the U.S. to pursue policies which favor Israel and jeopardize our relationship with the rest of the Arab world.

The Buddhist and South Vietnam Government Conflict 

The 1960's was a trying time in South Vietnam with not only the Vietnam War escalating but the conflict between the government of South Vietnam and the practicing Buddhists of the country as well. Both sides battled over religious freedoms and the Buddhists wanted to be able to practice their religion without being persecuted. Each side didn't want to budge and both sides would show that they were willing to stop at nothing to get their views expressed to the masses. Many bloody and sad events took place over a span of several months and in the end many things would change but there would still be many things left unanswered.

Religous Terrorism or Politcal Struggle

Bernardo Revelo

Blog

PSCI 371

3/19/15

Religious Terrorism or Political Struggle

            When someone says the word terrorist, the next word is usually Muslim, Al- Qaeda, or Isis. We hear those words so much that we don’t really stop to think about it when a news reporter reads a head line that usually goes something like this: Another Isis attack leaves a number of individuals beheaded after reciting a section of the Quran. Then we go on to judge the Muslims for the actions of a few, even though 90% of Muslims are not okay with it. But are the actions of these terrorist groups truly religious or just political? When you look at the past, people tend to use religion as a justification for their actions so are terrorist doing the same? If so, what is the government doing wrong to encourage or making these people want to revolt and commit terroristic threats and why are we so afraid of a Muslim attack?

Absence of Atheism in Government

Most of us would probably agree that the United States was founded upon religious principles. Throughout our entire history, there has been an unmistakable link between religion, namely Christianity, and government. Our most important documents and pledges have references such as “One Nation, Under God,” and “In God We Trust,” but as we can see, the general public is shifting somewhat to a different train of thought. We are seeing an increasing percentage of religiously unaffiliated citizens and even an increasing percentage of atheists. In president Barack Obama’s inaugural address, he said, “We are a Nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers.” However, we see virtually no atheists in the government today. I would like to take some time to explore why this is and what trends we could expect to see in the future.

Does a Candidate's Religion Matter?

The religious affiliation of political candidates in the United States is not a subject of much discussion. This lack of general interest stems from the fact that there is not much variation in candidate religious affiliation. However, the variations that do exist have a significant impact on voters understanding of candidate ideology. When political candidates identify as evangelical, voters will apply a conservative stereotype to the candidate’s ideology. Evangelical candidates are seen as significantly more conservative than candidates with similar policy preferences. Voters use their understanding of a religious tradition to shape their perception of a candidate. However, a lack of impact has been illustrated in the fact that some candidates of non-traditional religions have successfully received high levels of support from the general public. Despite broad support, voters may have used their understanding of the candidate’s religion to structure their attitude towards the candidate. 

War of Rights: Animal Rights verses Religious Rights

War of Rights: Animal Rights verses Religious Rights

 

In a War of Rights who will win: Animal Rights—a new contender-- or Religious Rights—one of the oldest rights legally recognized? This question is being addressed worldwide and the legal implications of such an interest are resonating to the reaches of humankind. This article touches on the history and reasoning behind such a war of rights, as well as how current laws are being received by the public, and how the United States might deal with the issue when it reaches the Supreme Court by examining precedent cases.