Swiss Ban Steeples on Christian Churches

That’s not true, but it would make you mad wouldn’t it?

They actually banned minarets, tall spires that stand near Muslim places of worship.

Still angry?

Catholics Going Galt?

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to discontinue social service programs in DC in response  to a proposed law that would not exempt religious organizations working with the city from discrimination laws involving hiring gays and lesbians.

In other words, the Catholics are (sort of) going Galt:

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn’t change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.

…Fearful that they could be forced, among other things, to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples, church officials said they would have no choice but to abandon their contracts with the city.

“If the city requires this, we can’t do it,” Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. “The city is saying in order to provide social services, you need to be secular. For us, that’s really a problem.”

The problem here is that the Archdiocese has partnered with the city for a number of years on social programs, and they are having to play by the government’s rules. So when Gibbs says that you must be secular to provide social services, she’s leaving out a major part of the story. If you want to provide social services with public money, then you may have to sacrifice certain things.

It’s sort of like Wall Street CEO having to take government-mandated pay cuts after receiving taxpayer funding. When you leave the private life and slip a toe into the public sphere, you give up certain things. As one supporter of the new law says in the article, “The issue here is they are using public funds, and to allow people to discriminate with public money is unacceptable.”

Of course, the legislation that DC is proposing won’t affect religious organizations that provide services on their own, and it shouldn’t. Civil society should be allowed to continue on in a spirit of free association. But it just goes to show you that if you want to keep your independence, don’t partner with the state.

 

 

The Meaning of Freedom

The Economist rallies against the U.N. Human Rights Council’s resolution on speech that “defames religion”:

Western governments, and decent people everywhere, should try to ensure that the things they say do not entrench religious prejudice or incite acts of violence; being free to give offence does not mean you are wise to give offence. But no state, and certainly no body that calls itself a Human Rights Council, should trample on the right to free speech enshrined in the Universal Declaration. And in the end, given that all faiths have undergone persecution at some time, few people have more to gain from the protection of free speech than sincere religious believers.

It reminds me of my trip to an exhibit on free speech at the Newseum where you can take a poll that asks if you believe free speech should give you the liberty to speak ill of others religions. Shockingly, thousands said the government should ban such speech.

Happy (Belated) Holi

Marissa over at Culprit 021 reminded me that Thursday was Holi, the Hindu celebration of spring. It’s a day in India in which most of the country spends the day drunk in celebration, smearing mostly toxic paint and dye over anyone who passes by. Apartment dwellers drop water balloons full of paint dozens of stories onto crowds below. Young people roam the city with giant tubs of color and punish anyone who has not celebrated to their satisfaction.

I was in India last Holi, and was attacked with led paint on the sidewalk until the police came and scattered us all with large sticks.

Cristina was mobbed by a gang of revelers, and God’s honest truth, she hasn’t been able to get the color out of her hair since. (12 months!)

It was a unique time to be in India. The Hindu festival, the Muslim celebration of Muhammad’s birthday and Good Friday all fell on the same day. Every major religion in the country was in celebration and prayer. I spent most of the night in Kolkata’s Muslim district chatting with young followers of Muhammad, talking about politics and religion, the only things I know how to talk about.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures from that wild day.

At a waterpark in Kolkata, they even dyed the wave pool pink

Happy Holi!

Mid-Week Links

Nancy Pelosi open to a “second stimulus package.”

Young-earth creationists (Folks who believe the world is 6,000 years old, man domesticated dinosaurs, etc…) take a field trip to the Smithsonian.

Research shows that people who drink moderately live longer than those who don’t

Well, shucks. Roger Clemens tests positive to performance enhancing drugs

A DC Metro line to Dulles airport by 2015?