Religion Dispatches
In the run up to Easter and the National Day of Prayer, chaplains and guest chaplains around the nation have sowed religious division and discord as they delivered prayers at state legislatures, and now, federal courts are giving them their stamp of approval.
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Thomas’s opinion on religious tests wasn’t about right or wrong, or even of the Constitution, it’s a political argument designed to muzzle such questions in hopes of easing and paving a path for conservative justices who would place faith above the Constitution.
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The past couple of weeks have shown the country that, even though the Supreme Court has said prayers are constitutional, government bodies should stop organizing them. They are divisive, intimidating, coercive—and certainly unbecoming in bodies that represent our increasingly pluralistic communities.
Read MoreIn the rare instances when courts roll back Christian privilege, the cries of persecution are swift. But parity is not oppression. And the erosion of unwarranted privilege is not persecution; it is the steady march toward equality.
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That a state legislator’s prayer was meant to intimidate non-Christians seems self-evident, but it’s probably less clear to many observers that the prayer is also a symptom of a virulent strain of Christian nationalism.
Read MoreFar from sending a troubling message, as Justice Alito contends, removing unconstitutional crosses maintained by the government on government land would send a clear and simple message: In the United States, the Constitution rules.
Read MoreEvery court to decide on such a cross has said that it must come down or be moved to private property, but the conservative Supreme Court majority may rule in its favor. Have we simply forgotten how well separation of church and state has worked?
Read MoreIf you’re seeking justice or vindication of your religious freedom, this Supreme Court has just said non-Christians need not apply.
Read MoreQuestioning federal nominees on religion has been decried as a violation of the Constitution’s ban on religious tests. But not only does it do nothing of the kind, there’s good reason to think Article VI actually requires these questions.
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