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Dog Whistles and Holes in the Masterpiece Cakeshop Arguments?

By Patrick Hornbeck

…world before the Court’s 2003 decision against sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas—are still with us. Whispers of the past crept into one of the most revealing moments in yesterday’s argument, when Justice Elena Kagan asked Kristen Waggoner whether Jack Phillips, the baker, would be entitled to the same defense if his religious beliefs dictated that he not create custom cakes for interracial marriages. “Very different case in that context,” Waggoner…

The Southern Baptists’ “All Lives Matter” Approach to Racial Reconciliation Is Spiritual Malpractice

By Sunnivie Brydum and Joshua Lazard

…tion that ultimately passed differed sharply from the original, drafted by Texas pastor Dwight McKissic. Notably, the final resolution abandoned McKissic’s reference to the Biblical Curse of Ham, which has been used by the SBC and others to justify slavery and racial segregation, and his supporting paragraphs highlighting the rise of the “alt-right” and anti-black racism in the upper echelons of American politics and society. The final resolution…

Trump May Be “a Big Fan of Hindu,” But Hindus Are Running—and Winning—as Democrats

By Murali Balaji

…karni are also earning national praise for their campaigns in Maryland and Texas, respectively, with Miller now being targeted by Republicans in a smear campaign. As former RNC chair Michael Steele noted to the Washington Post, “she’s perceived as a strong potential candidate.” Hindu Americans have long been aligned with the Democratic party, but in recent years, the GOP has aggressively courted them as voters, donors, and even candidates. Accordi…

Gaining Except-ance: Army Chaplain Who Says “I Don’t” to Same-Sex Wedding Should Not Be Reprimanded

By Patrick Hornbeck

…the Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, the Texas foster placement agency that turned away a lesbian couple, and the North Carolina magistrate who lost her job after refusing to perform same-sex marriages. These and similar cases are a subset of a much larger number of disputes about whether, when, and to what extent a person’s or organization’s religious beliefs can excuse them from their ordinary legal responsibili…

“Project Blitz” Seeks to Do for Christian Nationalism What ALEC Does for Big Business

By Frederick Clarkson

…ame sex parents, a study by sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas, has long been discredited, exposed as biased, and was funded primarily by the Christian Right. Versions of the controversial First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), have been introduced in several states. One variant, the “Oklahoma Right of Conscience Act,” would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people if a business feels it might support “a specific marria…

“Project Blitz” Seeks to Do for Christian Nationalism What ALEC Does for Big Business

By Frederick Clarkson

…ame sex parents, a study by sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas, has long been discredited, exposed as biased, and was funded primarily by the Christian Right. Versions of the controversial First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), have been introduced in several states. One variant, the “Oklahoma Right of Conscience Act,” would allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people if a business feels it might support “a specific marria…

Christian or Nothing: Buddhist Prisoner to be Executed Without Buddhist Chaplain (Updated)

By Andrew L. Seidel

…ain.” American justice seems to favor Christians, everyone else be damned. Texas is set to execute Patrick Murphy, who became a Buddhist a decade ago, and the state gave Murphy a choice: he can have either “a Christian prison chaplain or no chaplain present.” “Die with our god or die alone,” the Lone Star State appears to be saying. Murphy challenged this as a violation of his First Amendment right to religious freedom. He lost at the lower court…

The Dark Side of Our Obsession With Trapped Thai Children

By Edward E. Curtis IV

…eping on a concrete floor in a detention center for immigrants in McAllen, Texas. Nature created one of these tragedies; we created the other one. The media offers us minute-by-minute updates about how the Thai children, in a race against time, might escape tragedy. Television viewers tune out of their local and day-to-day problems and tune in to the media coverage. What are the current oxygen levels in the cave? How many countries have joined the…

Should We Believe ‘Bombshell’ Report on Pope’s Knowledge of Sexual Abuse?

By Daniel Schultz

…allegations has been investigated, as is the conservative bishop of Tyler Texas, Joseph Strickland. Marching right behind them is just about the entire crew terrified of the “homosexual lobby” taking over Catholicism. (Oddly, Cardinal Burke has been relatively restrained so far, saying only that “The corruption and filth which have entered into the life of the Church must be purified at their roots,” before calling for a full investigation of Vig…

GOP ‘Big Tent’ Implosion: Hindu Edition

By Murali Balaji

…tival honoring the Hindu deity Ganesha, the Republican Party in Fort Bend, Texas (outside of Houston), recently sent its well wishes to the Hindu community in the form of an ad. It didn’t go so well. The GOP ad, featuring an image of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity revered for his wisdom and ability to remove obstacles for devotees, asked Hindus if they would rather worship an elephant—coincidentally, the GOP’s symbol—or a donkey. While the Rep…