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Marriage Equality Vote Costs Conservative MP a Trip to Australia

By Peter Montgomery

Earlier this month, the British House of Commons overwhelmingly approved a marriage equality bill for England and Wales on its second reading. (After additional legislative review and a third reading, the bill will go to the House of Lords). Prime Minister David Cameron pushed for marriage equality over the objections of church leaders and many in his Conservative Party. One who did vote for the marriage bill is the conservative Iain Duncan Smit…

Sarah Palin to Tour Israel, Christian-Style

By Anthea Butler

…to-play dates, Palin can still suck all of the media air out of the room without declaring her intent, while her followers can organize underneath the eyes of the media glare. Whatever Palin does on her Israel trip will be a signal to her supporters and detractors alike. No matter what the pollsters may say, this trip will be an important step in the reading of the tea leaves for a potential 2012 run….

From “Jane Roe” to “Roe No More”: Norma McCorvey’s Long Strange Trip Through the Politics of Abortion

By Patricia Miller

…the politics of abortion, married that to a fierce grassroots legislative ground game to make stunning inroads on abortion access in the United States, even as the procedure remains technically legal. So perhaps it’s symbolically appropriate that McCorvey went to her maker right after the 2016 presidential election proved the staying power of the issue that she helped elevate to the national stage. Say what you want about belligerent blue-collar w…

A Public Monument to Atheism—In Florida

By Becky Garrison

On June 29, 2013, in heavily Christian Northern Florida, American Atheists will unveil the first public monument to atheism. A bench engraved with quotes from Thomas Jefferson, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, Benjamin Franklin, and other atheists and freethinkers will be placed alongside a monument of the Ten Commandments on display in front of the Bradford County Courthouse. How did this come about? As reported by news4jax.com: American Atheists had sued…

Citing Jewish Law, Florida Synagogue Challenges Abortion Ban — But Here’s the Problem With ‘Religious Requirement’ Arguments

By Rebecca Epstein-Levi

…anned Parenthood v. Casey, a Florida synagogue filed a lawsuit challenging Florida’s abortion ban on the grounds that it violates Jews’ religious freedom. Halakhah, or Jewish law, the suit argues, often permits and sometimes requires abortion if the pregnancy threatens the mother’s health. Thus, any ban infringes on Jews’ right to free exercise. As a Jewish woman who supports unrestricted and unapologetic access to abortion, I desperately hope the…

Biblical Law in Central Florida House Race

By Julie Ingersoll

…” He argues that God says, “I will make you more wealthy than the nations around you” and, mentioning IBLP “medical seminars” promises that “none of the diseases of the world around will affect you if you follow (God’s) principles.” Now there’s a health care plan and the mother of all bailouts. Time magazine considers this one of the top house races to watch this November. The St. Petersburg Times has described it as a clear-cut choice between “We…

“Taliban Dan’s” Teacher: Inside Bill Gothard’s Authoritarian Subculture

By Sarah Posner

…p early in the morning, and praying for a “hedge of thorns of protection” around his Florida district so that he would win reelection. (Both Webster and Gothard have made much of the fact that for several of his reelection bids in the Florida legislature, Webster ran unopposed.) Webster said that he prayed for anyone considering a run in his district to “lose interest.” That “that hedge of thorns has protected me all these years,” Webster continue…

Put Your Money Where Your Mind Is: A For-Profit Meditation Studio Opens in New York

By Michael Schulson

…age. His 2012 book, The Buddha Walks into a Bar, has sold widely. Over the phone, I asked Rinzler why he and Burrows had chosen to establish the studio as a for-profit company. “We really wanted to make sure we had all the resources we need for supporting people who are trying meditation for the first time,” Rinzler explained. Because they’re a business, there’s more professionalism. The teachers they’ve hired show up on time, and, as Rinzler put…

“We (some of) the People” Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Tea Party

By Julie Ingersoll

Central Florida’s Tri-County Tea Party organized a rally for Governor Scott’s signing of a controversial state budget today in the massive retirement community known as The Villages. It seemed like a nice day for a drive so I thought I’d head south to attend the rally, talk to some tea partiers and listen to the speeches. Scott, whose public approval ratings are sinking in the polls, had chosen to move the signing from Tallahassee to the tea part…

Florida School Prayer Bill Stalls in Committee

By Lauri Lebo

A Florida bill that would have allowed school-led prayer has been postponed for now after civil liberties groups made clear that the legislation violated the First Amendment. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, would allow the delivery of an “inspirational message,” including prayer, at “noncompulsory” middle and high school events. Student government would have to decide on giving such a message, which could only be delivered by…