Here is this week's installment ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original, accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat May 25, 2013 8:39 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is an unfortunate reaction from a prominent figure in the religious right movement to the deadly tornado in Oklahoma earlier this week.

Just a couple of hours after the natural disaster, Fox News' Erick Erickson, with whom I nearly always disagree, said something quite sensible: "Someone please keep Pat Robertson away from the TV cameras for a few days." Alas, the radical TV preacher, the morning after the devastation, couldn't help himself.


For those who can't watch clips online, Robertson suggested the storm's victims were to blame, asking, "Why did you build houses where tornadoes were apt to happen?" On a more theological note, the televangelist added, "If enough people were praying He would've intervened, you could pray, Jesus stilled the storm, you can still storms."

In other words, as Robertson sees it, if your community is ravaged by a natural disaster, it's your fault. That he chose not to blame the tornado on gay people is, however, a sign of progress.

Of course, Robertson wasn't the only one with an awkward theological perspective on the tornado. Did you catch this clip of CNN's Wolf Blitzer, asking a local mom if she "thanks the Lord"?


Let this be a lesson to media professionals everywhere: don't make theistic assumptions about people you don't know.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* It may be May, but policymakers in the Texas state legislature spent some time this week approving legislation to allow public school teachers to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" and display Christmas trees, nativity scenes or menorahs. Combatting the "War on Christmas" is, apparently, a year-long affair, near the top of Texas' list of priorities (thanks to my colleague Kent Jones for the tip).

* Pope Francis caused quite a stir this week with a homily that said atheists can reach heaven through good deeds.

* Eight state legislatures this year took up proposals to promote creationism in public schools, and as of this week, all eight came up short.

* Congress clearly cannot repeal the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, but Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) believes far-right activists need not worry: "I believe God is going to answer our prayers and we'll be freed from the yoke of Obamacare."

* A high school student in North Carolina was arrested recently for going to school with two unloaded shotguns. Soon after, he was offered a scholarship to Liberty University, a far-right Virginia college created by televangelist Jerry Falwell (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown hosted an interfaith breakfast this week, featuring only Christians. Unlike in years past, the Jacksonville event included no Hindu priests, Muslim imams, or Jewish rabbis, and Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, and Orthodox clergy were also excluded. Brown later apologized (thanks to reader R.B. for the tip).

* Arizona state Rep. Juan Mendez (D) volunteered to delivere the legislative invocation this week, and used the occasion to announce he's an atheist. He urged legislators to look at each other, rather than bow their heads, and "celebrate our shared humanness." His comments were not well received.

* And the Defense Department published this photo yesterday of gravestones honoring a Christian soldier, a Jewish soldier, and a Muslim soldier, each of whom was killed serving in either Iraq or Afghanistan (thanks to my colleague Vanessa Silverton Peel for the tip).


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/25/18488713-this-week-in-god

Here is this week's installment ~ the Jane Lynch and Jordan Peele video [2d clip below] is FABULOUS ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original, accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jun 1, 2013 9:56 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the unfortunate ways in which social-conservative activists are responding to American women's economic empowerment.

The Pew Research Center released a report this week that found women are now the sole or primary source of family income in 40% of U.S. households with children. These findings led to a bizarre Fox segment, featuring Lou Dobbs and his panel of all-male guests, who condemned the cultural/socioeconomic shift,

As my friend Kyle Mantyla reported, the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer raised some related concerns.


For those who can't watch clips online, Fischer cited his vision of a "biblical" family model, citing men's "physical strength" and "brain power," and the need for women for "to focus her energies ... on making a home for her children and for her husband." Fischer then argued:


In other words, according to this prominent leader in the religious right movement, women shouldn't earn more money than men, because men's feelings might be hurt -- and the male "psyche" can't handle it.

Yesterday, Fischer also defended Fox News commentator Erick Erickson, who joined Dobbs in rejecting the idea of wives out-earning their husbands, against criticism from Fox News host Megyn Kelly. Fischer characterized the host as a "dragon lady," motivated by "angry feminist energy."

Between this and last year's Republican war-on-women agenda, I sometimes get the impression conservatives are trying to push as many American women as possible to the left on purpose.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Hobby Lobby continues its push to deny contraception coverage to its employees, despite the federal health-care law, arguing this week that corporations have religious liberty, just like real people. The business' lawyer argued, "Is religion the kind of right can only be exercised by a natural person? Well, the question nearly answers itself. ... It's not a purely personal right" (thanks to reader R.P.).

* Arguably the greatest example of progressive religious activism in recent memory is the "Nuns on the Bus" tour, and this week, the nuns are back. This time, they're advocating in support of comprehensive immigration reform.

* Rev. Dr. Guy Erwin was elected Bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA) yesterday, becoming "the first openly gay clergy person elected to serve as one of the 65 synodical bishops in the denomination."

* After the Boy Scouts announced it would stop discriminating against gay kids, Kentucky's Southeast Christian Church said it would end all ties with the youth organization.

* And my friends at Americans United for Separation of Church and State this week released a must-watch video featuring two brilliant entertainers -- Jane Lynch and Jordan Peele -- making a creative case in support of church-state separation. Warning: the remarkably cheesy song in the video may get stuck in your head for a while.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/06/01/18679581-this-week-in-god

well. THAT was a rather interesting political statement.

i liked the dry humping particularly.

Here is this week's installment ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jun 15, 2013 9:59 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's big event in Washington -- this year's not-so-subtle theme: "Road to the Majority" -- where activists from the religious right movement heard from all kinds of political and theological leaders about the need for an ongoing culture war.

But of particular interest were remarks from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), whose libertarian views do not always dovetail with the social conservative worldview, but who also thought of a way to present his agenda in a way the religious right finds appealing.


For those who can't watch clips online, Right Wing Watch, which posted the video, also provided a transcript:


So, the United States already devotes a very small percentage of our budget to foreign aid, and the Kentucky Republican wants to make it much smaller. But to sell this idea to the Faith & Freedom Coalition, Paul has to put a specific spin on his preferred approach: we shouldn't just cut off aid for libertarian principles, we should cut off aid to Muslim countries.

But what I saw as the funny part was Paul's contention that countries that burn American flags shouldn't get American aid. The trouble with that argument? Americans can and occasionally do burn American flags -- and Paul might have trouble cutting off all domestic aid.

As for the notion that "liberal elites" in the U.S. are waging "a war on Christianity," the argument is plainly silly, and Paul's remarks help demonstrate why. When American progressives start pushing for laws that that put Christians to death for blasphemy, kill Christian converts, and imprison those who marry outside their faith, Rand Paul and the Faith & Freedom Coalition might have a point. In the meantime, religious liberty is alive and well here at home.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* A victory over discrimination: "A Catholic school teacher who was fired after she became pregnant through artificial insemination was awarded more than $170,000 Monday after winning her anti-discrimination lawsuit against an Ohio archdiocese. A federal jury found that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati discriminated against Christa Dias by firing her in October 2010" (thanks to reader R.P. for the heads-up).

* Glenn Beck, citing the Book of Mormon, thinks the world is coming to an end -- literally.

* Unexpected remarks from the new pope: "For years, perhaps even centuries, it has been an open secret in Rome: Some prelates in the Vatican hierarchy are, in fact, gay. But the whispers were amplified this week when Pope Francis himself, in a private audience, appeared to have acknowledged what he called a 'gay lobby' operating inside the Vatican, vying for power and influence."

* As North Carolina's Republican-led legislature continues to pursue a very right-wing agenda, local leaders of the faith community are getting more involved in protesting needlessly punitive new state laws. This week, at a rainy "Moral Monday" protest, 84 clergy members were arrested for civil disobedience.

* And in a terrific example of a man lacking in self-awareness, radical TV preacher Pat Robertson told his viewers that disaster prophecies are "nutty" and come "from the pit of hell." For the record, Robertson has spent much of his career making disaster prophecies, which invariably do not come true.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/06/15/18974564-this-week-in-god?lite

Here is this week's installment ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jun 22, 2013 10:09 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the uproar among conservatives over comments President Obama made in Northern Ireland on Monday about religious schools.

To hear the right tell it, the U.S. president issued a scathing attack on sectarian institutions. Drudge told his readers Obama made an "alarming call" for an "end to Catholic education." The conservative Washington Times ran an 800-word article on the "backlash" to Obama's comments. Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter cited the remarks as proof of the president "attacking America while he's abroad." David Limbaugh said it was "unbelievable" to see the president "attacking Catholic schools," adding, "How much evidence do people need to understand the breadth and depth of Obama's radicalism?"

"Unbelievable" is certainly the right word under the circumstances.

What, exactly, did the president say that got the right so worked up? Obama was speaking to young people at a town hall meeting in Belfast, where he stressed the importance of "breaking down the divisions that we create for ourselves."


Generations of religious strife in Northern Ireland is certainly a difficult issue, but to characterize Obama's emphasis on breaking down barriers of division as "attacking Catholic schools" and "attacking America" is absurd, and for Fox News and pretty much every conservative site on the Internet to try to make this an important religio-political scandal is quite silly.

The context, as Andrew Lawrence explained, is everything. Michael McGough added, "Northern Ireland is not the United States. Even in my childhood, when Catholic kids were encouraged to attend Catholic schools and there was an arguably Protestant ethos in many public schools, Catholics and Protestants weren't as isolated from (or as distrustful of) one another in this country as they continue to be in Northern Ireland.... Society in Northern Ireland is much more stratified, and the role of religiously defined schools more problematic. You can be perfectly comfortable with the role of Catholic schools in the American context and worry about their contribution to estrangement between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland."

Also from the God Machine this week:

* End Times radio host Rick Wiles told his listeners this week that he heard from "demon-possessed" viewers of The Rachel Maddow Show this week following Tuesday's show.

* An odd religious liberty case out of Oklahoma: "A Methodist pastor of a suburban Oklahoma City church is suing the state, claiming its license plate image of a Native American shooting an arrow into the sky violates his religious liberty. Last week, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled his suit can proceed. The pastor, Keith Cressman of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Bethany, Okla., contends the image of the Native American compels him to be a 'mobile billboard' for a pagan religion."

* Danielle Powell has a more compelling case against a conservative Christian college in Nebraska, which she left after falling in love with a woman: Grace University expelled her and "then sent a bill for $6,000 to reimburse what the school said were federal loans and grants that needed to be repaid because she didn't finish the semester." Powell is fighting back, "arguing that her tuition was covered by scholarships and that federal loans wouldn't need to be repaid in that amount."

* Drones for Christ: "Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., was founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell. Its publications carry the slogan 'Training Champions for Christ since 1971.' Some of those champions are now being trained to pilot armed drones, and others to pilot more traditional aircraft, in U.S. wars. For Christ" (thanks to reader R.B. for the tip).

* And finally, all's well that ends well? "Margaret Doughty, an atheist and permanent U.S. resident for more than 30 years, was told by immigration authorities this month that she has until Friday to officially join a church that forbids violence or her application for naturalized citizenship will be rejected." Once a controversy ensued, officials backed down and Doughty's application was approved (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/06/22/19089739-this-week-in-god?lite

Here is this week's installment ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:29 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the reactions from the religious right movement to this week's Supreme Court ruling striking down the Defense of Marriage Act. As one might imagine, the movement's leaders were less than pleased.


TV preacher Pat Robertson, for example, said on his nationally televised program that he wonders whether Justice Anthony Kennedy has "some clerks who happen to be gays." In Robertson's mind, this is a sensible question -- since it's not possible that Kennedy, who wrote the DOMA ruling, based his decision on equal protection and due process, there just has to be something else. And blaming some rascally gay clerk, who may or may not exist, for somehow influencing the justice, makes more sense than the alternatives.

Also note in the clip that Robertson asks right-wing lawyer Jay Sekulow, who heads Robertson's legal group, about the sexual orientation of federal district court Judge Vaughn Walker, who first ruled on the constitutionality of Prop. 8, as Walker's personal life is relevant (it's not).

Robertson's conspiracy theory, of course, was really just the tip of an unhinged iceberg, Right Wing Watch rounded up all kinds of religious right reactions to developments at the Supreme Court -- some of which were almost amusing in their over-the-top vitriol. My personal favorite was the obscure far-right group that compared the ruling to Pearl Harbor.

Salon's Alex Halperin also had a good collection of reactions from social conservatives, including an inconsolable Mike Huckabee.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* The Roman Catholic Church ran into a different kind of controversy this week, with these unexpected developments at the Holy See: "A Vatican official already under investigation for money laundering was arrested after police say they caught him and two other men plotting a scheme that would bring in 20 million euros (about $26 million) in cash into Italy from Switzerland on a jet" (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* The British government this week banned anti-Islam activist Pam Geller from attending a right-wing rally in the U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May personally decided to exclude Geller under the country's "Unacceptable Behavior policy."

* And Time magazine's Joe Klein published a piece this week on military veterans using public service to reduce the effects of posttraumatic stress, but in the article, the political columnist took a gratuitous shot at secularists: "[F]unny how you don't see organized groups of secular humanists giving out hot meals." When evidence to the contrary proved overwhelming, Klein published a follow-up piece, but did not apologize or correct his factual error.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/06/29/19204454-this-week-in-god?lite

Here is this week's installment ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jul 6, 2013 10:13 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a story out of Florida, where a monument to atheism was unveiled on government property for the first time in American history.


Local Christians were permitted to erect a Ten Commandments monument at the Bradford County courthouse in Starke, Florida, prompting a lengthy legal dispute over the separation of church and state. Officials eventually struck a deal -- if atheists dropped the lawsuit, which they were likely to win, they could erect their own monument on the property.

And so, this week, American Atheists did exactly that, unveiling a privately-funded, 1,500-pound granite bench, honoring church-state separation, secularism, and atheism. Because of the prevalence of Ten Commandments displays at courthouses, especially throughout the South, the group says it has plans to erect 50 more monuments just like this one.

The strategy is based on a simple principle: in an open forum, the government can't play favorites. If Christians can have a monument to the tenets of their beliefs, so can atheists. Indeed, so can literally every other group with a distinct set of beliefs about religion -- it's not hard to imagine courthouses needing to reserve space for monuments for Baptists, Buddhists, and the Baha'i; as well as Sikhs, Scientologists, and Satanists.

There are, after all, no second-class Americans citizens when it comes to the First Amendment. If one group has the right to erect a monument, so does everyone else.

The alternative is the government remaining neutral, and leaving these monuments for private property, but Ten Commandments activists said that's not what they want. They opened the door, and it's going to get crowded as others walk through it.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Remember that case we've been following about the religious right activists trying to block yoga classes in San Diego? They lost -- a local court ruled this week that yoga does not constitute religious instruction. Of particular interest, the judge said the plaintiffs seemed to be relying on inaccurate information they found online. "It's almost like a trial by Wikipedia, which isn't what this court does," the judge said (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* It's hard to believe, but Hobby Lobby's argument that corporations have religious liberties appears to be winning in court: "In a health care decision giving hope to opponents of the federal birth-control coverage mandate, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Hobby Lobby stores won't have to start paying millions of dollars in fines next week for not complying with the requirement."

* A stunning development in the Roman Catholic Church's sexual-abuse scandal: "Tragic as the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church has been, it is shocking to discover that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, while archbishop of Milwaukee, moved $57 million off the archdiocesan books into a cemetery trust fund six years ago in order to protect the money from damage suits by victims of abuse by priests."

* The right-wing Family Research Council, a leading organization in the religious right movement, is planning an event to honor what it's calling "Ex-Gay Pride Month," a new celebration "to recognize former homosexuals." The announcement comes on the heels of the collapse of Exodus International, a so-called "ex-gay" ministry.

* And in Skiatook, Okla., a sermon from Baptist preacher Jim Standridge has generated quite a bit of attention in religious circles over the last couple of weeks. A video from the weekly services shows Standridge insulting members of his congregation, which is generally considered unusual.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/06/19320752-this-week-in-god

I have a feeling he'll be moving to one of those 'podunk' churches he was talking about....lol

Nah, Monster. He's not giving up on that fancy woodwork behind him, and the tithing money.
Don't forget, he's ordained by god him/herself to step on the sheeple's toes once in a while.
I bet, from now on attendance will be flawless and tithing will increase.

* The right-wing Family Research Council, a leading organization in the religious right movement, is planning an event to honor what it's calling "Ex-Gay Pride Month," a new celebration "to recognize former homosexuals." The announcement comes on the heels of the collapse of Exodus International, a so-called "ex-gay" ministry.

I hope they'll invoke Heibrich Himmler since he had the same beliefs.

By the way, of all the threads I read on all the boards, this one is my favorite. It reinforces my beliefs!

Here is this week's installment ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jul 13, 2013 10:00 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is one of the more intriguing quotes from TV preacher Pat Robertson I've seen in a long while.

On his nationally televised show on Monday, Robertson complained that Facebook does not offer a "vomit" option alongside "like" when it comes to pictures of same-sex couples. On Thursday, however, the Republican televangelist insisted, "We are not anti-gay."


How can a man who's made a living hating gay people say he's not "anti-gay"? Because, as Right Wing Watch reported, Robertson apparently believes gay people are really just confused straight people, so there's nothing to hate.


It's worth pausing to realize that as recently as mid-September 2012, Robertson's influence was significant enough in GOP politics that he had a private meeting with the Republican Party's presidential candidate.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* As a growing percentage of the American population chooses not to identify with any faith tradition, a large percentage of the country isn't happy about it. A report from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 48% of Americans say the growing number of non-religious people is "bad for society."

* In Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court upheld a conviction this week of a mother and father who were convicted of homicide for praying instead of seeking medical help as their daughter died. The state has a law offering immunity provisions for prayer treatment, but in the 6-1 ruling, the court said that applied to child-abuse charges but nothing else.

* A software entrepreneur in Oregon offered an unconventional defense for tax evasion this week, saying he can't pay income taxes without breaking his "blood covenant" with God. For some reason, the federal judge found this unpersuasive and sentenced the accused to eight years in prison (thanks to reader R.P. for the tip).

* And in St. Louis, there's been a contentious debate in recent weeks over the use of Christian symbols being etched into the pitcher's mound at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Monday that the practice has been discontinued (thanks to my colleague Kent Jones for the tip).

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/13/19454066-this-week-in-god?lite

On Thursday, however, the Republican televangelist insisted, "We are not anti-gay."

Of course you aren't. You're snti-God since, according to you, He created everything including gays, heteros and all the in-betweens.

*in my most sanctimonious voice* "No, god did not make them. They choose to be gay."

The religionists always have an escape clause, don't you know?

*in my most sanctimonious voice* "No, god did not make them. They choose to be gay."

And God gave them the power to make that choice and since God is perfect that choice can't be incorrect.

Here is this week's installment ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:57 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is the emergence of a religio-political force that's long been rumored, but has often struggled to materialize: a "religious left" that can serve as a credible counter-force to the "religious right."

This week, the religion, policy and politics project at Brookings Institution and the Public Religion Research Institute published a study with some unexpected results. The survey, co-authored by E.J. Dionne, William Galston, and PRRI leaders, document an important trend: religious social conservatives represent about 28% of the population, but they're slowly being eclipsed by a younger, diverse group of religious progressives.


It's a similar demographic issue that's facing the Republican Party: among Americans 66 and older, 47% self-identify as religious conservatives and only 12% consider themselves religious progressives. Among Americans 33 and younger, religious conservatives not only trail religious progressives, the right also finds itself outnumbered by secularists.

Complicating matters, religious progressives are not only gaining a generational advantage, they're also rejecting the basic foundation of conservatives' religio-political activism: "Nearly 8-in-10 (79 percent) religious progressives say that being a religious person is mostly about doing the right thing, compared to 16 percent who say it is about holding the right beliefs."

We won't see the cultural impact of these changes overnight, but the report points to a problem conservatives will struggle to overcome: a future in which a shrinking percentage is moved by the religious right movement's social agenda and a growing percentage embraces progressive goals for religious reasons. For too long, the political world considered "religious issues" and "conservative issues" as synonymous, and fairly soon, that will no longer apply.

Jack Jenkins added, "Religion has long been co-opted by religious conservatives as a vehicle for political gain, but this study hints that the future of faith-based political advocacy could rest with the left-leaning faithful."

Also from the God Machine this week:

* As hard as it is to believe, Hobby Lobby, which claims corporations are people with their own religious liberties, won a temporary court injunction yesterday, allowing it to exclude birth control from its employee health plan.

* Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), feeling a little defensive, has formally declared a "Statewide Day of Prayer for Unity." The day the gubernatorial proclamation calls for Floridians to pray is tomorrow (thanks to my colleague Tricia McKinney for the tip).

* In addition to the survey results discussed above, the First Amendment Center published a report this week on Americans' support for, and understanding of, constitutional principles. A narrow 51% majority believes the U.S. Constitution established "a Christian nation" -- the opposite is true -- though that number has dropped in recent years (thanks to reader R.P. for the heads-up).

* Right-wing religious activists are coming to the defense of Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), with Michael Heath, the former director of the Christian Civic League, insisting the governor has been "sodomized by the left." The remarks were not well received in Maine, where Democratic leaders condemned the comments as "hateful and bigoted" (thanks to my colleague Laura Conaway for the tip).

* In a sign of the times, the Vatican is now offering "indulgences" to followers of Pope Francis' messages on Twitter.

* And add TV preacher Pat Robertson to the list of conservatives who are convinced that people who wear hoodies should necessarily be considered criminals.


http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/20/19581031-this-week-in-god?lite

I hope the gods listen to my prayer that Scott will do a Palin. Please let it be half-term!

Please let it be half-term!

Ah, yes. A political abortion.

Not sure who the Woman was in that vid with Pat, but she is the smart one. She brought up Z going after M and that he shouldn't have.

Then when Pat made his last comment, did you see the look she gave him? PRICELESS!!!

monster, that is the second time that I've seen a video of someone on his show contradict him and/or give him a strange look after making some asshat remark. I'm sure it will happen more often as he becomes more senile.

more senile??????

Yeah, imagine the surprises he has in store for us the worse he gets...and yes, I am sure there is a worse.

Here is this week's installment ~ the last item is guaranteed to make "some" heads explode ~ "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original are accessible via the end link ~ Sooz

This Week in God
By Steve Benen - Sat Jul 27, 2013 9:59 AM EDT

First up from the God Machine this week is a court case out of Pennsylvania that's likely to be pretty important in the right's drive to block contraception access.

At issue is a cabinet-making company called Conestoga, whose Mennonite owners oppose birth control on religious grounds. They filed suit challenging the contraception provisions in the Affordable Care Act, arguing that their faith applies to their for-profit business -- the Hahn family, which owns Conestoga, doesn't like birth control, so the family wants to leave contraception access out of the company's health plan.

As of yesterday, that argument didn't go over well in court.


It's a pretty straightforward decision -- corporations may be people (my friend), but according to the 3rd Circuit, the Hahn family can have its religious beliefs, but the cabinet-making company does not have religious beliefs of its own.

"We simply conclude that the law has long recognized the distinction between the owners of a corporation and the corporation itself," wrote Judge Robert Cowen. "A holding to the contrary -- that a for-profit corporation can engage in religious exercise -- would eviscerate the fundamental principle that a corporation is a legally distinct entity from its owners."

The ruling added, "The [contraception provision] does not impose any requirements on the Hahns. Rather, compliance is placed squarely on Conestoga. If Conestoga fails to comply with the Mandate, the penalties ... would be brought against Conestoga, not the Hahns."

This may seem like common sense, but the arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby has filed a nearly identical lawsuit -- its owners don't like birth control for religious reasons, either -- and as Sarah Posner recently explained, this company has had far more success at the 10th Circuit.

And when two federal appeals courts disagree on the same question, the U.S. Supreme Court generally intervenes to settle the dispute. We may, in other words, soon see a major legal showdown over whether corporations have their own distinct freedom of religion that affords businesses the right to block their employees' access to contraception.

Also from the God Machine this week:

* Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), talking to a religious right audience, made a spirited case against marriage equality. "On marriage there is no issue in which we need to be more on our knees because the momentum is with the opponents of traditional marriage. We're facing an assault on marriage." He scolded "unelected judges" who think "we know better" on marriage, and urged pastors "to speak to your congregations and to mobilize the people, and mobilize them more than anything to pray."


* In North Carolina, state Rep. Nelson Dollar (R) defended his party's hyper-aggressive budget plan by insisting, "Today is the day when history will mark this General Assembly did what was morally right in the eyes of God." Well I guess that settles it, then. (Thanks to reader D.R. for the tip.)

* There's an interesting fight underway in Ohio, where a proposed Holocaust memorial featuring Jewish imagery, drawing complaints from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

* And the White House this week hosted a Ramadan celebration, including an Iftar dinner. President Obama noted at the event that throughout the nation's history, "Islam has contributed to the character of our country."

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/27/19714720-this-week-in-god?lite

Question: if Citizens United case decision stated that not only individual citizens have freedom of speech but associations of citizens have freedom of speech, why then does it not follow that just as individual citizens have freedom of religious exercise, that associations of citizens should have freedom of religious exercise?

IOW, if Citizens United granted to corporations the same constitutionally granted rights of freedom that individuals are guarranteed, why then is freedom of religious exercise exempted from the ramifications of this decision?

To me, Citizens United is the single-worst decision EVER delivered from the USSC ~ having said that, an individual can talk ~ and talk ~ and flood the media air waves ~ but others have the option of not listening or changing the channel ~ the decisions and choices made by corporations, especially corporations, don't give others those same options ~ and the corporate decisions and choices affect others on a much more personal level ~ you are free to practice any religion you choose ~ you are not free to require me to follow your choice ~

Sooz