Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Religion has Little Impact in U.S. Presidential Race
posted on August 2, 2012According to a new poll by the Pew Research Center, the religious faiths of Romney and Obama “will have little weight in November’s presidential election,” Reuters reports. “Republicans and white evangelicals overwhelmingly back Romney irrespective of their views of his [Mormon] faith, and Democrats and seculars overwhelmingly oppose him regardless of their impression [of his religion],” the Pew report states.
The HHS Mandate Goes into Effect
posted on August 2, 2012On Wednesday, the controversial Health and Human Services mandate, requiring employers who provide health insurance for their employees to include contraceptive coverage, went into effect. The editors of the National Review criticize the Obama administration for not exempting employers who object to contraception on religious grounds. The editors write, “The Obama administration … embraces a shriveled view of religious liberty that is alien to the American tradition.”
Black Pastors Group Launches Anti-Obama Campaign around Gay Marriage
posted on August 2, 2012A group of black pastors are campaigning against President Obama’s reelection because of Obama’s support for same-sex marriage, reports CNN’s Dan Merica. The effort comes at a time when a “Pew Research Center poll conducted in April found that 49 percent of African-Americans oppose legalized same-sex marriage,” Merica writes. Rev. Williams Owens, the leader of the campaign, says Obama is “ignoring the people that put him in the White House.”
The Mitt Romney Effect on Mormon Mission Curiosity
posted on August 2, 2012In light of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, Jason F. Wright reflects on his two-year mission for the LDS Church. At The Deseret News, Wright describes his mission to Brazil, where he says, “I’d never worn through soles before, but before I left Brazil, I was sticking surplus pamphlets into my shoes to protect my feet.” Writes notes, “If Romney’s mission [to France] was like mine, he learned to face hate and rejection. Doors were closed and hearts slammed shut.”
What Can Mississippi Learn From Iran?
posted on August 2, 2012In Mississippi, Dr. Aaron Shirley is trying to adopt an Iranian style healthcare program to combat poor health in rural areas, Suzy Hansen writes for The New York Times. The program centers on community health workers, with which Iran has seen success in lowering the health disparity between rural and urban areas. Hansen notes that the same disparity exists in the U.S. “A Mississippi black man’s life expectancy is lower than the average American’s life expectancy was in 1960,” writes Hansen.
Saudi Arabian Olympic Judo Competitor to Wear Form of Headscarf
posted on August 2, 2012A female judo competitor from Saudi Arabia “will be allowed to compete in the Olympics wearing a form of headscarf,” Stephen Wilson reports for The Associated Press. Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani had been told she couldn’t wear the head covering because of “safety concerns.” Yet the International Olympic Committee (IOC) helped broker a compromise between judo officials and the Saudi Olympic committee. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said, “Our aim is that we want to have women from all national Olympic committees competing in the games.”
Chick-fil-A to Draw Crowds–And Not For Its Food
posted on August 2, 2012After the fastfood franchise’s president strongly denounced same-sex relationships, supporters and opponents of gay marriage plan to appear at Chick-fil-A locations nationwide this week, reports Adelle M. Banks for Religion News Service. On Wednesday, to show support for the restaurant, which is closed Sundays in observance of the Christian sabbath, hundreds of thousands of people participated in “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.” Gay rights activist are organizing a “National Same Sex Kiss Day at Chick-fil-A” this Friday. “The hard part for me, especially, is this assumption that there are Christians and there’s LGBT people and that there’s absolutely no overlap between the two of them,” says Ross Murray, director of religion, faith and values for the gay rights advocacy organization, GLAAD.
Why Are Secular Businesses Claiming Religious Rights?
posted on August 1, 2012At The Atlantic, Wendy Kaminer analyzes the recent injunction federal district court judge John L. Kane granted to Hercules Industries, temporarily exempting the company from “providing female employees with coverage for contraception and sterilization required by the Affordable Care Act.” Kaminer describes Hercules Industries as a “secular business … owned and operated by a Catholic family.” The injunction “represents an ominous legal trend: Religious freedom is morphing into religious power,” Kaminer writes.
Religiously Claiming Jefferson
posted on August 1, 2012At The American Spectator, Mark Tooley writes about how both secularists and religious conservatives lay claim to the legacy of Thomas Jefferson. David Barton, a conservative religious activist, calls Jefferson “pro-Christian and pro-Jesus” while Tooley notes how “[s]ecularists and strict separationists ardently quote Jefferson’s opposition to state churches.” Tooley writes, “Debating Jefferson and his impact on religion is a favorite American pastime.”
Read at The American Spectator
Pro-Life ‘Personhood’ Activists Escalate Fight, File Petition with Supreme Court
posted on August 1, 2012On Monday, pro-life organization, Personhood USA, “filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court to consider an appeal of an Oklahoma ruling against a ballot initiative in that state,” Abigail Pesta reports for The Daily Beast. The organization is seeking to have overturned an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling, which held “that an initiative to get a personhood amendment on the state ballot was unconstitutional.” Keith Mason, founder of Personhood USA, says, “We’re fighting for First Amendment rights.”